The mating Call Chapter 3

The Matting Call (Book 1) Chapter 4

The Betrail Of Maverick Con

HiveWings are one of the three tribes that reside on Pantala. HiveWings were formerly the dominating tribe on Pantala, as 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 Nightmare, the common ancestor of all the HiveWings.

**Description:** HiveWings have slender, strong, sharp, and muscular bodies. They have four thin, transparent, and segmented wings. Their wings are similar to dragonflies and also some other similar insects. They are primarily based on wasps but are suggested to be inspired by bees and some different varieties of beetles and insects. According to the description in *A Guide to the Dragons of Pantala*, HiveWing scales can be red, yellow, and/or orange. They always have some black scales mixed in due to their NightWing genes from their shared ancestor, Nightmare. Some can even be almost entirely black in color, for example, Hawker and Bombardier. Some can also be shades of green, like Treehopper.

HiveWings usually have a slightly compact face, a small axe-like ridge on the tip of their snout, and a more extensive curved ridge on their foreheads. Some HiveWings, such as Katydid, Sandfly, and Scarab, have been mentioned to have freckle-like scales or splash-like splotches of scales like Cricket. Previously mentioned eye colors include black, dark orange, Brown, red, amber, yellow-gold, and green. Blue has mentioned prior that HiveWing eyes have a "green-yellow-orange glow ."HiveWings have a pair of long, curved, and smooth-looking horns that raise slightly above their head, the tips curving slightly forward, which gives them an almost regal appearance. Long, thin spikes go down their spines to the tip of their tails, which have a more prominent spine. They may also have wrist spikes. Some hatch with stingers in their wrists or tails, which will also come with poison or venom. HiveWings have been seen previously to have dark green blood, although this may be unique to Wasp, as she was in connection with the Othermind for roughly 50 years.

**Diet:** HiveWings are omnivorous and eat animals that live on the savanna, for example, zebras, wildebeest, gazelle lions, antelope, and. HiveWings also eat candy, like honey drops and nectar. Crickets have been noted to smell like cinnamon. The Hive on cover for *The Hive Queen* showed a shop selling whole sharks, leading to a belief that sharks or other marine life may also be part of a typical HiveWing diet. Another shop on the cover is selling mounds of herbs in baskets. Cricket stated that they do not like to eat most reptiles, as HiveWings believe they may be related. They also drink tea and coffee. Sliced avocados had been jokingly mentioned by Cricket. Cricket has been noted to have breath that smelled like apples. In *The Hive Queen*, Cricket remembered a drink that tasted like lime and smelled like coconut.

**Abilities:** According to the Pantalan dragon guide, the HiveWings' powers vary from dragon to dragon, but many do not have any powers. These abilities are genetic and can be passed down. Their capabilities include deadly stingers extending from their wrists, venom, or a paralyzing toxin known as nerve poison in their claws, stingers, or teeth. Boiling acid that can be shot from a stinger on their tail and emanate a horrible stench said to smell like dead rotting things pickled in sulfur. Swordtail described the HiveWings' paralyzing toxin as "fire burning every nerve in your body," When it wears off, "all you want to do is run or fly or even blink, but you cannot move a single muscle until the toxin wears off." A dragon paralyzed by HiveWing venom can be unparalyzed when given a potent stimulant. Some guards were assumed by Blue to be able to shoot poisonous darts from their tails. Like SilkWings, HiveWings also have a precise internal clock that was described to keep their days on schedule and warn them when the rainy season is coming.

Wasp, the former HiveWing Queen, could also 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. HiveWings are said to have pure white eyes under mind control and move in eerie unison. Katydid described the feeling as having an unstoppable urge to do what the Queen makes them, similar to being hypnotized.

**Society:** HiveWings were once first-class citizens in their community. They live in Hives, formerly ruled by Queen Wasp and her female relatives, primarily sisters. Unlike other dragon tribes in Pantala and Pyrrhia, Wasp's relatives who led the other Hives were not titled 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 also tricky for HiveWings to get a divorce because they needed permission from the Queen. If the Queen allowed a HiveWing couple to get divorced, they had to undergo a complicated separation request process. Getting together was considered strongly forbidden for a HiveWing and a SilkWing.

HiveWings used SilkWings as servants and used them for personal gain in many ways, such as using them as cooks, butlers, and other jobs. Servants followed their mistress. 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.

**Names:** HiveWings are named after a variety of insects and bugs. Dragons from the tribe can be named after different species of bees and Wasps, ants, beetles, weevils, crickets, praying mantes, etc. They can also be named after types of worms, such as Earthworm and Bloodworm. There is also one arachnid named, being Vinegaroon.

Click here for a list of the known HiveWings.

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. HiveWings may possess that ability. It was mentioned by Swordtail that HiveWings have poor night vision, though it is possible he was being derogatory because he also described them as "lazy" and "arrogant" in the same sentence. Some HiveWings, including the Librarian and Malachite, were almost constantly controlled by Wasp until Luna destroyed the other mind. Nearly all of them came to seek refuge in the LeafSilk Kingdom after this. According to the records, no HiveWing has ever had prophecy powers. Old biology books stated that HiveWings used to have antennae. HiveWing eggs are white.

SilkWings are one of the three tribes that reside on Pantala, the other two tribes being HiveWings and LeafWings. The last SilkWing Queen was Queen Monarch at the time of the Tree Wars, and the tribe was ruled by Queen Wasp after the Tree Wars until the ending of *The Flames of Hope,* where a group known as the SilkWing Assembly took control They currently reside in the LeafSilk Kingdom which they share with the LeafWings and some HiveWings They are descended from the BeetleWings.

**Description:** SilkWings have gem-like scales and have small spines running down their back to the tip of their tails. Their scales are iridescent, similar to NightWing scales. Like RainWings, they have slim bodies and curved horns that are almost identical in shape but much longer and thinner There is also a set of antennae on the brow above the eyes. A ridge above their eyes runs over their horns, giving SilkWings a plated appearance.

