Mint flies through the forest, jumping from tree to tree. His mother taught him this specific technique, a way to sort of disguise his movement as that of a monkey. That way he wouldn’t be detected by anyone Hivewing drones that happened to fly over. He stops for a moment in each tree, collecting fruit from the trees he came across. He typically enjoyed the smaller fruits, picking rambutan, lychee, and guava, some of his favorites.

Once again, his mother had taught him which fruits to pick and which to avoid, while also telling him how to pick each one precisely.

Mint is part of the Sapwing sector of the greater Leafwing tribe. His tribe, the Sapwings, which had essentially split into two tribes of Leafwings, tended to be more pacifistic. After the Tree Wars, the remainder of Leafeings had been forced into the fraction of forests that were left on the continent. Leafwings as a whole became so secretive and secluded that they were believed to be extinct by both Silkwings and Hivewings.

The Sapwings followed Queen Sequoia in her belief that they must wait until Queen Wasp, Queen of the Hivewings, was dead. Only then will they reemerge. The Poisonwings, the other half of Leafwings, believed that Sapwings were weak. They sought revenge, they were angry.

The two groups split, and eventually became their own tribes. Sapwings typically names their dragonets after trees, their society was secluded and community based. Poisonwings were more aggressive, led away by Commander Belladonna. They were angry at Hivewings for destroying their trees. They named their dragonets after poisonous plants and often took on “missions” to attack Hivewings, the oppressors of both Leafwings and Silkwings.

The two tribes were separated, distinctly different after decades after the war. Each tribe believed they were the “true” Leafwings, and mistrusted each other. Still, both tribes believed in the importance of leafspeak, an ability that only some Leafwings have to speak to and manipulate plants. It’s genetic, and the biggest population of Leafwings with leafspeak resides as Poisonwings. Sapwings and Poisonwings also had some visual dimorphism, Sapwings had lighter colored green scales while Poisonwings had darker green scales, sometimes dappled with other bright colors.

Mint had never really met a dragon with leafspeak, even after being 5 years old himself. It was rare in his tribe, a cherished ability. Mint has also never met a Poisonwing. School had taught him that Poisonwings were dangerous and resentful. He didn’t understand why they had to be that way. Queen Sequoia had been correct, they should just wait for wretched Queen Wasp to die. It baffled him that Poisonwings would risk their own lives just to continue fighting an endless war.

Mint is broken away from his thoughts when he hears a twig snap behind him. He turns his head quickly, expecting to see a sloth or jaguar. Instead, he was met with a bright pair of yellow eyes staring at him through the canopy. He quickly recognized the eyes as Leafwing, and he wondered who had followed him out here from the village.

His talons were suddenly engulfed with vines. The vines snakes up to wrap around his wings and body, and soon enough he was completely encased. He struggled for a moment, his eyes locked onto you as you stalked closer. He instantly recognized you as a Poisonwing, your darker colored green scales giving it away. Mint opens his mouth to scream or yell, but it was quickly held shut by more endless vines. He doesn’t relent, still attempting to squirm from your grasp. A Poisonwing with leafspeak, great.