Wings Of Fire: Heart of Oak

Immigrant

Holly's POV

The vines around their talons lossened.
Cricket gasped for air as the vine strangling her let go.
They lifted into the air to get out of reach in case the plant recovered, and headed towards the trees, landing on a large Baobab tree.

Sundew and Willow threw their wings over each other, and held on for a long moment.

"Why did the plants let go?", Cricket asked.
"Wasn't there something control them and Hawthorn?"

"Maybe whatever it was is dead", Mandrake guessed hopefully.

"Willow killed only one of it's heads", Sundew said.
"It has a lot more. It's confused right now.
It still has Wasp, but I think without Hawthorn's leafspeak, it can only spread like a normal plant."

"So what now?", Holly asked.

"We save our friends", Sundew said.
"We fight it just like Willow did. I'm ready to do a lot of destroying."

"No!", Willow said.
"That's exactly what we shouldn't do!"

"What?", Sundew asked.
"We have to. And I really want DESTORY SOMETHING."

"The five of us against the queen, the entire Hivewing army, the Leafwings, and our friends? No way."

"She's right Sundew", Cricket said.
"I'm all in on killing Wasp, but that thing has control of everyone. What are we supposed to do, kill all of them?"

"So, we have to protect everyone we still have", Mandrake said. "We'll have to do fighting at some point, and we'll need help."

"Uh, actually, we might need to do fighting now", Holly said.
Mandrake turned around.
Four Hivewings had spotted them, and landed near the bank of the stream.

Sundew hopped down and Holly joined her.
"If this is the last time we fight together", Sundew said, "you've been a great sister to me."

"Right back at you."

Holly's mind wandered suddenly.
She tried to keep her eye on Sundew, and the next thing she knew, one of the Hivewings singled her out.

He tackled her, trying to pin her with a stinger on his tail.

Holly got up, looking around frantically.
She didn't know to fight, but she raised her talons, and tried to look intimidating, which she failed at dramatically.
The Hivewing continued to advance, cornerng her at the base of a tree.

"Uh, can't we just talk about this?", she asked.
He tried to spear her, but she ducked and twice, he instead stabbed the tree.

"Seven-foot frame, rats along his back, when he calls your name, it all fades to black!"
He tried a third time, but only managed to get his stinger point stuck in the tree bark.

Holly rolled under his legs and taking a large rock, she beat him over the head.
He fell onto the wet ground , stunned.

Overcoming her initual surprise, Holly said, "Yeah! That's how we get it done: Hogwarts style!"

She glanced at the others to see how they were doing.
Sundew and Mandrake were fighting the biggest of the Hivewings, an enormous dragon almost as big as the two of them combined.
Holly started towards them, but talons grabbed her from behind, pinning her against the tree again.

"Hello, Holly", the Hivewing hissed.
"I've been waiting for this for a long time. You want to know something?"

"Um, not really", she choked.
His claws cut into Holly's neck.

"It's hard to find a Hivewing with fangs these days. I saved this one just for you."
The dragon grinned so that she could see his long fangs.

"Wait! If you kill me, you won't be able to use me!", Holly said, making a desprate attempt to live.