My talons made a soft tapping sound as I walked through the Great tree, it was empty as usual during this time of day. Everyone was busy in their own trees cleaning and doing normal stuff. I brought my pinchers closer to my chest as I pondered my thoughts.

I never really had to do any of that. The hunters that worked here always hunted for me. The Guards would clean if they weren't busy, I had nothing to do.

My sisters were constantly by my mother's side, awaiting the throne to be vacant so they could have a taste of ruling over the biggest tribe in the continent.

I was never keen on taking the throne. I was the runt of my siblings and was often looked down upon for that. I never had to do anything I wasn't expected to, which is a lot.

The three marks along my neck were the only way of telling I was even royalty. I didn't look half as good as my sisters, partially because I didn't even bother going down to the hot springs to clean myself every day...

I thought the marks were a stupid idea, but it's not like their drawn on. The tree gave the Queen and her kin three marks. Most females and average Antwings had two marks, and the prisoners or ex prisoners have one, serving as a warning to those who pass by them.

No one really knows how they work. If your the Queen's kin and you get sent to prison, which is almost impossible because you would have to probably to something horrid to be a princess in a prison, your first two marks would gradually disappear.

I shook my head as I had realized I reached the door to my mother's room, I had gotten lost in my thoughts again and had probably just been standing outside of her door like a creep for several minutes.

I let out a sigh and knocked on her door. Without awaiting an invitation to come in, I was already inside.

Her room was the largest and the most beautiful in the tree, just like her favorite heir. I thought bitterly to myself.

" Formica? Is that you dear? " My mother's voice rang, her voice smooth and proper with still a hint of an accent.

" Yes, Queen Gyne. " I mumbled, knowing she doesn't like the title of 'mother'.

" What is it this time? " The Queen sighed, her large bed in the center of the room stirring as Gyne moved a curtain made out of a large leaf covering the view of her bed.

She was much larger than your typical Antwing. Her scales were a dark maroon with lighter brown speckles and accents around her body, accompanied with lots of jewelry shimmering from her neck and wings.

" You sleep with that on? " I muttered with surprise, gesturing to her jewelry.

" Of course, honey, everyone in this castle would steal it if they got the chance. " The Queen hummed, slipping out of her bed and gracefully walking over the large balcony attached to her room. " Besides you, of course," She added as she leaned on the railing, placing her pinchers over it.

I hurriedly followed after her. " What do you mean by that? " I questioned, narrowing my eyes slightly.

The Queen slowly turned her head to me and looked me up and down. " Nothing, why don't you go talk yo you sisters, Formica? " She yawned dismissively.

I hesitated. Did she really not want me here?   " Yes, mother. " I sighed, hopping up on the railing of the balcony and jumping off, spreading my wings midair to glide safely through my kingdom.

The main thing I loved about the Antwing territory is how free it is. There was nothing bad here.

I weaved through the trees, reluctant to pay my sisters a visit right now, and tilted my body slightly to glide down to another tree that had several houses carved into it

I rhythmically knocked on one of the doors, politely awaiting a response this time.

A soft buzzing sound vibrated from the other side of the door. Whoever was in there didn't want to reveal themselves by voice and asked me who I was through vibrations.

" Formica. " I laughed lightly, knowing how cautious Antwings can be.

I heard clattering and shouting from inside as I addressed myself, before the door swung open and a smaller Antwing burst out and body slammed me down, hugging me tightly.

" Hehe, I missed you too, Flora. " I chuckled, standing up and gently pushing them off of me.

" I HAVEN'T SEEN YOU IN FOREVER! " Flora yelled, causing a few Antwing's to poke their heads out of their windows.

" I know, I know, calm down, I got busy. " I sat down and patted my friend on the head.

" Busy with Princess stuff, eh? " A much lower voice chuckled before a much larger male Antwing leaned against the doorway.

" I guess. " I mumbled, looking away while feeling my face grow hotter.

" Go away, Cicada!!! " Flora exclaimed, hopping up and beginning to ram into her brother while hitting him and trying to push him away.

It's hard to believe Flora and Cicada were twins with the height difference, with Cicada being tall enough to loom over me and Flora being the size of an older dragonet.

" Okay, okay, jeez, have fun with your royal princess friend," Cicada teased, before going back inside and disappearing from sight.

