I'm reaching the end of my uploads for this, so very likely I will be breaking from this as well. But, since it's arc 3 characters, not a lot care ;D. We'll see how it goes, though.

Night came, and Blue decided it was time to check in on Sundew and Willow. Their talks had gone well, all things considered. Not really much else they could bring up; Queen Jewel had made her stance quite clear. Luna, well, Blue would have to talk with her again, but he got the impression she wanted the SilkWings to stand on their own. There was the concern of where she built the Chrysalis, too… but he had to believe that Luna had no ill intentions with it.

Bumblebee was fast asleep in the room next door, giving Blue and Cricket some space. It was rare that they got moments alone, so they spent at least an hour with each other before deciding to contact the LeafWings. Holding their Dreamvisitors, they both said the name 'Sundew' at the same time.

Dreamvisitors worked in that they could speak to someone who was sleeping, or unconscious in a way. Surface level. But if they were in a deep sleep, they could see the dream, but be unable to interact. Luckily, Sundew was a light sleeper from her years as a fighter.

However, instead of getting to meet Sundew, they instead saw her trapped in smothering vines. Around the pit of vines, shadowed figures watched. They all were LeafWings, Blue could tell by their wing shape and horns, but no other discernible features. Sundew was trying to break free of the vines yet could do nothing but watch as the shadowed dragons seemingly walked off with a younger one.

Sundew tried to roar after them, but her mouth was shut tight. Tears of frustration flowed down her face as she writhed over and over to be free. The figures reappeared, holding the dragonet and looking at Sundew. Their words were unintelligible, but whatever they said made Sundew even more enraged.

"We need to get Willow." Cricket's eyes went wide with horror.

With both back in the world of the waking, they called out to Willow, who thankfully was having a much nicer dream.

Willow was tending to flowers in an endless flower field, humming to herself. Her face was one of discomfort and sadness, but she kept busy. Blue had a sneaking suspicion that her expression was related to Sundew's torment.

"Oh!" Willow said once the duo approached. "I didn't expect you to contact me." She chuckled. "Don't mind this place, this is just where my subconscious goes when I need to relax."

"What happened?" Blue asked gently. "Because Sundew is having a horrific nightmare and we can't get through to her."

Willow's eyes widened. "Oh no… I suspected she might…"

"She found out about her sibling and got into it with Belladonna, didn't she?" Cricket asked with a wince.

"You planted the right seed there." Willow nodded slowly. "I'll wake her up and comfort her. Try to contact her in maybe ten minutes, alright?"

Both nodded and withdrew from Willow's subconscious, staring at each other in their bedding. Neither said a word, already having the conversation with their eyes. Wordlessly, Cricket pulled Blue into a tight embrace.

"We won't do that to Bumblebee if we have an egg of our own," Blue spoke the thought that was on her mind. "Bumblebee is our daughter, biological or not."

"I know, I know… but I don't want to lay an egg and have that take up my priority and she gets sidelined by accident." Cricket averted her gaze. "I don't want her to think that we're replacing her, either. Of course, this is all hypothetical, if we even want another. I'm okay with either. But I just… fret."

"And here I thought I was the one with anxiety in the relationship." Blue joked lightly. She chuckled. "But, no. Let's not think of that for now. Once Bumblebee is on her own, we can decide. And we'd tell Bumblebee if we were ever planning. She'd know she would never be replaced."

"Yeah… yeah." Cricket exhaled slowly. "You ever think that Clearsight had this issue when she, you know, bred out an entire tribe?"

"I… haven't thought about that," Blue answered blankly. "From what I know of RainWings, they are polygamous. Maybe the BeetleWings were?"

"That would be interesting to find out." Cricket placed a claw under her chin, brow furrowing in thought. "Admittedly, we don't know much about BeetleWings. I doubt it was Clearsight wanting to erase them, of course, but I think it's fairly obvious that SilkWings are BeetleWings under a different name."

"… You uh, you wanna explain that a bit?"

