HiveWing

HiveWings are one of the three tribes that live on Pantala. HiveWings are currently the dominant tribe of Pantala, as they killed off almost all the LeafWings in the Tree Wars and took over the SilkWings. Their colors primarily include shades of red, yellow, orange, and always scales of black, but some may have variations such as dark green, as seen in Treehopper. They are ruled by Queen Wasp, and are primarily based on wasps, but are possibly partly inspired by bees and some varieties of beetles. They are descended from BeetleWings with NightWing blood/genes.

Description Edit
HiveWings have slender, incredibly strong, and muscular bodies, with four thin and clear segmented wings that are similar to that of dragonflies and other insects. According to the description in the A Guide to the Dragons of Pantala, HiveWings can be red, yellow, and/or orange, but always have some black scales (in stripes or splotches or anything really) due to their shared common ancestor, Clearsight. HiveWings have a slightly compact face, with a smaller axe-like ridge on the tip of their snout, and a larger curved ridge on their forehead. Some HiveWings, such as Katydid, Sandfly, and Scarab have freckle-like scales. Confirmed eye colors include black, brown, red, amber, and green. The "yellow-orange-green glow" of HiveWings' eyes is mentioned by Blue. They have a pair of long, curved, and smooth-looking horns that raise slightly above their head, the tips curving slightly forward, giving them an almost regal appearance. Long, thin spikes go down their spines, to the tip of their tails, which have a slightly larger spine. They may also have wrist spikes. HiveWing eggs are white.

Society Edit
HiveWings are first-class citizens in their society. They live in Hives ruled by Queen Wasp and her female relatives. Unlike other dragon tribes in both Pantala and Pyrrhia, Wasp's relatives who rule the other Hives aren't titled as Princess, but Lady. However, the Queen still outranks the Ladies. Despite this, she still allows others to rule the Hives, so they feel like they have at least some power. It's also difficult for HiveWings to get a divorce because they need permission from Queen Wasp in order to do so. If Wasp allows a HiveWing couple to get divorced, they have to go through a whole separation request process. It's unknown what kind of work HiveWings need to do in order to become divorced but the process is difficult. HiveWings who become mates without the queen's approval are severely punished.[citation needed]

Diets Edit
HiveWings are mostly carnivores and eat animals that live on the savanna, like zebras, wildebeest, gazelle, lions, and more. HiveWings also eat candy (like honey drops, nectar, etc.), as candy shops do exist in the Pantala hives, and possibly on Pyrrhia. The HiveWings on the cover for The Hive Queen showed a shop selling whole sharks, leading to believe that sharks or other marine life may be part of the HiveWing diet. Another shop on the cover seems to be selling mounds of herbs in baskets. Cricket states that they do not like to eat most reptiles, as HiveWings believe they may be related. This is similar to the way SeaWings avoid consuming dolphins, as Queen Coral believes they are related to dragons. Blue mentions that Queen Wasp eats predators; the head of a lioness and slices of black mamba in squid ink soup are two examples. It is possible that they can go without food for longer than most dragons, like SandWings, because it was also mentioned in The Lost Continent that Queen Wasp ate as rarely as possible. However, it is more likely that Queen Wasp simply eats less than the rest of her tribe, since it is mentioned in The Dark Secret that most dragons can go without eating for a month. Another note is that in The Lost Continent, Blue describes Cricket's breath as smelling like apples, which could mean HiveWings eat fruits such as apples, but this was most likely overlooked by Tui.

Abilities Edit
According to the Pantala dragon guide, the HiveWings' powers can vary from dragon to dragon, though many (like Cricket) do not have any powers. These abilities are genetic and can be passed down. Deadly stingers extending from their wrists, venom or a paralyzing toxin in claws or teeth, stingers on wingtips, boiling acid that can be shot from a stinger on their tail, and emanating a horrible stench said to smell like dead rotting things pickled in sulfur, are a few examples; however, there are more. Queen Wasp, the current HiveWing queen, can also control the minds of any HiveWing whom she has injected with a certain plant (later found to be the Breath of Evil in The Poison Jungle). This plant is kept in her off-limits, personal greenhouse garden. HiveWings are said to have completely white eyes when under the mind-control and move in eerie unison. Cricket says Katydid describes the feeling as having an unstoppable urge to do what the Queen makes them, similar to being hypnotized (even if is against their personal morals). Blue speculates whether the controlled dragons feel guilt for what they are forced to do; Cricket responds that she doesn't know, stating "That's one of the questions I'm definitely not supposed to ask: Hey, do you ever feel bad about what Queen Wasp makes us do?"

Names Edit
The HiveWings are named after a variety of insects. Dragons from the tribe can be named after different species of bee and wasp, but also any other insects that aren't related to SilkWings, like ants, beetles, weevils, crickets, praying mantis, and more.

They can also be named after types of worms (such as Earthworm and Bloodworm). It is unknown if this is intentional, or just Tui mistaking worms for insects. There is also one arachnid (specifically the whip scorpion) name, being Vinegaroon.

Click here for a list of known HiveWings.

Trivia Edit

 * In A Guide to the Dragons of Pantala, HiveWings are depicted as having their wings stretched out back from their shoulders and with their dorsal sides (topsides) held against their bodies. This would be a very uncomfortable position to maintain when moving around on the ground, so it's more likely that this tribe holds the ventral sides (undersides) against their bodies, with their secondary wings underneath their primaries. Though the basic structure of their wings appears similar to that of a bat's, they are unable to fold them like a bat's because both wings are fused into solid, curved shapes. Therefore, they would relax their wings similarly of a beetle or a wasp, with their wings being straight lines on either side of their bodies.
 * This tribe is the most powerful of all the tribes on Pantala, possibly because of their wide variety of natural weapons and because they are in control of SilkWings and killed off most of the LeafWings.
 * HiveWings and SilkWings always know what time it is and can predict the upcoming weather through a "precise internal clock."
 * HiveWings are one of the two tribes known to wear glasses. The first character shown to ever wear them is Thoughtful, a NightWing. There are three mentioned HiveWings with glasses; Cricket, Lady Scarab, and Malachite.
 * The HiveWings use flamesilk as a source of light and heat for themselves and the SilkWings.
 * A dragon paralyzed by HiveWing venom can be unparalyzed when given a strong stimulant. Swordtail describes the 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 can't move."
 * In The Lost Continent, Blue wonders if "HiveWings don't have to blink" when he sees HiveWing guards staring down through the glass ceiling in the Flamesilk Factory. It is unknown if HiveWings possess that ability.
 * It is mentioned by Swordtail that HiveWings have poor night vision, though it's possible he was being derogatory because he also described them as "lazy" in the same sentence.
 * HiveWings seem to be quite sophisticated in building and schooling. Pyrrhian schools do not have such a selection of objects and rooms. Their Hives and the structures inside them are more architecturally ingenious than Pyrrhian structures.
 * They are one of the three tribes that possess books instead of scrolls, the others being SilkWings and LeafWings.
 * HiveWings, as it appears, have black/gray blood, since the inside of their mouths and ears are black or gray. However, this is never mentioned in the books and could be a design choice. Cricket, however, seems to have yellow ears on her cover, so it's possible that HiveWing blood could be yellow as well.

Gallery Edit
A typical HiveWing (colored), by Joy Ang

A typical HiveWing (lineart), by Joy Ang Add a photo to this gallery

References Edit

 * 1) ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Hive Queen, page 56
 * 2) ↑ The Hive Queen, page 173