SilkWings are hatched without any wings. When they turn about 6 years old, they will undergo a Metamorphosis. After a few days, they will come out of the cocoon with their wings SilkWings have two pairs of wings, one pair more miniature than the other, with membranes that have rounded edges SilkWings have butterfly-like wings, which appear similar to butterfly or moth wings in shape Their wings also can have spots and other patterns on them The more giant pair of wings appear to have four digits that the membrane is stretched between The smaller pair of wings are attached slightly below the more giant pair and have two numbers According to Tui on the Wings of Fire Forums, SilkWing wings are just as strong as any dragon's wings, rather than weak like an insect's wings In some cases, as shown on the back cover of *The Lost Continent*, SilkWings can have the "tail-streamers" that swallowtail butterflies do on their lower, smaller wings.

SilkWings can be any color under the sun except black, such as olive green, aquamarine, lavender, Indigo, amber, orange, dark purple, peach, gray, and red. They sometimes have darker accent colors on their scales. The wing's membranes also appear to be different colors, and specific segments between the digits are a different color than the rest of the wings.

## **Diet:** SilkWings are vegetarians. Their diet includes yams, okra, garbanzo beans, kale, kumquats, fruits, honey, and persimmons. They also enjoy honey drops and nectar as a form of sweet candy.

Abilities: Flamesilk lanterns on the cover of *The Hive Queen* SilkWings can use their antennae to sense air vibrations and predict the weather. At six years old, SilkWings undergo Metamorphosis. They enter a cocoon for about five days, emerging with two pairs of wings and silk glands in their wrists. Metamorphosis is preceded by aching wing buds, experiencing a nervous and fuzzy feeling, and itchy silk glands. Swordtail notes that SilkWings are great climbers. They have a precise internal clock to keep their days on schedule and warn them when the rainy season is coming. This clock needs a little while to adjust when a SilkWing travels a long distance. Luna uses Flamesilk some SilkWings can produce flamesilk Flamesilk is used by the HiveWings to create glass and illuminate the inside of the hives, though different types can be made for various purposes, including a type that emits heat and does not burn the holder Flamesilk dragons cannot be burned by flamesilk, they are not immune to common fire. This ability is genetic, and if one parent is a flamesilk, their offspring also have a fifty percent chance of being flamesilk. Cricket notes that flamesilk is expensive and that a single strain lasts a whole moon cycle.

According to Luna, there are five types of flamesilk. nb saw

1. **Gold Silk:** Gold Silk is just like regular silk, only it shimmers with a golden color. It doesn't glow or burn.
2. **Firefly Silk:** Firefly Silk gives off a little bit of light, "like holding a firefly in your talons," but it doesn't burn.
3. **Glow Silk:** Glow Silk feels warm and brighter, closer to regular fire, but it doesn't hurt.
4. **Blaze Silk:** Blaze Silk can burn and hurt non-flamesilk dragons. Luna thinks that blaze silk is the kind found in most lanterns.
5. **Sun Silk** is incredibly bright and so hot it can burn through the skin. Luna says to put it out, you must drown it in water. Luna can only make a little bit at a time.

Click here for a list of all known flame-silks.

**Society:** SilkWings were separated from the HiveWings ever since Queen Wasp took over their tribe. They did not have a voice in the Hives' government system, and under Wasp's rule, SilkWings were second-class citizens and servants with almost no rights compared to HiveWings. Examples of a regular SilkWing occupation include construction workers like Swordtail and hive drones (servants) like Silverspot. Web workers, like Burnet, and other low-ranked jobs, like stall owners or weavers. It has been mentioned that the most disobedient SilkWings were typically assigned construction work because it is considered very unpleasant. LeafWings are taught that SilkWings are not allowed to go to school, though this is not the case SilkWings attended school much like HiveWings do and were assigned emergency drills as a practice to protect themselves in case a web was falling or if they had to get to a Hive quickly for safety. They also learned about silk weaving, web structure, the Tree Wars' history, and following directions.

SilkWings were branded on their right palm at a very young age. The SilkWing's initial on their palm is a big letter, while their parent's initials are more miniature, forming a triangle shape. SilkWings were not allowed to divorce and were assigned partners by Wasp and her sisters rather than having the ability to choose their own. SilkWings were also cuffed at a young age. These wrist cuffs had their school and other personal information inscribed so they could be identified at checkpoints. All cuffs could inject a toxin into the wrist to make dragons fall asleep. Bands can be cut off by using flamesilk. After the events of *The Flames of Hope*, the SilkWings allied with the LeafWings to create a new Pantalan Kingdom - the LeafSilk Kingdom. This Kingdom is ruled by the SilkWing Assembly, a council of two hundred dragons.

## **Names:** SilkWings are named after different species of butterfly or moth, like Admiral and Fritillary.

Click here for a list of known SilkWings.

According to the Pantalan Dragon Guide, SilkWings are stereotyped as beautiful, passive, and gentle. It was hinted that the LeafWings and SilkWings who fled from Pantala were not the first to arrive on Pyrrhia, as a SilkWing without wings was displayed in the Weirdling Tower. As of the end of *The Flames of Hope*, the SilkWings are the only tribe in Pyrrhia and Pantala that is not ruled by any queen but rather a governing body of multiple SilkWings. Whether or not they will choose a new queen in the future is undetermined at this time. Due to their vegetarianism, they have no problem believing that creatures like humans are clever and should not be eaten. They feel similarly about other animals like wildebeest, lobsters, and meerkats.

The **Book of Nightmare** is a book written by Nightmare. It was located in the Temple of Nightmare under the guard of the Librarian until it was stolen by Blue, Cricket, and Sundew. After the dragons of Pantala discovered that the Book of Nightmare had been used by Queen Wasp to initiate the Tree Wars, many of them lost their faith in it.

Description: In the Temple of Clearsight, the Book of Clearsight was mounted on a tree-shaped stand and locked inside a wooden case. The case is shaped like a book, with dragons designed across it. Its back cover is thicker than its front cover, and the end pages are sewn down around the edges with golden thread in perfect stitches. Blue thought it smelled like pine forests and looked like an old book someone sewed together crookedly. Nightmare told of all she knew of in her BookBook and included the map showing Clearsight's route between each island in between Pyrrhia and Pantala. The Book'sBook's prophecies were a lot like instructions.

