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“Are you sure this is a good idea?”
The SilkWing next to him was fiddling with her talons with one set of arms, looking at the slightly older HiveWing dragonet next to her.
“Absolutely! What better way to show who’s stronger!” the HiveWing replied.
Three rather young dragonets were in one of the lush savannahs of Pantala, not far off from Mantis Hive. The first one was the oldest; a bright HiveWing, and the leader of the three. The second youngest was a SilkWing, the last dragonet being a small LeafWing.
In front of them was a large, bulky BeetleWing that was currently grazing, seemingly unaware of the small threats in a patch of tall grass near her. Her armored scales were a bright emerald green that shone in the sun, and she donned sharp spikes and mandibles that were a dark brown. The cherry on top? Her sharp, rhino-like horn on her snout that could cut through scales like they were paper.
And yet the three dragonets didn’t seem very terrified of this giant dragon.
“Vespa, I really don’t agree with this-” the SilkWing tried again, glancing at the BeetleWing before looking back at the HiveWing, but he brushed her off.
“Don’t be such a wimp, Tiger! It’ll be totally fine, right Laurel?”
Vespa turned to the LeafWing, Laurel, who nodded in excitement, her forked tongue flicking in and out.
“Yeah! First one to reach their back without getting tossed off wins! I think we all know who’s going to win,” she chirped, puffing out her chest and flaring her leaf shaped wings.
“Me obviously, I have more arms than you to grip with!” Vespa replied, holding up his four arms and standing up on his two hind legs with pride. “Plus, I’m the one that can climb walls.”
“So can I, and I have just as many arms as you,” Tiger huffed, crossing her two upper arms.
“Then prove you are strong enough to use them!”
With that, Vespa charged at the BeetleWing with his fiercest war cry; a small shriek and clicking noise.
Laurel followed after him, roaring almost as loud as Vespa. Tiger scrambled after them with a small yelp, not wanting to be left behind.
The BeetleWing didn’t even flinch or turn her head, and smacked Laurel away with her tail with relative ease. Laurel was flung back, landing in the soft grass with a small thump.
Vespa didn’t stop, leaping onto the BeetleWings side and starting to make his way to her back swiftly. The BeetleWing huffed, before shaking herself, knocking the young HiveWing off and onto the ground. She then proceeded to flare open her four wings, and flew up and into the air, eyeing the three menaces.
Tiger stopped in her tracks, a bit terrified now as the larger, older dragon hovered in the air above them.
“Don’t you three have better things to do then bother your elders?” she growled, landing in front of them with a loud thump, kicking up dust.
“It was his idea!” Laurel snitched, both her and Tiger pointing to Vespa.
Vespa frowned at both of them, and the BeetleWing rolled her eyes before lowering one of her wings.
“Alright you three, let's get you back to the hive before something more dangerous than me shows up,” she snorted, and the three mumbled their complaints before scrambling up onto her back, grabbing tight as she took off into the air.
“Just for the record, I climbed up on top first so I win,” Vespa whispered triumphantly, and Laurel hissed back.
“No, I was the first one on top! My talon touched first!” she replied, flaring her wings in protest.
“Did not!”
Tiger only sighed as the elder BeetleWing chuckled softly.