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Post by Bronzewing on May 27, 2021 20:45:31 GMT
Ombekende Sirex spread his wings, moving quickly through the air with claws held down at his sides. There was a regal nature to the way he moved, the quick flaps of his wings- a dragon who could take on anything, and he knew it. Sirex felt no fear or rage at the idea that he would have to speak to the queen. To some dragons, the HiveWing queen was a terrifying sight to behold, and he did respect her- but he wouldn't make a big fuss about it. Tarantula was just a dragon he needed to answer to, the only dragon he would answer to. As who else was Sirex's superior now? Not Vinegaroon, she was dead. Behind him flew some of his dragons- specifically some rankless dragons (cannon fodder) and Upper One, Leiurus. The dual-tailed dragon would be enough protection, he reckoned, with the few common members there just to show off to him and maybe be in the way of any angry HiveWings. This is a test for you. I'm in an important meeting, and I want you to back me up. Leiurus will be there too, so don't embarrass yourself.It wasn't a test. He had no plans to promote them no matter WHAT they did. The greatest thing they could do for him here was to die for his sake. Reaching the meeting place, he soared downwards, folding his wings into a dive before landing softly on the ground. He could hear the thump of Leiurus behind him, and then the claws of the rest- that should be enough to guard him. For now.
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Post by Ombekende on May 27, 2021 21:12:17 GMT
Bronzewing Her throne was safe, Tarantula knew that. Sirex was powerful, of course, but the queen knew that he would not challenge her. It would be a stupid move of course, even if he did somehow kill her, Tarantula's siblings would not accept him as a king. Yet, despite that, she was still nervous. Tapping her talon on the floor, the Hivewing watched the sky through narrowed eyes as she waited for him.
The guard behind her, one that she always kept with her (his name was Rock Crawler, she thought), rustled his wings. Tarantula was not sure if he was nervous himself, or if the grip she kept on his mind reflected her emotions as well. She never asked- as far as any of the guards knew them losing control over their bodies was just another Hivewing power, something that made them stronger for a short time. But his milky white eyes showed to her that he was not in control. I should've done it to their eggs as well... It would have saved her a lot of trouble, having control over her siblings. But she didn't, and now one was dead and the other on his way to meet with her now. I could just control them all... Take over the mind of each Hivewing. Shaking her head, she let out a sigh before scanning the area again. Finally...Taking a step back, she watched as Sirex landed in front of her, along with several other dragons. Did he have to? She looked at them, noticing one of them was... covered in swords. Okay... Sure. She was cautious too, of course, so she understood him bringing some others. They never agreed it would be a completely private conversation after all. Taking her eyes off the strange dragon, she looked back to Sirex. "Good to see you. And your... company." She glanced at the group, the tip of her tail twitching slightly. "Now that we're all here... Mind explaining what the heck happened in Vinegaroon Hive?"
(339 words)
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Post by Bronzewing on May 27, 2021 23:15:47 GMT
Ombekende Sirex looked over the queen, from her to the poor dragon after her- their eyes concerned him. He had always hated the mind control the queen had on everybody, personally being rather happy that he wasn't subject to the same. Neither was Leiurus, his birth being kept a secret for so long- and of course, none of his SilkWings. Dauber...he wasn't sure about Dauber. He would have to check that, make sure the queen wasn't prying into his business. Well, she kind of was right now. But it was on him what he wanted to tell or show her. She didn't need to know a lot of what was going on in Sirex Hive- especially not some of the stuff he was doing- and besides, it didn't concern her. He had no wish to become king. Keeping undercover was more pleasing to him than being the center of attention. He allowed her to speak first, trying to keep his eyes off the poor guard in the background. Somebody should put the poor dragon out of their misery, but he would be yelled at if he was the one to do it. "Yes...all here." he said, tail tapping across the ground as he spoke. "Now, the situation in Vinegaroon is...hard to explain. Turns out that many of the decisions the Lady had made were... less than fair to the SilkWings." But honestly, what wasn't? HiveWing society had never been fair to them. "So we had a little rebellion to deal with." He said this in such a nonchalant way, motioning to the buildings around, some of them still in a state of disrepair after the attacks. Just by looking at it, you could tell that it was a bit more than a little issue.