" Ugh, boys. " Flora rolled her eyes before frowning at me. " You can't stay for long, can you? "

" No.. I have to go talk to my sisters, but I'll meet up with you at the feast, okay? " I reasured the fiesty dragon, glancing inside of her home in hopes to catch another glimpse of Cicada.

" Fiiinnnee, but let me know if they say anything interesting! " Flora huffed.

" I will! I promise. " I smiled at the small dragoness before gliding away again, heading to the one place my sisters were obsessed with, the hot springs.

I lost my balance and ended up landing face first into the hot springs. The hot water felt like I was being boiled alive after flying through the wind.

" No splashing or crash landing in the hot springs Formica. " A voice teased.

I looked up to see my five sisters snickering at me.

" Ah! Sorry. " I wince, quickly sitting up.

" Don't sweat it, bean. I'm just teasing you. " My biggest sister yawned, the one next in line for the throne.

" Right. " I mumbled, scooting next to my sisters and blending in as their conversation started up again.

" So Myrmex, what was in like in the Polarwing territory? " One of my sisters addressed my biggest sibling with awe in their voice.

" Pfft, it was freezing! I see why Mother sent me instead of going herself. All the Polarwings glared at me, so hostile and grumpy! " Mrymex sniffed, leaning back in the water.

" Besides a little boy though, he had the weirdest look on his face as he stared at me, obviously never seeing an Antwing of this beauty before. " My oldest sibling boasted.

" Did they agree? " Another one of my siblings asked.

At first glance, you would think my siblings were fully obsessed with how they looked, constantly at the hot springs to make sure they had the shinest scales in the tribe, but they loved talking about war, they were obsessed with it. Making sure which formation ensures victory.

" Their still unsure. Caribou said that the Armorwings might still win, with Newtwings still deciding and Goat already allied with them. " Mrymex's tone shifted as all my siblings leaned in.

" He said that the Armorwings are very strong. " Mrymex added, lost in thought.

" We have more numbers. Combined with Caribou's pack, we easily outnumber the Armorwings. We just keep hitting them with wave after wave until they give up. " Mrymex grinned.

" And if they don't? " I challenged, unable to control my voice anymore. " We may outnumber them, but they out power us, that would be throwing tons of innocent Antwing lives away. "

My sisters turned to me, surprise written on their expressions.

Mrymex narrowed her eyes at me. " Then we send the Antwing's with one mark for the first waves. " She comprised.

" We don't have that many. Most of them are redeeming themselves, only to be sent to a death trap? To be sacrificed? " I panicked, I was acting out of place. I used to do this all the time when I was younger, I thought I grew out of it.

" So what do you think? Since you're acting so Queenly, you must be ready to take the throne, hm? Act like it. How do you suggest we fight our enemies? With hugs? Do we offer them flowers? " Mrymex's voice lowered, obviously irrated but not yet threatening.

" I- " Thank the tree I was cut off. A large, short rumbling echoed through the ground, a vibration that simply said ' FEAST '.

My sisters flew off with zero hesitation, following behind Mrymex as they flew back to the tree.

I let out a relieved sigh, waiting for a bit until flying after them.

I was a lot different when I was younger, chasing after my siblings and challenging them at every chance I had. I was quickly reminded I was inferior to them, and I eventually secluded myself from them.

Whenever I acted this way, Myrmex would always assume I was basically trying to kill the Queen for the throne already.

I clutched my chest as I glided back to the Great Tree, aiming for a large exposed area at the base of the tree filled with Antwings from all over.

I hovered in the air for a moment, taking a deep inhale and exhale before landing in the tree.

There was a large pillar in the center surrounded by a circular counter going around it, which was laced with food.

I glanced around, dragon's were already dishing themselves up, so Queen Gyne should be getting ready by now, probably accompanied by my sisters since I couldn't spot them here yet.

The feast is a large event held almost every day if the weather was nice enough, which it almost always is, or if there was enough to gossip about, which there almost always is.

I didn't spot Flora or Cicada around, so I decided to go get food before everyone got the good parts.

I walked past heaps of fruits and veggies, grabbing what I felt would taste good with the thing I was most excited for.