**History Pre-Series:** The Book of Nightmare was filled with about nine hundred years of visions. It was a way for Nightmare's descendants to know the future, telling them about all the dangers and disasters that could happen in a thousand years, from a massive increase in shark populations nearby to damaging hurricanes. Toward the end of the book book, the predictions slowed down, with many question marks, while the last few pages were blank. The final ProphecyProphecy in the Book of Nightmare was over a thousand years before the events of *The Lost Continent*, telling her children to protect the trees, as she predicted something terrible might happen to them soon. About two thousand years later, Queen Wasp used the BookBook to support her throne as Queen of the HiveWings and SilkWings and to justify many of her decisions, though it was later revealed that none of the visions went far enough to even begin to be within her lifetime.

### Sundew pinned the Librarian down and was about to kill her when Cricket told her to stop. Cricket stated that it was not the Librarian fighting, but Queen Wasp Sundew instructed Cricket to release two bullet ants onto the Librarian. When the Librarian tried to knock one off of her, it bit her, forcing Wasp to leave the Librarian's body from the excruciating pain The Librarian was grateful they had made Wasp leave her body, and decided to help them steal the BookBook, stating that it was time someone else knew about the Book'sBook's secrets. Blue told Cricket to escape, tossing the BookBook to her before she fell toward the HiveWings. While escaping the other mind-controlled HiveWings, Blue and her friends were intercepted by Wasp, who once again took control over the Librarian and slashed through the rope carrying Blue. They realized that Wasp lied about the BookBook by stating that Clearsight had wanted Queen Wasp to rule the tribes. After Cricket, Sundew, and Swordtail rescued Blue and Luna from the flamesilk factory, they hid in a cave and read the Book of Nightmare. They then discovered a letter from Nightmare to her descendants and that her last prediction was dated over a thousand years ago.

#### *The Poison Jungle*: When Sundew showed the Book to Cobra Lily, Cobra Lily stated that Belladonna said it was useless. Cricket objected, saying that it told them the truth about Wasp. After studying the BookBook for directions to Pyrrhia, Hazel noticed how the Book'sBook's rear cover was slightly thicker than the front. She sliced the binding of the BookBook open, revealing a map that showed the islands Nightmare used to travel to Pantala. The remaining LeafWings and some SilkWings decided to follow this map to Pyrrhia. Turtle made a copy of the map to give to Io, who hid it for the other SilkWings to follow and escape the other mind.

Words from Nightmare: *Dear grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren, and all the many great-grandchildren to come, How funny it feels to know you so well when there are so many of you I'm never going to meet. I always see you, especially when I'm just on the edge of falling asleep. My time is almost up, and yours is just beginning. The future is so clear now that I won't be able to change anything. I won't be able to control anything after this. I won't be able to use my visions to protect you, to keep you all safe. But then, I've learned over my long, strange, lovely life that I never could control the future as much as I thought possible. I should have known that lesson with my first love back home in Pyrrhia. But I kept trying anyway, And I did manage to keep you all alive. I battled for the future that much, and I won. But the end will always win because it continues forever to where I cannot go. So this is my last battle The last thing I can do to try and keep my claws on the balance of the future — to keep you safe as long as I can.*

#### *Don't let yourself get stuck on someone else's path. Search for what's true, and think for yourself. Over a hundred years ago, I thought my life was finished and there was nothing left to live for. I was so, so wrong. Keep going. The list of things to live for is limitless, and it is possible to be happy again. And — this will sound ridiculous coming from me — don't worry about the future so much, Or else you might miss out on the extraordinary present. Be happy, dragonets of the end. You can change the world with your joy and hope. All my love, Nightmare*

Literature is a dominating part of Pyrrhia, with **scrolls** written and read by most dragon tribes. They are printed with ink on an unknown variant of paper, likely vellum or parchment, as heavily hinted by Starflight. Dragons are commonly shown writing on scrolls by dipping their claws in ink and scratching the form. Sometimes dragons use things like reeds to do so. For example, in *Winter Turning*, Moonwatcher is shown using a "long, thin reed" to draw the mountain she saw in Icicle's dream. In Pantala, scrolls are never mentioned, and **books** are the main form of literature.

Tribes: Dragonwolf**s:** Winter explains that his mother made him memorize stories of dragons attempting the Diamond Trial, revealing that IceWings can read. He also mentions IceWing sagas that "told the history of the world."

**MudWings:** Pheasant said she was reading about the ProphecyProphecy, hinting that MudWings sometimes read scrolls; This is also shown when Sora is reading in the school library. Moorhen mentions how she has read Queen Coral's scrolls before, giving more evidence of literacy in MudWings.

**NightWings:** The NightWings read and wrote many scrolls, and Starflight and Mastermind have always fascinated them. There used to be an extensive and impressive library in the Night Kingdom and the lost city of night.

**RainWings:** RainWings did not read scrolls and only knew about them or the rest of Pyrrhia once Glory claimed the RainWing throne. Sunny was seen teaching a RainWing dragonet class how to read, and Kinkajou went to a nearby school to get some paper and a blank scroll for Moonwatcher to draw and record what she saw in Icicle's dream. There is also an ancient RainWing scroll in the Library in Possibility.

**SandWings:** Thorn of the Outclaws has been shown writing Wanted posters, and these are likely scrolls or made from the same material as scrolls since the only papers used scrolls. Sunny, Thorn, and Smolder also went into a room in the SandWing fortress with many scrolls. Smolder intercepts messages written on scrolls, and it can be assumed that most SandWings read scrolls.

**SeaWings:** The SeaWings read scrolls, most written by Coral. The scrolls are written with a mixture of squid ink and a little whale blood, created by Whirlpool to make the words permanent. Some of her work includes *The Missing Princess*, *The Tragedy of Orca*, *The Claws of Murder*, *A Tail of Blood*, and many other stories taught in SeaWing schools.