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Post by Ombekende on Jun 1, 2021 13:05:17 GMT
Narrowing her eyes slightly, she noticed him looking at the guard. Was telling her relatives a mistake..? Only a few were under her control after all, and most of those worked for her as guards... But only Mantis knew that. Letting her siblings think the entire tribe was under her control kept them from keeping secrets, but it also made them more cautious. There wasn't much she could do about that now. As long as they didn't try to take her throne.
"At least try." She huffed, lashing her tail. "Life is not fair, that is something we all have to learn as dragonets. If Lady Vinegaroon had made a mistake in her ruling, you could've told me."
She usually gave the other Hives freedom in what they did and how they treated Silkwings, but situations like these were something she tried to avoid, which is why she always tried to keep an eye on them. But Vinegaroon was a coward, not even close to becoming a threat to Tarantula. So she was mostly left alone. The only thing she really cared about were her greenhouses.
Tarantula glanced at the buildings with a small nod. "A little rebellion... Right... How much was damaged?" She hoped they left the greenhouses alone. They were rather flammable and a popular target for rebels and Leafwings, and destroying one as large as Vinegaroons would affect all the hives. Especially if they discovered one of the plants she grew in there...
"And... Where is Lady Vinegaroon?" It was strange, she hadn't been able to find or hear anything of her after the rebellion. She was likely dead, but there was also a chance she went into hiding long before the rebellion. Either way, Tarantula wanted to know where she was, before Leafwings would find her.
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Post by Bronzewing on Jun 1, 2021 13:44:37 GMT
Ombekende He stayed silent, knowing fully that getting on the queen's bad side would ruin the whole thing he was building for himself. She would come in, take him out of power, and what was he going to gain from that? Nothing but dead dragons and the loss of the little bit of glory he had built for himself. He already knew that he wouldn't have told Tarantula about Vinegaroon's mistakes. He wanted to have as little to do with the queen as he could, barely speaking a word unless she called for his audience. Telling her about Vinegaroon- like a dragonet tattling on its siblings- wasn't the sort of thing he would get himself into. Besides, it all worked out in the end- for himself. Sadly, her mistakes were numerous, and the SilkWings didn't take kindly to it. The rebellion destroyed...I will admit, a fair amount of the Hive. We lost a few of the greenhouses, but the larger ones were better guarded and are still up. He had forgotten that the greenhouses were important to the Hive. They had little importance to him, except for the revenue they brought in. As for Vinegaroon... the queen shouldn't mind that the old dragon was dead. After all, she could see the carnage with her own eyes- it made logical sense that Vinegaroon wouldn't get out alive. The queen never, never needed to know that her life was taken by Sirex himself. The SilkWings got her. I'm not sure of the details, but they broke in, and she didn't get out alive. You can see the state of the mansions for yourself. He flicked his tail in the general direction of Vinegaroon's old home. For a coward, he mused, she stuck around for longer than I would have expected. Got to give her some credit for that.He could hear his dragons behind him moving around, claws clicking on the ground. So, so much more natural than the white-eyed guard behind the queen. He hated looking into those unblinking optics that the queen thought was normal. If dragons would do what he said, it would be because they feared him- not because of some weird control he had. He had a feeling that the guard behind her wouldn't be there if he had the choice to. He looked her in the eyes, reminding himself that he was now no longer one of her many deadbeat siblings, that he had some rank to answer to.
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Post by Ombekende on Jun 13, 2021 23:48:34 GMT
"I see..." Tarantula lifted her head slightly as she glanced around. "It is still a waste. I was aware of some disturbances in the Hive but... I never expected it to grow this large." She had to keep a closer eye on her subjects- Apparently even the Silkwings, the most harmless of the tribes, were capable of such destruction. But she could see the unease in Sirex each time he looked at her guard.