I stocked up on potatoes before stopping at admiring the main meal, a wide grin on my face.

Three roasted pigs lay before me, each a nice dark brown with a shine to them.

I was almost tempted to grab an entire pig all for myself, but I managed to just grab what to fit in my little wooden bowl.

Finally, I grabbed a mango smooth on my way to the tables, struggling to carry my haul in one go.

I glanced around again, not recognizing any dragons and not really wanting to sit at the royal table today.

I let out a sigh, feeling silly with my heaps of food and nowhere to sit, before I turned around to see a familiar face rapidly flailing their talon I'm the air in an attempt to gain my attention.

My face brightened, and I walked over to Flora, who was sitting across from Cicada, who had his talons crossed with his bowl barely full.

" Not hungry today? " I asked, gesturing to the few fruits in his bowl.

" Eh, I'm trying to lose weight and hopefully get smaller. I'm getting kind of tired of dragons looking at me like I'm supposed to have one mark. " Cicada shrugged.

" That doesn't sound very healthy. Plus, I don't think it works that way. " I let out a laugh, amused by his attempts to blend in.

" He's been going on and on about how he's only had two walnuts today, but I've seen him reach for that banana bread more times than I can count! " Flore teased, sticking her tongue out at her brother.

" Hey! It was about to go bad! I didn't want to let you eat moldy banana bread. " Cicada huffed, a smile on his face.

" Oh, thank you, kind sir, for eating all of my food." Flora rolled her eyes, leaning back.

" Pfft, you two just can't leave each other alone, can you? I was going to offer you some of my pig, Cicada, but it sounds like you've had your fill on bread. " I tilt my head at the large Antwing.

" No, don't worry about it, I'll take that off of your talons too. " Cicada grinned, reaching for the pile of pork I had on my bowl.

I didn't stop him and just turned my head to stare at the stage, the Queen made announcements there, usually nothing to special, sometimes I had to go on stage, but my mother reasured be beforehand that I wasn't needed, which stung a bit with how she used her wording.

" Did your sister's say anything? " Flora's voice brought me back to reality as I turned back to face her.

" Er, not really, I'm sure the Queen will say everything they did, but basically just the best attack formations we can use on the Armorwings. " I shrugged.

" Yikes, blah blah blah blah, am I right? " Cicada chuckled, now staring at the stage impatiently as well.

" Oh, says the one squabbling about stars! " Flora snapped back and Cicada.

" Hey! " Cicada huffed, pretending to be hurt.

" Shh sh, the Queen is ready. " I hissed quietly to both of them.

I watched intently as my mother walked onto the stage, grace and flow in her steps as a long piece of cloth flowed after her, a dark purple dress to be exact.

She was adorned with silver jewelry this time, looking as over the top as she usually does.

My oldest sister walked alongside her, a silver armor plate on her chest with a ruby in the center, her favorite item.

" Odd that it's just them. " I whispered, half to myself.

" Welcome, my subjects, to another feast. " My mother began, her voice loud and clear, yet still laced with her prim and proper tone.

My stomach growled as I remembered we couldn't eat until the Queen gave us permission to, which to take a while. I hold back a groan as she continues to talk.

" As you all know, this is my eldest daughter, Myrmex. " Queen Gyne paused yet again before continuing, talking slow as if on purpose. " I sent her out to talk with the Polarwings yesterday. She has informed me that they agreed to take down the Armorwings! "

I paused. " That's not what she said. " I mumbled, furrowing my brows in confusion as I stared at Myrmex as I drowned out the sound of Antwing cheers, which is a combination of powerful vibrations and clicking noises.

The tundra was vacant and empty, to warm for Polarwings and to cold for Antwings, so it makes sense to meet there, but would Polarwings really agree to go out of their way for this? Something isn't right.

I drowned out the rest of my mother's speech as I stared down my sister, whose gaze was locked on our mother's.

She had a smile on her face, a fake one, but that wasn't anything suspicious. This is her 10 millionth time at a feast. It's hard to keep up the excitement.

The Queen and Myrmex bowed, hinting that we could eat now, and sat down at the royal table.

" Myrmex doesn't seem happy. " Flora mumbled.

" No... she's planning something. " I muttered back, suddenly losing my appetite.