"From what we know of their physical traits, they are almost identical to SilkWings. I don't recall if they ever spun Silk, but I remember Queen Sequoia mentioning them using FlameSilk, so maybe they did? Plus, it was mentioned that they grow their wings later in life, much like SilkWings. Additionally, they had venom spewing, which seems to suggest an ancestry with RainWings…"

"So, what, SilkWings are what really became of the BeetleWings?" Blue raised a brow, antennae fluttering.

"I mean, we both are. But I think in terms of inheriting physical traits, yes. There are obviously Beetlewings that Clearsight did not mate with and stayed pure blood. Minus a few evolutions as time passed, I really think that the SilkWings are what became of them. Of course, we'll never know that for certain, as Wasp destroyed everything." Cricket added bitterly before looking at Blue. "What?"

Blue chuckled, flicking his antennae at her. "Nothing, nothing… I just love watching you ramble. I can't understand it half the time but seeing the joy in your eyes makes me happy."

"You say that to all the girls?" Cricket waggled her brows. Blue laughed silently. "Alright, let's try Sundew again."

This time, it went much smoother, with them arriving in a secluded nest of vines and other plants. Private, locked away from the world. Sundew was sitting there as if expecting them, a sullen look on her face that quickly gave way to her normal angry demeanor.

"Are you okay?" Blue asked sympathetically.

"I will be." Sundew scowled. "I… don't want to talk about it right now. I'd rather just get down to business."

"Alright. Just know we're here for you."

Sundew smiled slightly. "I know you are. But, what did Queen Jewel say?" She asked Cricket.

"Realistically, there isn't a way for them to move the HiveWings from Wasp Hive. Not without inciting a rebellion of sorts," Cricket answered through a sigh. "Although the Wasp loyalists are far and few between these days, they can use the low morale to instigate whatever they want."

"Mmm, well, I found out why the LeafWings want it so badly. It would've been nice to know much earlier, but better late than never I guess." Sundew shook her head. "Wasp built the Hive right on top of royal burial grounds."

"Oh, jeez." Blue winced. "No wonder why they want it back so badly."

"Yeah. And then Luna decided to build the SilkWing home right next door. She did it on purpose, sorry Blue." Sundew didn't really sound that sorry. Probably still hurting.

"I suspected." Blue nodded slowly. "I don't think that it was any real malicious intent, but it's hard to ignore the SilkWings now."

"Exactly my point," Sundew agreed. "So, we got two queens who are refusing to move and another who wants their sacred ground back. I'm at a loss."

"I'm at a loss, too," Blue admitted. "Even if we offer to help build a new Hive, there is going to be the issue of those simply not wanting to move. Family connections, et cetera."

"I have an idea." Cricket announced. "I was thinking about this for some time, but after hearing what Wasp did with the hive… well, why don't we have the Hive be the border?"

"What do you mean by that?" Sundew arched a brow.

"It's the only way I can think of it working." Cricket's face lit up. Blue prepared himself for a ramble session. "We can't ask the HiveWings to move. They're already in a bad place. But the LeafWings want the territory back. We can suggest making it like Sanctuary; all tribes are welcome to live there. Granted, we'd have to figure out where we go from there, like electing a council to lead it rather than one of a tribe."

"You know they're just going to ask us to do it, right?" Sundew's scowl intensified. "I'm not doing that."

"Yes, I had considered that outcome." Cricket fidgeted with her talons, wings fluttering. "But, really, it's all I can think of when it comes to ending this. The LeafWings and HiveWings both win and lose. I don't expect this to go through without issues, of course, but what choice is there? I won't ask Queen Jewel to move everyone, nor do I want to deny Queen Sequoia a way to visit her ancestors."

"What about the SilkWings, Blue?" Sundew nodded at Cricket before turning to him.

"I doubt Luna will care. She'd probably go for it," Blue answered truthfully. "If there is one thing I know about my sister, it's that she wants to be seen and heard."

"Now, what are we going to do with those opposed to it?" Cricket looked at Sundew with sympathy. "Loyalists, PoisonWings… do the SilkWings have anything, actually?"

"Luna mentioned a Morpho a few times, but she didn't sound too concerned." Blue's antennae flicked. "Then again, she has issues with opening up. I don't think they'd be much of a concern compared to the other two, though."

