Wings Of Fire; Thorns And Roses

"Sun"

The sun.

The terrible, horrible sun hung in the sky, far above where Radiant could even dream to reach. Despite it never once saying a word to the SilkWing, she hated it with every fiber of her being. She wouldn't even hesitate to consider it the bane of her existence.

That is if you disregarded Wasp and the entirety of the HiveWing population, of course.

It did not help either that Radiant was forced to travel under the constant blistering gaze of it. She was being transferred to her new job, the one that she would have for the rest of her life.

Now, why was she taken now of all tines? She's ten years old. All SilkWings are supposed to go to their life-long torture pit when they're six. Barely even an adult and they're tossed into the hazardous and horrible environment of construction sites or customer service.

Well, Radiant was 'special' to her teachers at Wasp Academy. By 'special' they meant completely useless and a worthless rude rulebreaker who's life goal is to ruin your life. On the report file they written for her to give her to any employers it was all full of negatives. Not a single positive trait in sight.

But that wasn't too much of a surprise. She hated them and they hated her.

"Hey, look alive." A voice rang in her ears, breaking her from her train of thought. The ruby red dragon raised her head, glaring at the HiveWing guard before her. The blistering ball of heat in the sky shone down on the slate grey armor, reflecting right into her eyes.

The SilkWing merely grunted in response. "What's it to you? Why would you care?"

"Because we're just about to Hornet Hive. You're slouching and being unruly, which isn't exactly a good look for me."

Radiant rolled her eyes. "How so? You don't want to be the poor little guard who has to deal with me?"

"Yes," he replied. "That's exactly right. It's good seeing that you're at least somewhat aware of your immatureness."

She scoffed. "I'm immature? HA!"

"Just shut up and at least pretend." The HiveWing snapped at her. She could hear him grumbling and muttering under his breath.

Coward, she thought. If you're going to curse at me, say it to my face.

Annoyed, she tried to turn her attention to the surroundings around her. She was on the Ridgeback Bridge, the long walkway made from silk that connected Hornet and Vinegaroon Hive. The threads were incredibly thick and sturdy, making it feel more like rock than anything else. Intricate and detailed designs were weaved into the supports. Spirals, swirls, honeycomb patterns; each one had a different clashing pattern etched into them. It was pearly white, matching that of Radiant's underbelly.

Beyond that of the bridge was the vast savanna. In all directions around her was nothing more than blank, boring tall grass. No trees, not a single one. A couple herds of animals would occasionally pop up, but there was usually nothing to provide any sort of entertainment.

But, grass wasn't the only thing she could see. Tall structures erected from the ground below, reaching far into the clouds. Hives, the massive cities that the dragons of Pantala would call home. Her own Hive that she had known her entire life was Wasp Hive, and to say that it wasn't great would be a horrible understatement.

Then again, she only knew the walls of her school. Rarely was she ever even permitted to go out. It was a prison, one that she was finally free from.

However, in turn she would become the house-maid to a new dragon. A HiveWing in Hornet Hive, the postal capital.