" Have you noticed those two Antwings staring at them the entire time? " Cicada pointed out, gesturing to a corner with two Antwings huddled together, whispering to each other with eyes locked on the Queen.

" I don't like this. " Flora muttered.

" They both have one mark. " I whisper, fear lacing my words.

I didn't lose sight of the two suspicious Antwings the entire feast, which wasn't hard since they never moved.

" We need to go back home. Will you be alright by yourself? " Cicada asked, making me lose my concentration and snap back to the conversation.

" Er, I should be. " I mumbled, half focusing.

I didn't even really notice them leave. My gaze was flickering between my mother and the two Antwings, my mind racing and what I could do if things went south.

Nothing.

I couldn't do anything, I'm weak, I'm small, I'd just be an obstacle.

I let out a shaky sigh, just waiting for this night to be over as everyone began to leave. Crickets chirped as the sun gleamed over me one last time.

It almost blinded me, forcing me to blink to regain my vision, and when I looked back up, the two Antwings had vanished, and my mother and sister were parting ways already.

I discreetly flew off too, hoping they didn't see me being the last one there, just waiting for them to leave.

I flew into my room, which wasn't anything compared to my mother's, but was extremely luxurious compared to most Antwing houses.

I glanced at my bed and noticed something shiny laid out on it.

I narrowed my eyes and approached it, seeing a golden necklace with a navy blue gem in the middle, along with matching earrings and horn rings.

" Whoa. " I muttered, carefully picking up the necklace.

" I'll see if my this is the Queen's in the morning... " I agreed, placing the necklace around my neck.

It wouldn't hurt to see how it looked on me, I thought to myself as I began to put everything on.

I stepped in front of a mirror in my room, a present from the Armorwings long ago.

I do admit, I looked really good in these, but they probably belonged to one of my siblings or something.

I took everything off and placed it all on a wooden desk next to my bed.

I sighed again and curled up in a ball after I snuggled up with my several pillows.

Playing dress up was a nice distraction, but there was still something weird going on.

I'm not sure what it was, but-

Tap.

I shoot up, staring outside of the opening in my room. Something just hit my wall.

Tap.

There it is again! I debate getting up, I've heard scary stories of creatures lurking outside at night, but nothing can hurt an Antwing in this forest.

I get up and peer outside my room, glancing around to see nothing but darkness.

Formica!

I felt a vibration through my talons. It was rougher, so someone was using their talons to make a fast tapping sound.

I rush over to my balcony on the other side of my room, just to see Cicada on the branch below waving at me.

I let out a relieved sigh and flew down over to him. " Didn't know you were a stalker. " I joked, lightly bumping into him playfully.

" You never knew because I'm too good at it. " Cicada boasted, a joking ring to his voice.

I paused and looked at him funny, awaiting his flusteredness.

" Gah! I'm kidding! I just.. " Cicada jumped back slightly before bringing himself closer.

" You just what? " I hummed, walking further down the large branch.

" I was just tired of Flora's company, I guess. " Cicada shrugged, walking after me, slightly spreading his pinchers for balance.

" No kidding. " I look back at him, grinning.

" Here, follow me. " Cicada glided off of the branch, gesturing for me to follow him as he disappeared into the night.

I sighed and shook my head before flying after him.

" Sooo... At the feast, that was weird, right? " Cicada asked as I got up to him, our wings buzzing in sync.

" Definitely. Myrmex said nothing about meeting in the tundra, let alone Queen Gyne being involved. " I mutter, staring at the ground below us.

" Still calling her Queen Gyne, eh? " Cicada teased.

" Mom isn't exactly a fitting title for her. " I roll my eyes at him.

Antwings didn't really care for families. It was common for siblings to live together, but not with their mother. Most Antwings like the Queen better than their own mothers.

" Yeesh, no mom and no siblings, good thing you have me and Flora, huh? " Cicada joked.

" Yeah, it is a good thing, actually. " I smiled, half to myself as I stared up ahead to see the trees start to clear.

" Found this randomly a few moons ago. " Cicada yawned, flying upwards to reveal a large hammock like structure woven into the trees.

" A hammock? " I gave Cicada another look as I landed on it. It almost flung me back off with how springy it was.

" I think the dragonets use it to practice flying." Cicada shrugged.