"And now that you said that, Blue…" Sundew grumbled. "Well, I can guarantee you that Belladonna will not go for this. And really, do you want her there? She'd use the peace to burn down the Hive." Her claws curled. "It's bad enough that BloodWorm suffered that."

"I… never thought I'd hear you say that," Cricket said not unkindly.

"Yeah, well… things change. I've seen the survivors over the years. One or two went to Sanctuary." Sundew averted her gaze. "That, and seeing what happened in Possibility really hit home for me. It was wrong to do. We should've went for the head, not the innocents."

"That will come up, we all know that, right?" Blue asked apprehensively. Both nodded slowly. "What do we do if it does?"

"I don't know," Cricket admitted. "We can't ignore it."

"Nope, and I can guarantee you that Belladonna will've taken pride in that. Not to mention that the SilkWings were involved, too," Sundew added to Blue, who grimaced.

They spent more time trying to figure out a game plan, but nothing was really solid. No matter what they did, there was an unforeseen issue that created more problems. It was impossible for them to squish it. The most they could do is offer these suggestions and move on to the next problem.

They weren't politicians. They were just… dragons who were in over their heads the more they thought about it. It wasn't a mistake to call upon them, but if they were expecting a magical outcome, they weren't that. The weight of what was being asked only now started to weigh upon them.

"Maybe they should've called upon some of the Pyrrians…" Blue said after a moment of silence. "A politician? Maybe that Copper dragon or Riptide."

"Mmm, but how would that look? We need to settle our own problems." Cricket pointed out. "They don't want a savior across the sea to fix all our problems."

"Well, no, it wouldn't be a magical fix but just a 'well we had this big war, and this is how we're dealing with it' kind of situation."

"Isn't the Sea Kingdom in turmoil over a new Queen?" Sundew reminded. Blue flinched. "Yeah, exactly. And we don't really know anyone else. For the record, I'm not opposed to it. Whatever makes this nonsense easier."

"Winter might." Blue suggested. "But, I feel like we should see where everyone is at before we consider that."

"Agreed." Cricket nodded affirmatively.

"May as well." Sundew agreed with a shrug. "I… think I'm gonna go, though. I need whatever sleep I can get if I'm gonna be dealing with Belladonna. We should schedule the meeting a few days from now."

"Again, we're here for you if you need us." Cricket smiled warmly. Sundew had one tug at her.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. You're both as bad as Willow." Sundew waved them off instead. "I'll tell the Queen here."

"May as well use this to tell Luna. We can just tell Queen Jewel when we wake up." Blue indicated around them. "Goodnight, Sundew."

"Goodnight, lovebugs."

Morning came too quickly for Sundew's tastes. Light filtered through the windows, thankfully sparing her eye from its brightness. Soft breathing from her side revealed Willow snuggled up close to her, a comforting wing wrapped around Sundew. She remembered Willow gently waking her and explaining what had happened.

She didn't realize she was dreaming. Or, at least, couldn't remember it. But if she was really experiencing that… well, it made sense.

However, what should've been a gentle morning awakening was interrupted by the very thing that awoke her: a knock at the door.

With a sigh, Sundew heaved herself up, earning a disappointed growl from a still sleeping Willow. Sundew couldn't imagine who would knock on her dorm, let alone know where she was staying! She kind of just chose a room at random, too angry and hurt from last night. Maybe it was Hazel. She could use a friendly face she didn't want to claw off.

Opening the door, she instead found herself staring down at Butterwort.

"Hi," he said shyly, but he didn't shrink or anything.

"What are you doing here?" Sundew tried her best not to slam the door in his face. She wanted nothing to do with her family right now and having the literal reason for her anger showing up was not helping.

"I… wanted to see you after last night." He averted his gaze. "After what happened, I asked father and he told me everything."

Better late than never, Sundew growled in her mind. "Finally."

"I didn't know that mother treated you that way. I assumed you were on good terms. And I saw how hurt you were and… well, you're my sister, and I was taught that family means everything." Butterwort's face lit up earnestly.

Sundew let out a frustrated sigh. It was not his fault that he was born. And that face of his had no malicious intent. Sundew shifted her gaze up and down the hall, noting that Hemlock and Belladonna were nowhere in sight. Somehow, Butterwort wiggled away and managed to find her here, like what Sundew would do when she was younger.