**SkyWings:** Peril lies to Scarlet about reading about the Champion's Shield in a scroll, and Queen Scarlet replies, saying, "with claws that burn through paper right when you touch it." They also use scrolls for messaging.

**SilkWings:** It is known that SilkWings read books.

**HiveWings:** It is known that HiveWings have textbooks.

**LeafWings:** In *The Poison Jungle*, Hazel is seen making books.

List of Known Scrolls Named Scrolls: *A Longitudinal Study of Peculiar Scavenger Behavior* — A scroll about scavenger life on Pyrrhia. *A Natural History of Unnatural Dragon Abilities* — A scroll mentioned by Starflight about dragons' strange abilities. *Ancient Wars of Pyrrhia* — A scroll owned by Maverick about old Pyrrhian wars. He used his magic to make the scroll talk in the voice of Truthfinder. *A NightWing Guide to the Dragons of Pyrrhia* — The guide of the Pyrrhian dragon tribes, including drawings, descriptions, and basic information. *A Tail of Blood* — A murder mystery by Coral. *A Wingwatcher's Guide to Dragons* - A human scroll on the dragon tribes, including drawings, descriptions, and basic information. *Claws of Murder* — A murder mystery by Coral. *Dangers of the Rainforest* — A scroll about the Rainforest Kingdom's dangerous animals and obstacles. Maverick*'s scroll* — A scroll with Maverick's animus powers enchanted. It is currently destroyed, though small pieces have been torn off before and may still exist. *Geography of Pyrrhia* — A scroll owned by Maverick explaining Pyrrhia's geography. *Goodnight, Moons* — A scroll owned by Maverick. *Journeys in the StormBlade Kingdom* — A scroll about the StormBlade Kingdom. *Legend of the Hive* — A scroll about the first dragons that arrived at Pantala to escape from Pyrrhia. *Myths of the Lost Continent* — A scroll by Maverick about the tales of the lost continent. *One of the Differences Between Oysters and Clams -* A scroll written by Coral about class differences and genetic superiority. *RainWings: Extermination or Enslavement?* — A scroll in Mastermind's lab. *Tales of the NightWings* — A scroll with lots of stories about the NightWings' greatness. *Ten Little Scavengers (Recipes Included!)* — A scroll owned by Maverick. *The Animus Histories* — A scroll read by Moonwatcher about animus dragons and their enchanted objects. *The Missing Princess* — An adventure scroll inspired by the disappearance of a Tsunami's egg. It is written by Coral and depicts dolphins playing harps, glowing jellyfish, bowing seahorses, and bejeweled lobsters leading the way to the Deep Palace. *The Royal Lineage of SeaWings, from the Scorching to Present* — A scroll about the SeaWing Royal Lineage. *The Sluglike Qualities of MudWings* — A scroll Clay mentions he wanted to burn. It is unknown if this scroll is actual or a joke. *The Tragedy of Orca* — Coral's first scroll about her daughter, Orca, and the tragedy of her death. *War of SandWing Succession* — A scroll about the SandWing war. *Where Are the Dragonets of Destiny* — A scroll listing theories about who and where the dragonets of destiny were.

### **Unnamed Scrolls:** A scroll about a blind dragon that dates back before the Scorching. A scroll about electric eels. A scroll about how Coral chose Gill for her husband. A scroll about Clearsight that Listener wrote about her. An educational scroll for very young dragonets, which contains information on the alphabet, among other things. An old RainWing scroll in the Library of Possibility. Many scrolls about Queen Coral's greatness. A scroll about Indigo. A scroll about an insignificant SeaWing gardener named Droplet, who discovered a secret invasion of MudWings and fought them all off before they found the hidden palaces. Several school-approved NightWing scrolls. A scroll about DragonWolfs. A scroll that told stories about the lost continent and the secret tribes of dragons that lived there. A scroll about the Scorching. It includes a map of Pyrrhia from over five thousand years ago.

List of Known Books Named Books: *Book of Nightmare*— A book by Nightmare that mentions possible futures and a map of the only known travel route between the two continents, which was hidden in the back cover. *The Architecture of the Hives, Expanded Edition — now with sections on Hydroponics and Silk Bridges!* - A book owned by Cadelle. It was the Book Cricket was reading the first time she saw a whole Hive Command. It is about the architecture of the hives. Cricket notes that the BookBook was "in love with itself," had long sentences, and was not enjoyable to read.

### **Unnamed Books:** A book Hazel was making. A book that talks about tsetse flies. A book that talks about flame-silks in Terrarium Academy's Library. A book Hazel was reading. A book that talks about HiveWing evolution.

In one of the Nightmares, hidden panels show *The Missing Princess*, but written differently with dots in some of the letters. This shows an example of dragon letters. There are a few mentions of books in Pyrrhia In *Darkness of Dragons*, Qibli mentions a catalog of books in the NightWing library. Also, while Lynx tells Gaia how she's not agreeable, Lynx mentions reading a book.

Animus magic is wielded by **animus dragons**, allowing them to enchant inanimate objects, plants, animals, and other dragons to do whatever the animus dragon pleases. Animus dragons have been recorded in five of the seven Pyrrhian tribes, yet none of the Pantalan tribes have had animus dragons DragonWolfs, SeaWings, NightWings, SandWings, and SkyWings have all previously had animus dragons. As of *The Dangerous Gift*, all living animus dragons cannot cast new spells and will likely never be able to again due to the spell cast by Jerboa III. This does not imply that animus magic itself is destroyed, and by Jerboa III's phrasing, newborn animus dragons should be able to cast new spells, as previously enchanted objects still work.

**Description Capabilities:** Animus magic is almost limitless, capable of moving objects to control other dragons. Despite its capabilities, animus magic is unable to bring back the dead. If two animus dragons cast two spells directly in conflict with each other, the one who is older, more powerful, more practiced and experienced, and focused is likely to win, and what exactly was enchanted would have an effect as well. Heavy use of animus magic can unintentionally alter the landscape where it was cast.