" But this is the best place to see the stars. " Cicada's face brightened as he led me into the middle of the hammock before jumping up and flipping around to land on his back, looking up at the sky.

I lay down beside him less aggressively and looked up to see several stars dotted across the skywing, accompanied by streaks of color spilling through them.

" Whoa. " I muttered.

" If you look over there, there's a gap of stars that look like a leaf! " Cicada pointed his talons in a random direction.

It took me a minute to find what he was talking about. " That's a leaf? " I questioned, uncertainty in my voice as I sat up.

" I'm naming it, Flora. " Cicada nodded.

" Your naming stars after your sister? " I give him another look.

" Well, she likes leaves? " Cicada shrugged, sitting up as well.

" You're such a dork. " I snicker bumping into him again.

" No, I'm not! Look up there. It's a wing. "  Cicada pointed in another random direction.

" I don't see it. " I mumbled, squinting my eyes in hopes for a better view.

Cicada stood up and shuffled behind me before grabbing my middle talons and guiding them towards a constellation mimicking a wing.

" Looks like a Polarwing wing. " I mumbled.

" I guess. " Cicada muttered back, his tone slightly shifting as he went back to his spot on the hammock.

" I haven't found too many yet. Their really hard to find surprisingly. " Cicada sighed, laying back down.

" What about that one? Looks like a tree. " I pointed up at the sky.

" That looks nothing like a tree, I think you need to stop living in one. " Cicada raised his eyebrows at me.

" Pfft, you live in one too. We all do. " I smile, laying down next to him again.

" Not Stick! " Cicada sniffed.

" Stick lives on top of a tree, same thing. " I muttered.

" Ah well. Don't suppose those guys down there live in a tree. Don't think I've ever seen them around. " Cicada commented, leaning forward to gaze downwards.

" What guys? " I question, shooting up and staring below us.

Sure enough, those two odd looking antwings we saw at the feast were sitting below us.

" They don't see us. " I whisper.

They were having a conversation, one I couldn't make out.

One of the weirder looking ones had a black cloak around him, adding to the mystery.

" Let's spy on them. " I mutter, not waiting for Cicada's approval.

The way our wings are shaped makes it so that when we glide, we produce very little sound if we don't move our wings, of course.

I landed behind a large tree stump and ducked down, the two dragons in perfect view.

Cicada quietly landed next to me, shooting me a quick ' Your insane ' look but didn't dare to say a word.

" I told you we shouldn't be around Antwings. " The one without the cloak growled.

This one was much spiker than a normal Antwing, bulkier too. His tail wasn't a round shape either. It was long, almost like a Newtwing's tail.

" We have nothing else to do. The Trenchwings are done with us. " The cloaked one growled before pulling his hood down, revealing a-

" He's blue. " Cicada breathed in awe.

Not exactly, it was more of a reddish color, but it was very blue for an Antwing, plus his tail matched the other dragon, though he had fins and spikes running along his back and stomach, and four sets of Trenchwing wings.

" Who the hell is there? " The redder one snarled, lashing his spikey tail as he flipped around, pulling out a sharp object as he growled towards our hiding spot.

The hooded one instantly pulled his cloak back over his head and moved closer to the second one.

" Stay hidden. " Cicada mumbled towards me before standing up and stepping towards the two.

Cicada wasn't that much bigger than the two, but hopefully, he was just a few inches taller to be intimidating.

" You shouldn't be sneaking around this late. " The cloaked one warned, an odd tone to his voice.

" I don't care. What's two one marks doing out this late having a suspicious conversation underneath the hammock? " Cicada questioned, his voice low and threatening, a tone I've never heard before from the laid-back older brother.

" It's none of your business, kid. " The red one hissed, shoving his dagger near Cicada's face.

" Stop! " I shouted, revealing myself.

I ran over to Cicada and got in between the knife holding dragons and him.

" I am Formica, princess of the Antwings, and you will lower your dagger. " I commanded, my voice much louder than I had anticipated.

To my relief, the dragon instantly retreated, regret plastered on his face as he backed up into the hooded dragon.

Cicada glared at me, on much more frustrated than the one earlier.

" My apologies, Your Highness. We didn't know he was with you. " The cloaked on stepped forward as the red one avoided my gaze.

