A dragon stepped through the entrance of the Cicada Hive Hatchery, pulling her large Dragonfly- like wings close to fit through the door. She didn't wait for her eyes to adjust to the gloom, her eyesight was failing anyway, the darkness wouldn't make a difference. 

Carefully stepping around eggs with sore old talons, she added another pale coloured egg to the group. With one claw, she gently traced a word onto the smooth yellow surface. 

Orphan, it read when she had finished. 

Letting out a sigh, she receded back to the exit of the Nest, swinging her big tail behind her. 

As she left, the dragon didn't notice as her tail accidentally bumped the egg she had just placed down. 

It silently rolled out of the group of eggs and came to rest against the curved Nest wall behind a rafter support beam.

The egg quietly waited, unknown to anyone, and without anyone realising, avoided every HiveWing's doom. 

x+x+x 

A small dragonet woke late one morning to sun streaming through the window. A couple of other dragonets around Rove's age were still asleep, although most of the orphanage beds were already empty. Rubbing her eyes with little talons, and began to head downstairs for breakfast.  But before she could, a scream snapped through her thoughts.

Rove's first instinct was to flee. She dropped to the ground and scrabbled under her bed, heart hammering. Her first thought was one drilled into even one year- old dragonets, LeafWing attack! But in her moment of panic she couldn't remember any of the procedures that she was meant to do, so she stayed where she was. 

The other dragonets In the room must have heard the scream too, they sat up in their beds, and twisted their heads to look north- west, the direction of Wasp Hive. 

The scream came again and Rove pressed her eyes tightly closed, wishing more than anything that someone would come and tell her that it was alright, there was nothing to be scared of.

But instead of saying that, the other dragonets all spoke together in the same eerie voice.

"There is a traitor in this Hive," They all said. "Do not let him escape."

Rove held her breath as their talon-steps walked just by her hiding spot, and downstairs towards the front door.

After a moment, Rove made herself crawl out from under the bed and look to the window leading to the street outside.

It was the same view Rove woke up to every day, except now, it was filled with a matching group of dragons, all moving in creepy unison, making a circle to surround an elderly- ish dragon.

Rove couldn't hear what they were saying, but the dragon in the middle with the red and black wings called to the group and they replied with the same ominous unison, moving as one. 

Three dragons stepped towards him with venomous stingers raised. The only one of the three that she recognised was the older sister of a dragon in the year above Rove. She had met the yellow HiveWing before, she was a kind dragon, she never wanted to hurt anybody. But here she was, her eyes a blank white, looking ready to kill with no hesitation.

The old dragon screamed again and the three dragons marched him down the street. Rove ducked below the window when they passed below her, even though none of them showed signs of looking up.

Rove blinked back tears as she returned her eyes to the crowd. All her friends, everyone she knew was there, acting possessed, like another dragon had stepped into their skin.

What if this happened again?

Rove let out a shuddering breath of fear. Her friends could turn into monsters at any moment.

She knew she could never trust anyone ever again.

x+x+x

Rove was bored. 

Below her, there was nothing but boring savannah grasses, only boring blight blue sky above her, and boring flying. Nothing but flap, flap, flap, all day long.

Ugh.

Rove was tempted to ask again, Are we there yet? But the last time she did, her escort had threatened to turn around and go back if she asked again. Which would be the ultimate worst. After two years of living in the horrible dirty orphanage, Rove had finally been adopted!

Her new parents were Arachnid and Stinger, and they were thankfully rich, and lived in a big house with many levels near the top of the Hive. The only problem was what Hive. 

Arachnid and Stinger lived in Vinegaroon Hive, which was so far from Cicada Hive.

It had already taken Rove and her escort  Polyplax a full day of flying to go from Cicada Hive to Hornet Hive, and then it would take all today to finally get to Vinegaroon Hive.

Rove sighed. Why did everything have to be so hard?

After another few hours of eventless flying, the dark silhouette of the Hive finally grew larger until it was so close!

Rove felt a spur of energy. This was it! After all this waiting!

Just before they reached the Hive, Rove glanced down. 

Are those trees? 

Rove shook her head. They can't have been. There weren't any trees on Pantala since they were wiped out, the entire LeafWing population going with them.  But that didn't stop her from glancing back, one more time, and Rove was sure she saw a pale brownish head pop up from amongst the grasses and watch her go.

But she dismissed it, returning her mind to the excitement of her new home. Polyplax dropped Rove off outside her new parent's house. Rove waited until Polyplax's vibrant orange tail disappeared around a corner before Rove crept nervously up to the large wooden double doors. 

Rove hesitated, then drew a deep breath and knocked.

After a moment, a green and navy SilkWing servant opened one of the doors. He wore no adornments, but his scales were clean and polished and he was well presented, yet he peered at Rove as if she was some grubby homeless dragonet off the street.

"Yes?" He asked, in a tone matching his expression.

Rove was shocked at his rudeness. He was a servant working  for her parents! Surely he should know who she was.