### **Effects/Consequences:** The power can be sensed and felt by a faint tingling in the claws. After casting spells, Anemone felt cold and strangely hard to the touch, and her eyes were out of focus. It was previously thought that using any animus magic could cause insanity, though it has been heavily implied that this only happens if an animus dragon uses their magic for evil. Turtle once mentioned that animus magic also hurts an animus dragon's soul if used for personal gain. However, the books imply that the animus magic does affect the soul, as Stonemover enchanted his scales to turn to stone instead. Maverick and Anemone attempted to prevent this through enchantments, but this did not have any bearing on their eventual actions or the deterioration of their souls. Maverick had also tried this two thousand years ago with his talisman. However, no effects were physically shown.

**History:** Different tribes have different methods of handling and using their animus dragons. Throughout time, some tribes lost animus magic while other tribes gained it. DragonWolfs have had animus magic longer than any other tribe, though there was no first animus dragon; the powers were believed to have originated from multiple dragons. Gaia was the first to show signs of Animus magic. She saw that when the animus magic was used too much, it caused the one using it to go mad with evil. DragonWolfs host a test similar to the SeaWings' Talons of Power ceremony to find animus dragons. DragonWolf animus dragons were only permitted to use their power once to benefit the tribe at a gifting ceremony. Prince Arctic's runaway caused the disappearance of animus magic in the tribe, which was terrible genetic luck. When Arctic ran away with the NightWings, he introduced animus magic to their tribe. The tribe received their first animus, Maverick. The SandWings had an animus named Jerboa, who became a fugitive after creating the Eye of Onyx.

The SeaWings host a Talons of Power ceremony for SeaWings at the age of two after their first animus, Albatross, violently discovered his animus power. The test usually involved an object, which the participants attempt to enchant. The dragon who successfully commanded its thing is deemed an animus. Two thousand years before the main series, Albatross went mad and killed most of the ancient royal SeaWing family. This event became widely known across Pyrrhia as the Royal SeaWing Massacre and was used as a cautionary tale about animus magic. After the massacre, Queen Pearl outlawed animus magic in the Kingdom of the Sea, though the present-day SeaWings allow and use it. SkyWings have had animus dragons, but they tended to be killed soon after being discovered.

In an interview at the Rochester Children's Book Festival, when Tui was asked for the inspiration for animus magic, she replied: "So with animus magic, it started with thinking, I needed some kind of magic in this world, but I didn't want it to be like anyone can have any magic at any time, I wanted it to be sort of specific, and have it be pretty rare And then, especially with Book Two, the more I started thinking about what I could do with it, and how it could fit into the murder mystery, that's how sorta started developing like the backstory of what it does to you and all of that.

Jade Mountain Academy: *(The winglets are not to be confused with short Winglets.)***Jade Mountain Academy** is an intertribal school located within Jade Mountain, founded by the dragonets of destiny after they ended the War of SandWing Succession. The school opened and accepted students from all tribes six months after the end of the war, dividing them into five winglets: the Jade Winglet, the Gold Winglet, the Silver Winglet, the Copper Winglet, and the Quartz Winglet, each of which includes one dragonet from each of the seven dragon tribes of Pyrrhia  With the exclusion of Peril, groups of two or three dragonets from the same Winglet share a sleeping cave, making them clawmates  Tsunami is the current headmistress of the school.

**Description:** The school is located within Jade Mountain, which has fang-shaped twin peaks. The main entrance to the school is on a mountaintop consisting of a wide ledge. There is only one other entrance, which is located through Stonemover's cave. The tunnels are dimly lit. The caves of the school founders, as well as Peril's, are all located away from those of the students. Peril's cave is located across the main central cave from Clay's.

**Notable Features Art cave:** The Art Cave is where students learn various art forms, including painting, pottery, glassworking, metalworking, weaving, and woodworking. The cave is usually flooded with sunlight, combing through holes in the walls or ceiling. The room is filled with art supplies tucked into every crevice and wooden dragon sculptures with green, blue, or orange beads for eyes placed on little stone shelves. The room has brushes, paint, blank scrolls, Clay for sculpting, wood, glass, metal, beads, and a loom. On the ceiling, a giant metal sculpture of gleaming copper wire wound around the roof, looking like flames. Several clear glass globes are suspended from it, glowing with firelight. It is described by Kinkajou to look like a couple of RainWings just emoted all over it.

# Starflight

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"*You can't be the most cowardly dragon on Pyrrhia right now. Remember, you've read over all the history scrolls you could find about famous battles. Now use that knowledge. It's time to prove that you belong in this ProphecyProphecy.*"

— Starflight's thoughts before the NightWing invasion, *The Dark Secret*

## Relatives: Mother: Farsight

### Daughter: Unnamed NightWing (in a possible timeline)

**Starflight** is an adult male NightWing and the main protagonist of *The Dark Secret*  Along with being a former dragonet of destiny and one of the founders of Jade Mountain Academy, he was partially responsible for ending the War of SandWing Succession  After being caught in a volcanic eruption on the NightWing island, Starflight was permanently blinded, and currently resides at Jade Mountain Academy as the head librarian He formerly had romantic feelings for Sunny.

**Description:** Starflight has midnight-black scales with glints of purple and deep Blue. The silver scales on the underside of his black wings spray outward, like a splash of water, similar to his father's, Mastermind. He has a black snout, claws, sinewy shoulders, and a worried snout. The space between his wings is narrow, and he is not very burly. He wears a white blindfold over his dark green eyes and has long Burn scars streaking across his scales and snout.