Shoot. I don't know what to do now, I've never had anyone respond to me this way.

" Doesn't matter. You will not point a weapon to any Antwing no matter the rank. " At this point, I was relying on Cicada to take control again, I was definitely not meant for this.

When the two dragons didn't respond, Cicada stepped forward again. " Who and what are you? " He asked, his voice less aggressive but still threatening.

The two exchanged glances before turning back to us. " We are Trenchwing hybrids. " The cloaked one muttered.

" Hybrids? " I gasped, unable to stop my jaw from dropping. It was believable, but the only way to distinguish them from a regular Antwing was their tails and maybe some other features if you looked hard enough.

" Why do you have one mark? Why are you lurking around here? " Cicada narrowed his eyes, not caring that they had never seen hybrids before.

" We were born with this mark! " The hooded one hissed with frustration as he stepped closer, his hood falling off as he gestured to the mark on his neck.

Cicada growled softly, unhappy with his answer.

" He's telling the truth. " I murmured. " We would have known about hybrids being imprisoned or banished. "

Plus, it's plausible that with the Trenchwing genes, their marks never fully appeared.

" So what are you two doing around here? " Cicada asked again, calming down further.

" Nothing. We're leaving. Come on, Mayfly. " The red one growled before spreading his four large wings and taking flight, gesturing for the hooded one to follow.

" Wait. " Cicada called out, his voice now his normal tone.

" What is it? " The hooded one grumbled, ready to fly after his friend.

" Where are you going? " Cicada asked, lowering his head slightly.

" Wouldn't you like to know? Ugh... It's protected well enough. I suppose it doesn't matter if you do know or not.. " The hybrid pondered before speaking again. " To the group of dragons from the other continents. "

" You mean the strange dragons outside our territory? " I questioned, curiosity sparking within me.

" Yes, and their heavily guarded. By a magic dragon who could kill everyone in this forest if he wanted to. " The hybrid warned before taking off. " That's all you need to know. "

I watched the two dragons fly away, heading towards the beach where the group was.

" Weird. " Cicada mumbled.

" I'm going back home, I know my mom knows about the dragons outside of here, but she won't tell me about them. " I glared at the ground, frustrated that whenever we find something interesting, it disappears before we can do anything about it.

" Okay, I bet Flora will be awake any moment, so I'll head off too, I'll see you in the morning. " Cicada nodded before lifting off and flying deeper into the forest.

I waited until I couldn't hear the buzz of his wings anymore and turned around to head back home, but was met with a heavy metal in the way.

I hit my head with a loud clank and looked up to see Myrmex glaring at me, her armor peice illuminated by the rising sun.

" The hell was that? " She growled, lowering her head to face me eye to eye.

" You saw everything, didn't you. " I sighed, not too heavily worried.

" Of course I did. You've pulled this stunt before but never with your little boyfriend and those hybrids? You should have brought them back to me. Do you know how valuable they could have been? Did you at least find out where they came from? " Myrmex lectured.

She didn't hear everything. Good, I still have my secrets to hide. " They flew off before we could get any useful information from them. " I lied, glaring up at my sister.

" Don't lie to me, bean. " Her tone shifted as she stared me down.

" I can do whatever the hell I want. " I snarl back, stepping forwards, taking her by surprise.

" In case you've forgotten, I'm the same rank as you. Doesn't matter if you could eat me for lunch. You have no command over me. " I hissed, glaring at my much older and much bigger Antwing.

Mrymex snorted before a grin spread across her face. " Then I'll go after your little friend for my information. "

" No, you won't. He's under three mark protection. So is his sister. " My eye contact with my sister didn't flicker away for a millisecond. I held my ground.

" You little runt. I should have never let you learn Antwing law. " Myrmex snarled. " Don't know why you're keeping info away from me. It's like you want us to lose this war. "

" There isn't going to be a war. " I finally felt confident in my words.

" You're cute. I'm not your enemy, so why make me? " Myrmex scoffed before flying off.

I stared at the horizon, doubt flooded my mind. It was almost like my sister wanted this war. I know it won't end well.

I sighed and flew back to the palace, I'll ask the Queen about the hybrids, and then I'll find a way to get them to help me.

My kingdom will not fall.