The thought drew the faintest of smiles.

"Do they know you're here?" Sundew decided to ask anyway.

"Nope. I doubt they'll care, if not already suspect that I'm here." Butterwort shrugged.

"I see." Sundew nodded. "Well, I'm fine."

"You're lying," Butterwort said with the bluntness only a dragonet could form. "I wouldn't be fine. I'm not fine. That wasn't right, what happened."

"Look, I don't want to talk about it." Sundew glowered. "I appreciate you checking on me, but really, I think it's better if we never cross paths unless we must. I'll only get into it with our mother, and you really don't want that every day."

"No, I don't, but I don't want you to feel alone either." Butterwort puffed up proudly. "I only just found out I have a sister! If you're asking me to forget that, then no way!"

By the trees themselves, he's as stubborn as me. Sundew acknowledged with both grudging respect and dawning horror. He was going to be a tiny terror quite soon.

"I'm… really not sure what you expect from me." Sundew admitted awkwardly. "I'm sure you already put together that I'm not exactly the emotional type. Or really good at being a sister."

"You have a girlfriend," Butterwort said with the same bluntness. "You aren't breeding partners. So that's a lie, at least on the emotional type."

Sundew wanted to ask how he knew what breeding partners were before answering her own question with Belladonna. But oooh, she was starting to get annoyed with how perceptive he was.

"How old are you, again?" Sundew asked dryly.

"Three," Butterwort answered.

"So, they had you the moment I left…" Sundew grumbled aloud. She noted a cringe from Butterwort. "I don't blame you, before you think it. But, if you want to be around me, you should probably get used to me making comments like that."

"What she means to say," Willow said from behind, sneaking up somehow, "is that she is more than happy for you to be around even if she is not pleased with your parents."

"Morning to you, too." Sundew turned her gaze to Willow, shaking her head. "Well, we need to speak to the queen," Sundew said to Butterwort. "Dunno how long that'll be."

"That's okay!" Butterwort beamed. "But, if it's okay… can I see your LeafSpeak? Dad said you were really good at it."

"Oh, I don't see why she wouldn't want to show off." Willow grinned. "She's very proud of her abilities."

Sundew scowled at Willow but couldn't deny that she was really proud of her LeafSpeak. Despite being told constantly that she had to pass on her gift, it was something to show off with. Whenever Sundew would meet Willow, she used to make all the flowers blossom. No matter how old they got, it always got a look of pure delight from Willow.

Looking at the plants around them, she noted that the petals were closed on a few of the bioluminescent ones. With a smirk, she coaxed the plants to open up and shine the room in a variety of color. It was a simple thing, really. She wasn't telling them to, say, grow a certain way. That required a lot of trust and convincing depending on the plant.

"See?" Willow giggled.

"Oh wow, I couldn't get the plants to open up like that without trying." Butterwort's golden eyes widened with awe. Although still light out, the colors shone down the hall and had a few LeafWings poke their heads out with confusion. Sundew repressed a snicker, not realizing it'd affect the others.

"Well, I'm more experienced. As you get older, it'll get easier." Sundew stepped out of their room.

"Mother says I need to practice, yeah. She has me go out to the forest edge daily to coax trees." He held up a few acorns. "Do you think you can show me how you do it?"

"Why not, I need to kill time." Sundew couldn't exactly turn him away at this point. Besides, it may give her the chance to remind Belladonna who the superior Leafspeak was.

Telling the Queen about the meeting went quicker than expected. Heck, it seemed like she was ready for whenever it would be. Of course, that meant Belladonna would be accompanying them.

"As incredible a fighter she is, I have… concerns with her being in charge." Queen Sequoia confessed. "Her and I still rarely see eye-to-eye about how it should be run. Plus, it gives Hazel a chance to flex her wings. I won't be around forever, you know."

Sundew noted the Queen's age for the first time in a long while. Although not as old as Queen Jewel or Lady Scarab, she had scars and a wearier look to her features. The strain of leading a tribe through a genocide must have aged her tremendously. Sundew didn't envy her in the slightest.

"But, you trust her not to create a scene?" Sundew raised a brow.