**Personality:** Starflight is often tentative, sensible, a know-it-all, massively annoying, lofty, overly cautious, lecturing, alarmed, anxious, indignant, worried, and nervous. However, he is determined and willing to fight for his students. He is shown to have a humorous side, as seen when he wanted to take a rubbery, chewy fruit that gets stuck in dragons' teeth for Tsunami  Moonwatcher described his thoughts as constantly busy, ticking through all the things he needed to do. He frets and complains often. After he was temporarily kidnapped by Morrowseer, he tried to be bossy towards his friends, although he only wanted to keep them all safe by doing so. He often overthinks and worries so much that he does not do anything and can sulk when upset. However, he is a helpful companion, as he has valuable information such as geography and flight patterns constantly on his mind. Reading is his specialty, and he is brilliant but unreliable and terrified of the world, despite wanting to be brave and helpful. Glory said he "shrieks like a tiny scavenger." He tries to know everything so that he may be beneficial, but he could be a better fighter, and he needs to be more courageous. He is talented at memorizing and repeating those facts repeatedly, even when no one seems to be listening. He will quickly subside when argued with.

Biography *Pre-Series:* Starflight was given to the Talons of Peace as an unhatched egg by Morrowseer, the NightWing prophet who delivered the Dragonet Prophecy. Unlike most other dragonets, his egg was not stolen but given to the Talons of Peace by the NightWings; hence the line in the ProphecyProphecy, "Wings of night shall come to you." While he was born with three full moons in the sky, Starflight received no NightWing powers because he hatched in an underground cave where the moonlight could not reach his egg. He was hatched and raised by the guardians: Kestrel, Dune, and Webs, along with the other dragonets, Clay, Tsunami, Glory, and Sunny. He was slightly smaller than the other dragonets (except Sunny), and he loved scrolls and the stories told by their guardians, mainly Dune, thus becoming the subject of the dragonets' jokes and taunts they loved to make.

### *The Dark Secret*: Starflight remembered that a NightWing knocked him out while he was guarding the tunnel and brought him to their Kingdom He woke up in a small cave A few NightWing dragonets were watching him sleep One of them was his half-sister Fierceteeth, who wished she was the prophesied dragonet Morrowseer then came in and brought Starflight to see the Queen He was taken to a cave and pushed onto a pillar of rock surrounded by lava The cave was filled with around forty council dragons, and on the wall across from him was the NightWing heir to the throne, Princess Greatness  Greatness listened to and spoke for her mother, Battlewinner, who was behind the wall submerged in lava because of an Icewing's frostbreath When the NightWings demanded information regarding the RainWings, Starflight panicked and said that Glory was planning an attack Deathbringer was then brought in by Vengeance, who claimed that Deathbringer was a traitor and conspired with the RainWings However, Greatness ordered Vengeance to be thrown into the lava for endangering the tribe by letting Glory in and for irritating the Queen.

Morrowseer took Starflight hunting, also to get more information. After Starflight figured out why other NightWings can safely eat infected carrion, Morrowseer realized who Starflight's father was and brought him to see him  Fatespeaker found them and decided to tag along as she told Starflight she was the NightWing dragonet of destiny. This led Starflight to realize he was being replaced. They found his father, Mastermind, in the lab of the palace and met him. His father took him to show them an experiment. In a small room, a RainWing is chained to the wall. When Starflight asked for her name, she said it was Orchid, prompting Starflight to tell her Mangrove was looking for her Starflight then realized that the NightWings were planning to steal the RainWings' home.

Morrowseer brought Starflight to meet the false dragonets of destiny, whom he soon assigned to kill Starflight. Starflight fled to the RainWing prison, and two of the False Dragonets of Destiny were caught by NightWings guarding the area. However, Fatespeaker found him and promised she would not kill him, and they both returned to the cave. During the night, Fatespeaker brought Starflight to explore the palace, and they found the old treasury, where Starflight found a dreamvisitor. He went back to his bed and attempted to use it but failed. The following day, Morrowseer brought the false dragonets and Starflight southward to a remote outpost belonging to the SkyWings He instructed them to make the SkyWing guards inside switch alliances to Blister. When Starflight could not get them to change, a group of NightWings killed the SkyWings. Starflight suspects this would have happened no matter what they convinced the guard's Squid stated he wanted to quit, and Morrowseer tells him to leave, resulting in the SeaWing saying he was lying. However, Morrowseer forced him to fly away alone.

The following night, after returning to the island, Fatespeaker found Starflight in the dormitory. She prompted him to wake because Flame was leaving the dormitory, and she wanted to follow him. They followed Flame down to the prisons where Deathbringer was being held. Flame asked Deathbringer for tips on being an assassin Flame thought what Deathbringer told him was useless. When he was gone, Fatespeaker asked him where to find the Queen. Deathbringer told them, and they found her in a cauldron full of lava Starflight and Fatespeaker were both highly shaken Starflight tried to figure out how this was possible. The Queen then explained to him that while fighting a DragonWolf, the DragonWolf shot its frostbreath into her mouth to counteract the ice forming inside her body. She was confined to a pool of lava. They explained Morrowseer's plan, but she refused to help. After returning to the dormitory, Starflight attempted to use the dreamvisitor again. He succeeded, entering Glory's dream and explaining what had happened, and she prepared her army.

The next day, Morrowseer ordered Flame to fight Ochre. After Ochre attempted to surrender, Morrowseer pointed out that on a battlefield, that would not happen Fatespeaker stood up for Ochre, and Morrowseer ordered Flame to attack her instead. Viper asked to join the bout, which was approved by Morrowseer. As Viper was about to stab Fatespeaker in the neck with her tail, Starflight joined in and shoved the SandWing away from Fatespeaker. Viper accidentally scratched Flame's face with her tail and fell into the lava Morrowseer brings Flame to the healers, and Starflight realized the false dragonets were not born on the brightest night when Ochre was unwilling to save Viper, yelling, "I have no idea if my egg was blood red, and I don't plan to risk my life finding out!"

Starflight later developed a plan to escape from the Night Kingdom Fatespeaker, and Starflight took Flame and brought him out to the tunnel to the rainforest, claiming to have been ordered by the NightWing queen to take the SkyWing to the RainWings to be healed. After successfully tricking the guards, they met up with Glory, Tsunami, and Sunny. He told them about the NightWings' plan to take over the rainforest Glory decided to attack the NightWings, leading to the NightWing Exodus. In case he did not survive the battle, Starflight told Sunny he loved her. They visited Queen Battlewinner and said the NightWings could live in the rainforest if they made Glory their Queen. Battlewinner was enraged by this and attempted to attack them, but as she jumped out of the lava, the ice within her killed her Greatness agreed with their plan and came with them.