Although the buildings around them were nearly destroyed, Tarantula wasn't sure she could trust what he said about it. It was entirely possible Sirex brought her to the most damaged part of the Hive, after all. It was something she would have done herself, make things look worse than they really were to gain sympathy. Their family was clever of course, they all got it from their mother. "I'll check the state of the greenhouses myself." She said, flicking her tail. A few dragons scattered through the hive froze, their eyes now a milky white as the queen took control. Through their eyes she'd observe the hive.
"It is true then... I must admit I did not think Silkwings were capable of such destruction. Was there not any help from... other dragons?" The words came from both her and Rock Crawler. It was tricky to only speak through one mouth when she was controlling many, but she knew the dragon behind her was used to it. He'd been with her to many meetings already and knew not to question it. But it was strange to her, Silkwings were able to cause some trouble, but it was also possible any Hivewings or even Leafwings were involved. "And is there at least anything left of Vinegaroon's body? I doubt anyone would want to say their goodbyes to her, especially after what happened. But she is royalty. She deserves at least some kind of funeral..."
Tarantula shook her head, letting go of her mind control. The guard behind barely moved, although his eyes went back to his normal colours again.
It was as he said, the smaller greenhouses were broken into and the plants destroyed, with some small fires, but the main ones were left mostly untouched. She blinked a few times, her eyes taking a bit to adjust, before she spoke again. "I believe we should also discuss what happens to this Hive now that she is dead... Perhaps it would be best if it stayed under my control, until things have settled down..."
She guessed Sirex was intending to take this Hive, as he was the one to meet her here, but it would be difficult to keep the dragons from rebelling again. While that would be an easy way to get rid of him, Tarantula would rather keep the amount of deaths in the family as low as possible.
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Post by Bronzewing on Jun 14, 2021 3:48:55 GMT
Ombekende The black dragon's tail twitched across the ground, his face as stoic as ever. "I don't think a single dragon expected it to get as bad as it did." he admitted, sighing for emphasis before continuing to listen to the queen's words. Best not to talk over them. He noticed the change in the eyes of one nearby dragon- and he could feel some of the dragons behind him, Leiurus as the most notable, stepping around uncomfortably. Sirex met his eyes- get her out of here as soon as possible. they said, and he gave them a slight nod. Get the queen happy and out of there, and make notes of the dragons she controlled so they could stage small accidents that took them all out. How many were even afflicted? May be harder than he thought to corral them all. After all, he was willing to take out his own dragons if the queen couldn't steal their eyes. With every word he felt a boiling feeling in his chest. Leave me alone. he was tempted to yell at her, but he was beyond that. He needed to behave, make her trust him, give him the Hive, and then he could hope to never again see the queen (at least not for a long time) or the white eyes she afflicted on dragons. What sort of sickness was this? A parasite, thrown underneath their scales? He didn't want anything to do with it. "They're capable of more destruction than we expected. And look around all you want- you'll find damage of this sort in much of the Hive. He motioned around with a claw, choosing his words carefully. "But I managed to take care of it. I managed to halt it for now- and since of some...new stuff I did, they seem a lot more content as of recent.""As for help from others- I don't know. It seems as if the damage dealt was all done by the SilkWings themselves, no other dragons assisting them. Vinegaroon herself is in a terrible state, and we already buried our losses- but if you wish for a fancier funeral, we can dig 'er back up once everything is quieter here. He paused. By then, the venom wouldn't be as traceable among the decomposition- and besides, if they held a funeral he had a strange feeling that some SilkWings would show up to mutilate a body or two. How nice of them. Ah- and she wanted the Hive? Something in him told him to let her do it and watch- the rebellion would start all over again, and maybe he could get his ranks to deal with whatever controlled dragons she had. As far as he knew, none of them had the eyes- at least he had never seen them or any sign that they had whatever parasite it was. He hated it. "With all due respect, my queen-" He would have to spit the feeling out of his mouth later on- "they'll just rebel again. They're content for now, as far as I can tell, and their leaders are all deceased. I've been here for a while, and nobody's come up to strike back at us- I am not sure what you coming into control would do to the Hive." Maybe more fire, or disasters, or breaking stuff. Heck, they'd burn the whole Hive to the ground the instant they got a flamesilk on their side. What would the queen even think about his new decrees? Fairness to the SilkWings was one of the main reasons why he managed to quell the complaints- along with whatever Pieris represented to them. Tarantula would most likely not go for that, and he could imagine the mess that would result. Maybe some of them would be on his side. Maybe he could be a king.... No, Sirex, one step at a time. Right now, you want to keep your rank as Hive lord. Later on, maybe a bit of murder.