"I trust my ability to restrain her if need be," Queen Sequoia said proudly. Given that Belladonna hadn't had the run of the place, Sundew was inclined to believe her.

And now, it was time to take her little brother to grow trees. That was a thought Sundew didn't ever expect to be thinking. Yet, she grew somewhat endeared as he started asking questions about Sundew as they flew to the forest edge. It was so… strange to have someone related to her being interested in her life.

With her parents, it was always the mission first. No play. No hobbies. Be a good soldier, train daily, kill the HiveWings you saw. They were the enemy, and the SilkWings couldn't be counted on either. They had to die, too, because they were so whipped by their masters they'd run off. Sundew never had to kill any SilkWing, thankfully, but it was a common thing apparently.

That was going to be a fun discussion if it ever came up. Ugh. Why did she ever agree to come back?

"An actual Tree House?" Butterwort questioned. "Wow. I always wanted one."

"Really?" Sundew raised a brow. "You literally live in one."

"Well, I mean, just a place to call my own! I don't exactly get a lot of privacy…"

"Mhm, I remember that." Sundew nodded slowly. "I met Willow by running off. Kept it a secret until near the war's end."

"Really? How'd you do that?" Butterwort shifted his eyes between the two.

"I… honestly have no idea." Sundew admitted after a moment. "Belladonna knew I was the rebellious type and yet didn't keep that close of an eye on me… somehow."

"Pride makes fools of us all." Willow poked Sundew lightly with her tail. "Lest we forget your attempt at cooking…"

"We are not talking about that, Willow."

The forest edge took maybe thirty minutes of flying to get to. Despite those with LeafSpeak encouraging growth, it was a matter of the vegetation themselves spreading seeds to plant. Those with Leafspeak couldn't exactly coax that out of them outside their seasons. Plus, making too many trees bloom at once could disrupt what ecosystem had come to pass. They weren't trying to mess it up again.

Well, not quickly. They still needed food, after all!

A few dragons were helping tend to the plants of all tribes. Silk worked alongside Hive, some begrudgingly. LeafWings went about, tending to the trees with absolute care. Some Phyrrians had joined, which Sundew always thought was a bit strange. She heard some call it a 'relief effort' and didn't know how to feel about it.

Thankfully, a HiveWing covered in pollen distracted her. She couldn't help but snicker at the sight, immediately thinking of a bumblebee pollinating flowers from how they drifted back and forth. SilkWing dragonets acted the same in their trampling. At least they were taking care not to step on delicate plants.

Butterwort went rigid at the sight of the HiveWings, though. He didn't act aggressively but eyed them with wariness and caution. Even at the ones that were friendly with other tribes, he drifted closer to Sundew and never kept his eyes off them.

"They're okay, Butterwort," Willow said soothingly. "They aren't loyalists."

"Alright…" Butterwort relaxed slightly.

"Let me guess, mother dearest said that all HiveWings are the enemy and that they are all pretending?" Sundew rolled her eyes. Butterwort nodded. "Right, and I guess she conveniently forgot that they were all controlled and that half of them hated it. If it wasn't for Cricket – a HiveWing -, we never would've stolen the Book of Clearsight, and this war would've never ended."

"She never mentioned any Cricket…" Butterwort frowned. "Well, maybe, but it had to be in passing."

Sundew let out a loud, huffing sigh before landing on the savanna plains. "Right, well, before I have an aneurysm, show me what you do to coax the seeds."

Butterwort planted an acorn, doing his best to give it ample room to grow and checking the soil. Sundew remembered Bumblebee babbling about this Peacemaker tasting the soil. She was thankful that Butterwort did no such thing.

Then, he hovered his palms over the recently dug area, closing his eyes in concentration. His ears flicked in the wind, the only sign of movement. Sundew frowned at this; either he was incredibly stoic, or Belladonna had been strict in the 'focus, no distractions' teaching.

Out of curiosity, Sundew also reached out to the tree. She could feel its… well, not emotions, but certainly the way it was thinking. It was a different method of thinking that she couldn't explain. Akin to animals, but more basic than that yet somehow complex.