Starflight is being hit by lava. Fatespeaker, Glory, and Starflight freed the RainWing prisoners, and the volcano started to erupt. They continued to free the prisoners along with Splendor and Deathbringer, and most of the NightWings declared Glory their Queen after Mightyclaws began a chant. As the volcano erupted, Morrowseer told them he and Battlewinner made up the ProphecyProphecy in an elaborate plot to steal the RainWings' home. The volcano erupted, most likely killing Morrowseer. When Starflight was severely injured, Clay protected him from most of the blast with his fireproof wings and brought him back to the rainforest. Though Starflight still sustained burns on his body and his eyes, he believed he felt Sunny's talons press against him, but also heard Fatespeaker's voice Starflight was then shot with a sleeping dart and plunged into unconsciousness, described to be "as black as a NightWings' scales."

*The Brightest Night*: After Starflight came out of the NightWing tunnel, he was injured with burns from the eruption. He wore a bandage over his eyes while he healed When Sunny disappeared, Fatespeaker started caring for him. When Sunny returned, Starflight, the other dragonets, and Deathbringer met to discuss the Eye of Onyx and who would be the next SandWing Queen He mentioned that they did not have to be the ones who stop the war, as anyone could if they had the Eye of Onyx Fatespeaker said that it definitely did not have to be Starflight and that he had done Sunny enough suggested gathering all three sisters at the SandWing stronghold  Starflight stayed behind while the other dragonets sent messages to the three sisters. He was present when the meeting was held outside the fortress. Blister mentioned a gift sent to Burn to "mend fences" and "reunite the family." However, Burn knew that the present was a dragonbite viper and was meant to kill her, and intended to have it bite Blister Starflight told Fatespeaker what a dragonbite viper was when Burn first mentioned it. A second viper in the box leaped out and bit Burn. The dragons at the meeting panicked and took flight Fatespeaker and Sunny tried to hold Starflight up Clay was bitten while he sent the three of them backward. In his effort to save them, Peril arrives, saving Clay's life by burning out the poison, scarring Clay's thigh in the process, and leaving him with a permanent limp.

When Blister attacked Blaze to start a fight for the throne, he said that Blister would win, but Sunny and the other dragonets followed Flower's instincts and dug up the bones of Queen Oasis. The SandWing treasure was discovered to be in her mouth, where Sunny found the Eye of Onyx Sunny gave it to Thorn as the new SandWing Queen, but Blister snatched the Eye in an attempt to be Queen The enchantment turned her to dust and Thorn took her place as Queen of the SandWings. Starflight was later seen with Sunny in the rainforest, discussing why they would not work out as a couple, and Sunny told him that Fatespeaker liked him as well and that he should like her too Starflight was seen discussing the school for all tribes that they would build, and it was then confirmed that he was blind.

### When Moon asked for a scroll involving dreamvisitors, Starflight asked her if she was visited. When Moon said no and asked why, Starflight said he was worried that Ex-Queen Scarlet would try to scare the students through her dreamvisitor, though he knew that was not all she could do. Starflight was later shown reading a carved stone tablet with his talons and, even later, was seen spending time with Fatespeaker, who was reading to him, and Sunny, who was helping sort scrolls. Icicle tried to murder Starflight shortly after Sora tried to kill Icicle. She attacked him for Queen Scarlet, who had contacted Icicle using a dreamvisitor Moonwatcher realized that she would shoot him because his blindness and lack of fighting skill made him an easy target, so she went to the Library to witness Icicle creeping up behind Starflight. Although temporarily unconscious, Icicle wanted to kill Starflight to please Queen Scarlet and get her brother, Hailstorm, back. Qibli and Winter helped fight her off, and she escaped, leaving Starflight alive, for the most part, unharmed.

*Winter Turning*: Starflight was first mentioned when Winter remembered how Scarlet asked for the dragonets of destiny's lives in return for Hailstorm's. Winter then thought that Starflight had been one of the dragons who had confirmed that the NightWings had no more powers.

*Escaping Peril* Starflight was heard talking when Peril and Turtle were spying on the conversation with Queen Ruby. He was in the epilogue, talking to Anemone about the feeling of Maverick escaping and making an earthquake. He mentioned never being able to trust Peril and was shown to be slightly sarcastic.

*Talons of Power*: Starflight was in the Library when Tsunami and Turtle came to learn about Maverick. However, before he could start teaching, Maverick himself poked his head in through a window and, after some discourse, asked him to get scrolls on Nightmare and Fathom. Afterward, Turtle turned to look back through the window and saw Starflight hurrying around, slipping scrolls out of their place, putting them back, and occasionally marking the scroll's title on a slate, handing it to Fatespeaker. Later, Anemone talked to Maverick about fixing Starflight's blindness with animus magic, and then Maverick said that Starflight would be reluctant to accept that.

*Darkness of Dragons*: Starflight talked to the DragonWolfs about where Maverick went. He was shown to be scared of them and sidled up next to Sunny for comfort.

### The Lost Continent Prophecy: *The Hive Queen*: Turtle mentioned him in the prologue, saying, "Right before Qibli came to get us, Anemone was telling me about a spell she tried to restore Tamarin's sight. I've been thinking of trying one for Starflight, so we compared notes." Tsunami indirectly mentioned Starflight when she stated that she and her friends had solved many problems without animus magic.

*The Poison Jungle*: Starflight was mentioned by Tsunami when she was in the SapWing village.

*The Dangerous Gift*: Gaia thought that Tsunami's "gang of righteous do-gooders" would have used animus magic to help if it worked. Later, Lynx talked about the War of SandWing Succession and how the dragonets ended it.

*The Flames of Hope*: Starflight was in Tsunami's memory of the dragonets arguing over which Kingdom was the biggest. He said to be careful not to tear the map, or Kestrel would be furious at them.