You like murder, don't you, Sirex?
"I've been here for a while now, after all."
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Post by Ombekende on Jun 16, 2021 23:54:04 GMT
Tarantula hummed, tilting her head. She had noticed how her words seemed to agitate the younger dragon, along with his companions. Even if they didn't know what exactly was going on, the sudden change in behavior in her guards always unsettled other dragons. A small part of her was amused by their unease, but she ignored it as much as she could.
"The... stuff you did." The Queen frowned slightly, "Mind explaining what that is exactly?" she asked, flicking her tail. "I can understand being less... strict with Silkwings, especially after what happened. But you do have to be careful with those things, Sirex." Tarantula narrowed her eyes, "You don't want them to think that violence is how they can solve their problems, or they'll just keep using it to get what they want."
"And no... Leave her body." She sighed, relaxing slightly. "Putting on a show like that wouldn't help anyone... And we don't want to risk it causing any more rebellions." Normally she would, just to show the Tribe that the royal family was connected, but royal funerals always got the attention of less pleasant dragons. It was already risky enough for her to leave Tarantula Hive like this, just for a meeting. She let out a sigh, lifting her head a bit more. As Queen she couldn't just hide in her room all day like she wanted to.
The Hivewing nodded, listening to his words. "You are correct, it might cause them to rebel more. But it also shows that we do not tolerate such actions. Being in direct control of the Hive would let me keep an closer eye on the situation, and take out any troublemakers more quickly." She said, "As I said, I do not want anyone to think that such actions are acceptable in our tribe, that if they don't like a leader they can just... take her out and replace her with someone that is more kind to them." Not even Tarantula felt safe. But did she ever? Rebellions were not new, this was just the largest one in a long time. Closing her eyes, she let out a sigh. "But alright then. I suppose you want to be the new leader of this Hive then?" Even if he didn't... No one else would be excited to take over, especially after Vinegaroon's death.
Would he even be able to handle things, she wondered. Until recently he was no one- royal only in blood, but not really in status. The dragons behind him seemed to follow him well enough, but of course he would only choose the most reliable to come with him to this meeting. "Even if there haven't been any Lords before, it is still possible..." She said, looking back at him, "But only if you're able to actually control the situation here."