Butterwort was channeling encouragement and willpower into the plant, but it was sleepy. Tired. It didn't want to awaken. Butterwort was not being gentle, instead bluntly stating why it should grow and help others. Trees had no such concepts, especially at an acorn.

Still, there was success, and the tree began to blossom until it was Butterwort's height.

"Not bad." Sundew acknowledged. "You definitely have the potential. But, you are being too rigid in your wording. You have to deal with them, give them reasons to listen to you."

"I did give reasons." Butterwort frowned.

"Okay, but you gave reasons that benefited you and others." Sundew corrected. "You didn't tell the tree why it should grow for its own reasons. Let me show you."

Sundew placed a claw on the trunk, staring down at the tree.

Do you think you can grow big and tall? She asked it.

But why? Growing is tiring. I want to rest, The tree responded back. If it could yawn, it would.

If you grow, you can get big and strong. You will be sturdy, and then you never have to worry about growing again. You won't be at risk for being walked over. Imagine having to right yourself after being knocked over. Or dying.

That seemed to get through to the tree. The threat of dying, a basic primal instinct that all forms of life avoided, was enough for it to shoot to the clouds, becoming full grown within seconds. Leafy branches blocked the sun, basking them in cool shade. She felt the tree let out a shake of relief before falling asleep, letting its branches sway in the winds.

"What?" Butterwort gawked. "How did…?"

"I told it that if it was smaller, it could get knocked over and die. It didn't want to die, just sleep." Sundew smiled up at it. "I encouraged it in a way that benefited it. Each plant has a personality, so to speak. This one, as I mentioned, is very sleepy. So by being fully grown, it won't be threatened, and wouldn't have to expend any energy."

"Huh. Mother always said to make it feel important by doing what you want."

"She's wrong," Sundew answered snappishly. Willow gave her a look, and Sundew calmed. "She's too selfish to read the plants. It's why her skill stagnated, and mine grew. Come, try with the next."

This time, Butterwort did better. This tree was very relaxed and susceptible to encouragement, but Butterwort's own power didn't reach Sundew's level. But, he made it grow halfway up. That was a great start. Sundew finished for him, and the rest went around the same. Sundew did not interrupt his processes, instead offering suggestions. One of them was fairly stubborn, and it took Butterwort quite a while to break through. Yet, he did. Sundew allowed a small iota of pride to swell in her chest.

"See, you can be a good teacher." Willow leaned in to nudge Sundew. "Admit it, he's growing on you."

"I don't hate him," Sundew answered flatly.

"Uh huh." Willow giggled.

"At least he's not shrieking 'Snudoo' at me." Sundew added on with a faint smile.

"Maybe he should hang out around Bumblebee. It'd help his standoffish nature and she can teach him that."

"Nope. Never gonna happen now."

"I think that's the last of them." Butterwort announced after the final tree went up. "I couldn't get them nearly as high before!"

"You had the right idea but wrong method," Sundew said. "Given time, you'll surpass Belladonna."

"Really?" Butterwort beamed.

"You learned more today than you did in her training. I'm sure she is a great fighter and tactician, but when it comes to persuasion, all she has is intimidation." Sundew shook her head.

Butterwort nodded. "You know, she does have a softer side. I've seen it. Maybe you two could - "

"No," Sundew interrupted coldly. "She made her position quite clear when she had you. It isn't your fault, and I don't blame you, but I was there to just pass on the trait." She gave him a critical gaze. "Don't let her pair you with someone you don't want to marry. Whether you like boys or girls, you do what's best for you."

"I think I like girls, too…" Butterwort frowned in through, glancing between Sundew and Willow. "I don't know. I don't care right now, either. It's boring to think about love and stuff when I can make more trees grow."

Willow laughed at that, and Sundew allowed a smile. "Exactly."

It was time to head back, though. Butterwort said that Belladonna was probably getting impatient, and Sundew did not want him to suffer her wrath. She had gone through that many times and there was no way Sundew would let that happen.

Maybe that was why Sundew was never told. Belladonna knew that Sundew would conflict with her at every turn, if not snatch Butterwort away. Well, too bad for her: Sundew knew now.

And she was going to make sure this dragonet didn't grow to be as screwed up as she was.