### Winglets *Prisoners*: Fierceteeth complained to Saguaro that she should have been the dragonet of the ProphecyProphecy, not Starflight, who she described as "a walking tragedy." A scene later showed Fierceteeth arguing with her mother, Farsight, who refused to leave Starflight's egg, which she believed would be a female Morrowseer then arrived to take Starflight's egg was when Fierceteeth offered to take her instead Morrowseer declined the offer.

Relationships Clay: Starflight and Clay are good friends since they have known each other since hatching Clay is often annoyed by Starflight's constant lectures, although he sometimes appreciates them Starflight felt very annoyed when Clay called the Scorching "the Scalding," and in *The Hidden Kingdom*, Starflight seemed jealous of Clay when the MudWing called dibs on sleeping next to Sunny even though he was only joking and likely wanted to keep warm in the IceWing's territory In *The Dark Secret*, Clay shielded Starflight with his fireproof scales from the fire coming from the volcanic explosion, saving him from getting horribly burned or even killed However, he was not fast enough to keep Starflight's eyes from being burned, rendering Starflight blind The two also share a teasing relationship at times, as shown when Starflight once used Clay as a testing object by shoving fruits in front of Clay's snout while he dreamed Clay mentions that he sees Starflight giving him lectures in his dreams In *Escaping Peril* Starflight says Peril's crush on Clay, which Clay denies.

## Family Tree: Unknown, Farsight, Mastermind, Fierceteeth, **Starflight,** Unnamed.

Quotes: *"She cares […] she just doesn't whine about it."* ― To Tsunami, about Sunny (*The Dragonet Prophecy*)*"Easy It's because we have all these special powers, and we don't want to make regular dragons feel inferior […] You know Telepathy Precognition Invisibility Hello?"* ― To Clay, about the NightWings (*The Dragonet Prophec*y, )*"I'm sorry he took me I wanted him to bring me back right away, but he wouldn't He said they couldn't afford to lose any NightWings, even — even peculiar little ones."* ― about Morrowseer's abduction of him (*The Dragonet Prophecy*) *"Shouldn't we stay under the trees? What if a patrol spots us? I mean — We* must *stay under the trees. All right, Everyone back into the trees right now."*― to the other dragonets of destiny (*The Lost Heir*) *"Even so, I'm not sure that theory works. The princess murders started two years before they stole Tsunami's egg, so the Talons, and especially Webs, wouldn't have known they were going to steal a royal egg at that point — Webs didn't even know he was going to* be *a Talon at that point And Webs has been underground with us for the last six years He couldn't have flown here and back every time he wanted to murder a dragonet."* ― to Coral (*The Lost Heir* ) *"What if I can fix everything? This is the chance you wanted. You asked Glory to let you talk to the NightWings You wanted to give them a chance to explain themselves — you wanted to find a peaceful solution, so you wouldn't have to pick sides in a war."* ― thinking (*The Dark Secret*) *"Crazy-brave is the opposite of me Crazy-brave is Tsunami Crazy-brave would have been turning around to fight all four dragonets at once, which is what she would have done Sitting in a dark hole Waiting for someone else to deal with my problem She's right about one thing: that does sound like me."* ― thinking about Tsunami (*The Dark Secret*) *"Has she been under the lava this whole time That's not possible. Now I'm definitely one hundred percent going to die because THAT IS A DRAGON WHO LIVES IN LAVA."* ― thinking about Queen Battlewinner (*The Dark Secret*). *"Perhaps that's one downside to staying isolated. They separate themselves from seeming more powerful, yet they're cut off from so much potential knowledge. If they didn't feel superior to all other dragons, they might be better at listening to them. Maybe they'd learn something new."* ― thinking about the NightWings (*The Dark Secret*, page 199). *"There's no time to be afraid This is the only thing you can do, And you* must *do it."* ― thinking about saving Flame and warning the RainWings (*The Dark Secret*) *"[…] We're only dragonets We shouldn't be leading anyone to their deaths But this is happening no matter what we do We have no choice now […] You can't be the most cowardly dragon on Pyrrhia right now Remember, you've read over all the history scrolls you could find about famous battles Now use that knowledge It's time to prove that you really do belong in this prophecy."* ― thinking about the invasion of the NightWing island (*The Dark Secret*) *"They're not my tribe, You are You and Sunny and Tsunami and Clay."* ― to Glory about the NightWings (*The Dark Secret*)*"No, I mean- you're all I think about and I want to be near you, and it hurts when I'm not, and everything I do, I think, what would Sunny want me to do And I think you're the only dragon who sees me the whole way I am and likes me anyway … And I had to tell you, in case something happens to either one of us today, although if anything happens to you, I don't know how I'd be able to breathe or think or do anything ever again."* ― professing his love to Sunny before going through the tunnel (*The Dark Secret*, page 239-240) *"It's royal SandWing business now They'll fight and Blister will win, but the important thing is that the war is over There will be a queen on the SandWing throne, and no one else has to die."* ― to his friends after Burn's death (*The Brightest Night*) *"I promise You won't have done anything wrong, Icicle. You can still go home now, but if you kill me, Queen Glacier might not take you back."*― to Icicle while she is attempting to kill him (*Moon Rising*). *"Blaze is literally the least intelligent royal dragon in the world. She* can't *be right, by definition. If she thinks this school is doomed, then it is definitely going to be wonderful."* ― to Sunny about Jade Mountain Academy (*Darkness of Dragon*)

## Trivia

* Before escaping the underground caves, Starflight read a scroll entitled *Tales of the NightWings* whenever he was stressed or upset. Starflight has a tenor singing voice. After his experiences in the SkyWing Arena, Starflight has nightmares about scavengers. Starflight becomes "hilariously twitchy" when he senses Peril near his papers. Starflight is working on scrolls blind dragons can read and afterward may create fireproof papers for Peril. Before animus magic stopped working, Turtle wrote a spell to restore Starflight's eyesight. Starflight thinks that fish smells awful. Despite being blind, Starflight can read carved letters by running his talons over them. When Starflight is deep in thought, he will gaze into the air as if trying to solve a math equation.