FeatherWings

## Description

A FeatherWing's very thin feather-like scales can be any color of a bird. Common colors are shades of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, gray, white, brown and black.  Their wings are like birds’, feathered with ultra-light steel-like feathers. Their wings are usually darker than the other parts of the body.

FeatherWing heads are very narrow and they have a beak-like tip. They are lean dragons that are strong but graceful.

FeatherWings have violet blood and tongues. They have also been noted to have burning venom which they spit out of their longest front four teeth.

## Abilities

FeatherWings are nimbler than any other tribe thanks to their small size. They are also strong, but very small. This leads them to deceive the enemy using their size. They also may have a small build so they can navigate through tiny cracks between cliffs and rocks in their mountain habitat.

### Venom

Their 'Venom' is a extremely toxic \_\_\_\_\_ mixed with alkaloid batrachotoxin R that causes burning and eventual death over 3 days. It is the most poisonous alkaloid on earth.

As a neurotoxin it affects the nervous system. Neurological function depends on  depolarization of nerve and muscle fibers due to increased sodium ion permeability of the excitable cell membrane. Lipid-soluble toxins such as batrachotoxin act directly on sodium ion channels involved in action potential generation and by modifying both their ion selectivity and voltage sensitivity. Batrachotoxin (BTX) irreversibly binds to the Na+ channels which causes a conformational change in the channels that forces the sodium channels to remain open. Batrachotoxin not only keeps voltage-gated sodium channels open, but it also reduces the single-channel conductance. In other words, the toxin binds to the sodium channel and keeps the membrane permeable to sodium ions in an all or none manner.

This has a direct effect on the peripheral nervous system (PNS). Batrachotoxin in the PNS produces increased permeability (selective and irreversible) of the resting cell membrane to sodium ions, without changing potassium or calcium concentration. This influx of sodium depolarizes the formerly polarized cell membrane. Batrachotoxin also alters the ion selectivity of the ion channel by increasing the permeability of the channel toward larger cations. Voltage-sensitive sodium channels become persistently active at the resting membrane potential. Batrachotoxin kills by permanently blocking nerve signal transmission to the muscles.

Batrachotoxin binds to and irreversibly opens the sodium channels of nerve cells and prevent them from closing. The neuron can no longer send signals and this results in paralysis.

Batrachotoxin activity is temperature-dependent, with a maximum activity at 37 °C (99 °F). Its activity is also more rapid at an alkaline pH, which suggests that the unprotonated form may be more active.

 1 hour
 12 hours
 1 day
 2 days
 3 days

They use their venom for many purposes, including torture, killing and corroding.

FeatherWings are immune to the effects of this venom if ingested but can be injured and killed if applied topically.

### Wisdom

FeatherWings can sense the agendas, general ages (example: *oh, that dragon is 20-25 years old*), tribes, and alliances (example: *oh, that dragon is a member of the Talons of Justice*) of other dragons. It is unknown how they do it.

## Queens

* Falcon
* Kite
* Shikra (current)

## History

### Pre-Ignition

These dragons used to live in flocks, co-exsiting.

Flocks usually were made up of 30-100 dragons. Each had clusters of 10 dragons. Clusters each had a hunting schedule. All the dragons would decide what to do and when do it.

### Ignition

Then a dragonet by the name of Falcon was hatched. Falcon was an commanding dragon, independent at a young age and when the WaterWings invaded and war broke out, she helped by training many dragons for war and leading them to victory. She became their Commander and was exalted to Queen when the war was over. Falcon ruled for many years and was considered one of the best Ignian queens. She had many sons but only one daughter with an unknown mate. Her one daughter, Kite, became queen when her mother died of old age. Kite inherited the throne.

## Culture

### Traditions

#### **Dance** **of The Hidden Sun**

A tradition done only when the sun ‘hides’ behind the moon, A.K.A. an eclipse. It involves a (or multiple) row(s) with dance partners then forming a ring, usually preformed in a square, preferably with a statue in the center. It is not mandatory.

It starts by flying up into the clouds, leaving your dance partner behind and dive down and land next to them, spin and face them. Then they will do the same. Then you begin to waltz for a few minutes. After that, you bow to each other, tap tails with the dragon to your right and across and hold their talons and spin around the statue with your new partner, switching every five minutes. If your dance partner wishes to leave, they must wait till someone else wishes to leave and they leave in pairs.

A lot of dragons participating go to parties after.

## Military

### The Paraselene Force

The Dune Force encompasses all members of the military trained for combat on the ground. It is so named because in battle, MoonWings create illusions or actual dupilcates of themselves confuse the enemy. They specialize in fighting on the ground, and typically use tactics that play to that particular army's strengths and study the environments they fight in it with extreme precision.

**Ambush Squadrons**

Ambush Squadrons use the surroundings to their advantage the most, and typically take the enemy on unawares. They are fast and crippling, and leave their victims wounded and paralyzed, to be killed by later waves. They are usually the first wave of MoonWings to be deployed. They are backed up by the Attack Squadrons, who are launched just after them.

**Attack Squadrons**

Attack Squadrons are the main offensive players in the MoonWing Paraselene Force, and they kill the paralyzed victims left by the Ambush Squads, along with anything else that might stand in their way. They are the most equipped for a straight out fight, and can drag out battles for long periods of time with their endurance and precision fighting.

**Defense Squadrons**

Defensive Squadrons can back up the Attack Squadrons sometimes, as their endurance and fluidity as teams allow them to adapt to almost any situation. They are the heavy hitters and the ones with the strongest endurance, resulting in most of them protecting the MoonWing borders and front lines from attack. The medics are also typically protected by these squads.