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Post by Bronzewing on Jun 17, 2021 12:38:35 GMT
Ombekende He had a feeling that the queen wouldn't like a lot of the things he had done. He needed to be smooth with this, maybe conveniently leave out a few things that she may have a bigger problem with- and enhance how much it really worked. Of course, she didn't need to know everything. He would track down the dragons she had control over later on. "Most of the things I did were going back on some of Vinegaroon's laws that may have been...too harsh and incited rebellion. For starters, she barred SilkWings from entering various establishments- I undid that." He paused a moment to let this sink in. "We got rid of metal bands on dragonets, replacing them with something we don't have to keep replacing as the dragon grows. We still have strict policies in place for if dragons do not have their proper identification. He had no clue if Tarantula would agree with SilkWing-favoring laws. After all, he was trying to make this more fair- not counting the many other ways he ended the rebellion. She didn't need to know about the deaths, and murders, and the existence of his Line- how most of the dragons were in fear of how easily he could kill them instead of the stuff he had done. And then there was Pieris- his Second by right, not of politics, but the cold dragon was well known among the rebellion's dragons and somehow helped satiate them. Tarantula did not need to know about any of that. He would constantly make sure she had control over none of his dragons. "I will leave the body like you said." he responded with a nod of his head, tail tapping against the floor. That was good. Even if they wanted a funeral later on, it would already be too hard to track down the real cause of death of the cowardly HiveWing. "If you really want to take the Hive, you may. But if they see that the queen has come to take care of things... I'm not sure what else they would do. A queen is a large target, after all, and I don't know if your guards could withstand them. After all, Vinegaroon's could not." He paused, yet again. "I would very much like to be the lord of this Hive, yes. I have been here for a month or two now, after all, and we haven't had any real problems." His Line were very good. Reliable. Friendly and cordial with him, murderous with others. The venom in his tail could take out any of them he so wished, and they knew it- and besides, there were good benefits to being with him. Dragons that were once servants or generally nothing of interest could now be a part of the Hive, regardless of tribe. To be honest, he would even take a LeafWing if they showed loyalty towards him. Tarantula, of course, did not need to know that he had dragons that followed him like a king. The ones after him were only bodyguards, of course- not dragons that would fight and die for a chance to become more accepted in his eyes. They would fight to the death only to get a number below him. And it was glorious. "I should be able to handle the Hive, just as I have been so far."
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Post by Ombekende on Aug 21, 2021 20:36:53 GMT
Bronzewing "Hm. It seems like Vinegaroon had not told me about all the changes she made then." Tarantula said, her voice still calm, although she was starting to get very annoyed with the now dead Lady. Banning Silkwings from certain buildings? Of course dragons were going to be upset with that. Even Hivewings, who couldn't take their servants with them. She let out a long sigh. "I honestly cannot be surprised then. Just, don't make the same mistake as her. Tell me before you try to change big things like that."
She hated that- her family trying to go behind her back, secretly taking more control for themselves. It never ended well for them, only leaving a mess she had to clean up again. Maybe I should use the plant on them as well... But then why even have multiple dragons ruling the hives, instead of everything just being directly under her? Just have to keep an eye on them, I guess.
"And no- You can take the Hive. I'll tell the others this is Sirex Hive now." She sighed. "I trust my guards, a rebellion shouldn't be an issue, but I'd rather not have anyone start causing problems again. Enough dragons have died already." Did she even care about their lives..? Not really, they were just numbers. Dragons she had never met before, and never would have, even if they had lived. But of course, as queen, she couldn't say that. Especially not when there were other dragons listening.
"Was there anything else you wanted to talk about?" She asked, watching Sirex again. "If not, I'll be going. I'd rather not leave my Hive on it's own for too long." Behind her Rockcrawler already spread his wings, ready to go, but of course he waited for her.
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Post by Bronzewing on Aug 21, 2021 21:24:25 GMT
Ombekende "You should check the other Hives." he suggested, trying to get the queen off his back. What would she do if she realized that more things were changing than what he had admitted? He had no plan to take the throne, but he doubted she would like a lot of the other things he was planning. Especially the deaths of some of her guards that he planned. "Make sure no more of these messes happen, with dragons changing stuff up." He didn't comment on how she wanted to know what was going on. He didn't plan to, unless it was something that would improve his own reputation. Tarantula did not need to know that things were happening in Vinegaroon- now Sirex- Hive. "Vinegaroon didn't make it easy for herself." Sirex admitted. All the rules and regulations were always going to end badly, so what were they even thinking? Did they really think they could get away with it, or did Vinegaroon have something else in mind? No use dwelling on the thoughts of the dead now. "But there should be no more problems here." He curled the tip of his tail in a threatening manner, as if to show what he could do if he was upset in some way. His eyes darted back over to Rock Crawler, but he nodded. "Nothing else I need to ask. Everything seems to be working well." he said with a nod of his head, trying to stay polite and cordial. Maybe if he got a chance, he would strike out at the guard and take one more away from the queen, but he was not sure how to do it without getting himself in trouble. But either way, he kept an eye on them, ready in case he would get his chance. The rest of his dragons stayed behind him, appearing a bit nervous yet still as intimidating as they could be.