"I am Rove." She replied, lifting her chin. "I'm Arachnid and Stinger's new daughter. Surely they are expecting me?"

"Oh, yes yes." He said, nodding as if he knew who she was all along. "This way."

He opened the door, and Rove strolled in, marvelling at the grey and white ceramic tiles and wooden sculptures. She was in what must have been the main room, with thick black pillars patterned with ivory. Two doors on either side of the room lead to what was probably the kitchens and servant quarters, and a indoor balcony followed along the wall to sides and above of Rove. A staircase lead from the left side of the balcony down to the lower level on the opposite side of the room from Rove, though it seemed pointless, as it would be easy for a dragon to fly from level to level in this arrangement. Rove guessed the front room doubled as the foyer and ballroom, and alone was probably half the size if Rove's entire orphanage.

"Wait here, please," The SilkWing told her.

With no other instructions, he left her there and went up the stairs; treestuff but draped with a long thin red silk rug.

After another few moments, there was the sound of hurried talon-steps muffled by the rug, and Rove's parents came running down the stairs to embrace her. 

Arachnid was tall, strong, and a pale kind of brownish yellow with big black wings. He wore silver armbands on his two front legs that covered his entire forearms and clashed horribly with his scales.

Stinger was mostly black with red bands on her neck, and dark yellow freckles along her tail. She was adorned with several thick gold necklace chains matching her yellow freckles and a orange cape that complimented her red scales. Of the two, it was clear who had the fashion sense.

"My baby!" Stinger cried, and Rove was surrounded by black and yellow wings. She lent into their hug, soaking up the feeling of being wanted. Being loved.

Arachnid took a step back and examined her with an expert eye. 

"Yes, she looks good, my love." Arachnid said to Stinger in a deep voice. "Healthy. But so unadorned."

"Yes." Stinger mused, taking a step back and examining Rove as well. "Skipper!" She called. The green- blue SilkWing hurried down the stairs at the call.

"Bring Rove's gift."

Skipper nodded and dashed back up the stairs. 

"I trust your journey here went well?" Arachnid asked.

"Not really," Rove said, exaggerating a little. The image of the brown dragonet popped into her mind, but she dismissed it. "There was nowhere to stop and rest, and the accommodation in Hornet Hive was horrible."

"Aww, my poor, poor, darling." Stinger stroked Rove's black horns. "Ah! Here it is."

Skipper returned from upstairs, limping along on three feet while carefully holding something raised in one talon and passed it to Stinger. 

To Rove it appeared as a coil of flat gold wire, wound three times in a spiral. Reaching across, Stinger slid it onto Rove's left horn, slipping it along until her horn widened and it couldn't go any further. Rove smiled and touched the cold metal with her talon. The first thing that actually belonged to her! Her very own treasure.

Rove lent into another hug. She had only just arrived, but she already felt at home.

Rove let out a content sigh.

She rested on her big bed in her new bedroom, eating fried zebra snacks off a plate beside her. Rove's room was almost the size of the one massive bedroom at the orphanage, but way more clean and fresh. It felt like it belonged to her.

The room was treestuff painted white, with a silk weaving of flowers hanging on one wall. A stone bookcase full of books nestled in the corner, a brown ox pelt rug sat in the floor. And Rove's favourite part: a wooden carving of Clearsight rested on a pillar across the room. Rove admired it, the intricate detailing on her scales, the way she held the Book so close to her chest, but so gently at the same time. 

Rove loved it. She never ever thought she would end up owning anything made of wood. Again, the dragonet and the not- trees flashed through her mind.

Rove reached for another zebra strip and frowned at her empty plate. Deciding to go find Skipper and get some more, she slid off her bed, leaving crinkles in the soft covers, but Rove didn't worry, the other SilkWing maids could fix it later.

Outside Rove's door was a indoor balcony that looked down onto the foyer. Her parent's room was further along the open corridor, but she didn't head in that direction. Instead, she headed down the stairs, brushing her wing against the ivory railing. 

Rove turned to head to the kitchen, but stopped at the sound of a racket inside. Approaching carefully, Rove opened the door and stifled a gasp. Inside was Skipper, filling a large bag with all the food he could get his claws on. 

Rove whirled around and leapt into the air, flying instead of taking the stairs. She knew that she wasn't supposed to fly in the house, but this was an emergency! She reached the door to her parent's room and rapped sharply on the door. 

After a moment, Stinger opened it. She had taken off her cloak and most of her chains, but a few remained. "Yes, hon?" She asked.

"Skipper!" Rove said breathlessly. "Downstairs! He's taking the food!"

Stinger called to Arachnid and they raced downstairs, finding Skipper trying to sneak out the front door. 

Arachnid glared at him. "A word?" He said, gesturing to the kitchen and giving Skipper a smile that didn't meet his eyes.

The two went through into the kitchen door, which slammed behind them.

Rove stood next to Stinger as muffled yelling came from within the kitchen. Stinger kept one wing on Rove the entire time, looking anxiously towards the door.