**Onset Squadrons**

There are not many Onset Squadrons, but they are the deadliest of the ground troops. They are meant as a killing force, only to be deployed in dire situations or when a revenge move is taken. They are the most highly trained, and as their name suggests, they can onset cities and raze them to the ground in mere hours.

Almost everything and everyone that stands in their way is obliterated with cold, mechanical precision, as the dragons in these squads know the ones they are killing have committed a grave wrong against the MoonWings that needs to be paid back in blood and lives, or they have killed too many of their family of the Moons.

### The Glare Force

The Glare Force encompasses all aerial troops. The Glare Force is named after the rays of light coming from the moons to burn and obiliterate due to the fact that this force specializes in fast and hard hits, and regularly takes on many flying troops of other tribes with ease due to their training and abilities. Many dragons in this force are Aeros. The only tribes who could compete with them or outclass them in the air are WindWings, FireWings,ClawWings, and StormWings. Luckily they are allies with ClawWings and StarWings and they have special fighters to counter the other tribes. The Glare Force is the most powerful branch of the MoonWing military. The Moonbeam and Eclipse Squadrons are specialized for fighting specific tribes, whereas the Gust, Blast, and Whirlwind Squadrons are not.

**Moonbeam Squadrons**

Twister Squadrons are specifically tailored to fight WindWings,ClawWings, and FireWings. They are composed of light-armored dragons with speed and strength, that are agile and able to keep up with the super-fast dragons. They break the WindWings,FireWings and (possibly) ClawWings' horns, tails, and wings, and slice their wing membranes, knocking the dragons out of they sky one by one. They are armed with:

* Arrows and bows
* Claw knives (knives they attach to their claws and sometimes spikes)
* swords
* daggers
* horn sheaths (metal sheaths fitted to each dragons' horns and sharpened)

These Squadrons are only used during wartime with the WindWings and hypothetically ClawWings and FireWings. Their members often join the other squadrons when not fighting these dragons.

**Eclipse Squadrons**

Squall Squadrons are highly trained fighters that specialize in fighting StarWings(hypothetically) and FireWings' light. many dragons in these squads are Lumens and/or Pyros, but they all wear shades over their eyes to protect them from the StarWings' light. They keep their distance from the StarWings and their deadly tail scales and blazing light, and strike in between blasts from their opponents, while the StarWings are trying to recover. They are armed with:

* Spears
* Pikes (not the fish, the spear-like thing)
* arrows and longbows
* bolts and crossbows
* fireproof black cloth (to hide the StarWings' light)

Which are used to take down StarWings from afar, and precision shooting is common of these squadrons. They have high endurance and precision, able to time their attacks right, allowing them to be deadly to the light and speedy dragons. Just like the Moonbeam Squadrons, most members are part of other squadrons when not fighting the StarWings.

**Glowmoon Squadrons**
Glowmoon Squadrons are the endurance flyers. They can fly for hours on end, and can take out many foes before their wave is called back. They may not be the fastest, but they are the most persistent. The Glowmoon Squadrons are normally used if the MoonWings need to drag out a fight, or if they need to take out a lot of dragons in one long wave of fights.

**Bright Squadrons**

Bright Squadrons are the heaviest hitters in the Glare Force, and can knock dragons out of the sky with a few blows. They are close combat fighters and are typically used for defensive lines in the air. They wear the heaviest armor, and are very protected, so they can plow through the enemy front lines with little to no resistance when they are summoned to the front of the battlefield.

**Noctem Squadrons**

Noctem Squadrons are the fastest, most precise hitters, and are an ambush force. They fly silently due to rips they purposely cause in their wings. They aim for the wings of their opponents, and can send a dragon plummeting in a few seconds. They fly at night, in mist, or in thick clouds, and also accompany the Paraselene Forces in town raids. There are not too many Noctem Squadrons, as the training is intense, but they are very powerful and a major upper hand in battle.

### The Reflection Force

The Reflection Force encompasses all aquatic troops and has a reasonable amount of dragons total in it. It is a specialized aquatic force, which is mainly used for border defense, spying, and aquatic flash-raids. The dragons in it are highly trained, and can swim well. Many are Hydros. They are chosen for their high lung capacity and moon given abilities coupled with their ability to hold their breath for about 20-40 minutes and their good swimming skills.

**Turbulence Squadrons**

The Turbulence Squadrons are the fastest moving swimmers, and specialize in swimming stormy, unpredictable waters, along with fast moving currents and obstacle-filled waters. They aren't very good at combat in open waters, and are mainly used for spying from rivers or defending waters near the MoonWing coastal borders.

**Hurricane Squadrons**

These squadrons are used for scouting missions, and act as messengers for the rest of the military. They can hold their breath almost as long as the Thunderstorm Squadrons, and escape attack from enemies by swimming through rivers in enemy territory. Certain Hurricane Squadrons also act as assassins, and swim deep into enemy territory to take out their targets.

**Thunderstorm Squadrons**

They are the best aquatic fighters. They can hold their breath the longest and dive the deepest. They don't do too bad in tight spaces, but normally prefer combat in open waters. They can go toe-to-toe with SeaWings, but not more than one at a time. They also have to go up for air about every 20-30 minutes, depending on how vigorously they are fighting.

## Known Dragons

* Accipiter
* Princess Canary
* Princess Chickadee
* Queen Falcon
* Finch
* King Hawk
* Queen Kite
* Linnet
* Merlin
* Owl
* Plover
* Queen Shikra
* Sparrow
* Warbler