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Post by Ombekende on Jan 7, 2022 19:03:01 GMT
Trying to get rid of me, hm? It was not a bad idea, Tarantula knew her siblings couldn't be trusted. But even if anyone else was trying something like Vinegaroon, they would end up with another rebellion. Not ideal, but only a threat to that Hive's Lady. Tarantula knew they'd be more careful now, at least until the Silkwings were a bit more calm. "I should, yes. But it is not as urgent as anything going on with this Hive now." She flicked her tail, "I will speak with the other Ladies about this situation in a few days, but even if they did make the same mistakes as Vinegaroon, I'm sure they will have changed those rules back before I even arrive at their Hive."
Best to let them all think they're safe for now, that Tarantula is focusing on Sirex. She'll just keep an eye on her siblings through her guards, when they're not trying to hide everything. "And good. There better not be any more problems. I'll give you a chance Sirex, but if there is any sign of rebellions starting again, I will take the Hive back." Well, probably not if it's minor, but she wanted to keep him a bit nervous. Keep him distracted with his own Hive, so he can't think about taking the throne.
"I'll be going then. Good luck." She nodded, spreading her wings. Tarantula's eyes turned to white for half a second as she checked for any possible threats in the Hive, before she finally took off, taking one of the faster paths out of the Hive. Rock Crawler followed a bit later, staying behind his queen, but not under her control.
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Post by Bronzewing on Jan 7, 2022 19:18:02 GMT
Ombekende He hoped that Tarantula would just leave him alone. He knew what he was doing here, and doubted that she would be able to take care of a rebellion herself. If he wasn't worried about the threat to his power, he would let her do so... and then maybe watch as the SilkWings realized an even better target was standing right in front of them. Why go for a simple Hive lady when you could try to take out a queen?
"I hope they will." he said, despite not believing that at all. "This was a mess. If the other Ladies have done anything like the mistakes that took place here, I hope they rectify them quickly before this happens in two places." Sirex, after all, could not run two Hives at once... at least not without having the same abilities that the queen did. His gang was helpful enough in keeping track of Hive affairs but he did have doubts that they would keep their loyalty if they found themselves in a position beside his own. Looking behind at Leiurus, he wondered what the other HiveWing would do if they found himself to be a Hive Lord. Trust nobody. "There will be no more problems. I guarantee it." was the last thing he told her with a smile, warm on the surface and masking his more complicated intentions. All he would do then with the queen was to watch her leave, keeping his eyes close on her. Rock Crawler... Sirex had little affinity for the queen's controlled guards. When the other HiveWing hesitated for only a moment, his tail snaked out and stabbed them once, fast on the back of the leg. That would be enough to kill in some time, and he only hoped they didn't drop out of the sky when still over this Hive's territory. (He doubted they tasted good.) When the other dragons were far enough away, he turned his head back to Leiurus with a nod before the pair of them- and the others they had brought, shivering in anticipation- walked off.
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Post by Ombekende on Jan 7, 2022 19:40:22 GMT
Rock Crawler beat his wings, trying to keep up with Tarantula. He never had problems with following her before, so why did every movement of his wings cause pain to spread through his body? His legs felt as if they were on fire, and every second it just got worse.
He had ignored the pain when he took off, thinking he had just stepped on a rock, or that he had put too much weight on an old injury but this... was not normal. Should he tell Tarantula? What if it was someone trying to kill her, who accidentally hit him instead?
The sun felt so hot on his scales.
Rock Crawler opened his mouth but couldn't find his voice. That's fine just keep flying. He was probably just feeling sick because of the sun, nothing to be worried about.
At least it's already getting dark...
The Hivewing hit the ground not far from the Hive, dead before he had even landed.
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