A moment later, Arachnid emerged, followed by Skipper. His head hung and he hurried out the front door, averting his eyes.

"What did he say?" Rove asked 

"He said he was taking food for his family." Arachnid answered.

"And?"

"I let him keep what he already had taken. But he doesn't have a job to come back to tomorrow."

Stinger nodded.

"Come with me," Arachnid said. "I have something for you."

The three of them went back to Arachnid and Stinger's room, that was similar to Rove's but much bigger and had a large wooden bookcase that Rove envied. Arachnid went over to it now and retrieved something small from between two books.

"We were going to give you this later, but now seems fitting." He said. Stinger nodded in agreement. 

"For you." Arachnid said. "Because you were so honest and went to us straight away." He pressed something into Rove's talon.

It was a black leather pouch wallet, covered in winding golden markings that reminded Rove of vines. Rove opened the gold clasp and inside were a collection of iridescent Scales, the Pantalan currency, more than what Rove thought she'd ever own.

"Thank-you!" Rove said.

Her parents just smiled.

Rove lay in bed thinking. 

She had never been rewarded for doing something before. It gave her a warm, happy feeling, knowing she was helpful. 

Rove didn't feel sorry for Skipper. He was doing the wrong thing, after all. He deserved any punishment he got. And, Rove profited from telling her parents. Maybe if she caught other servants doing the wrong thing, her parents would reward her again!

Rove was reminded of the dragonet in the savanna. Everyone knew that you weren't supposed to leave the Hives unless you had permission. It was even worse than stealing food! If Rove went out to the savanna and caught them, then Arachnid and Stinger would definitely  give her something again!

Rove sat up quickly and slipped out her bedroom door. No one would miss her, downstairs in the foyer her parents were hosting an evening party, and several other rich neighbours had attended. 

Rove had stayed at the party for a while when it had first started, eating rabbit slices, honey drops and delicious fizzy lime drinks that Rove would have never been allowed to have back at the Orphanage. But she must have drank too many and got dizzy, so her parents sent her to bed. A pale pink SilkWing servant had tucked her in, making Rove feel two years old all over again. She had slept for a while then lay awake, listening to the sounds from downstairs.

Rove couldn't go outside via the front door, of course, but earlier she had noticed a large window that lead outside.  

She carefully slipped outside and flapped into the night. It occurred to her later that if she was spotted, she would be the one getting in trouble, but for now she was focused on finding the mystery dragon.

It only took her a few minutes to return to where she saw them last. Rove swooped down onto the brown dry grasses, and stalked over. 

There was a clear circle of dirt, and strangely, a couple of small trees were there, at different stages of growth. Rove reached down and touched the trunk of one. It felt just like her Clearsight statue. But in the middle of all the trees was a strange dragonet. He was pale brown with dark green talons and had pale green freckles, from what Rove could make out in the moonlight. His only accessories was a twine necklace with dried seeds of different varieties strung onto it, and a matching bracelet circled his wrist.  He appeared to be asleep, lying still, with his chest rising and falling peacefully. The strangest thing about him was his wings. Rove could only make out two of them. Was he missing two wings? Was he a cripple or something? She took a step back, and saw that his wings weren't like a SilkWing's at all. They were leaf  shaped. Rove hissed.

A LeafWing!

At the noise, he sat up, looked at Rove, and jumped back with a yell of surprise. Rove glared at him and raised her tail behind her over her shoulder, where she aimed her projectile stinger at him. The venom didn't do anything, but hurt a lot it if it hit you. 

"You're a LeafWing." Rove said.

"You're a HiveWing." He replied, clearly startled.

Rove noticed that he had a sweet voice but shook that feeling away. 

"What are you doing here? This close to the Hive? You're supposed to be dead!"

"I am?" He looked puzzled for a moment. "But I'm not that close to the Hive." 

Rove realised he was right. She had flown further than she realised.

"What are you doing here though?"

"I'm on a mission." He said, giving a smile that lit up his face.

"To do what?"

"Bring back the trees! Look. I've already started."

He gestured to the saplings around him.

"Hmmm." Rove mused, peering at the little plants. "Trees are meant to be big. They don't look very big."

"But they'll grow!" He said.

"Hopefully so will you. You're small to take on a whole mission."

Rove didn't mean it as a joke, but he laughed, and Rove realised she felt like laughing too.

They chatted about trees for a while, until Rove remembered that if she didn't go back soon, someone will find her missing.

"I have to go."

"Oh." Rove hated seeing his face fall. "If I give you this, will you promise to come back?" He slid the bracelet off his wrist and onto her own. The seeds were cool against her scales, and somehow comforting.

"Okay. My name is Rove, by the way."

"Mine is Alder."

Alder.

"Well, ah, thank-you, Alder. I promise I won't tell anyone about you. It will be my secret."

"Thanks Rove. Bye."

Rove waved as she leapt up into the air and flew back to the hive.

It's amazing, she thought, How a seed bracelet can be worth so much more than gold.