Wispwing

Wispwings are a luminous type of Insect Arrackian. They’re as dazzling as they are delicate, with fragile wings prone to tearing under stress. Typically, Wispwings only flutter up to six (6) feet off the ground, as any higher runs the risk of severe injury from gales. This puts them in the striking range of many predators, but they fortunately possess means of preventing their consumption; a slurry of chemicals stirs in their abdomen to produce a stark blue-white glow. This light can illuminate dark spaces, and the slurry is toxic if consumed. Even the mighty Mistcroak won’t try eating them lest they risk a sore stomach. The Wispwings’ glowing gel can be harvested at the cost of the Wispwings’ lives. Often used as an alternative to candles and lanterns.

They spend their first three months of existence as small glowing caterpillars. In this state, they need to feed on the luminous mushrooms found through Keleva to synthesise the chemicals necessary for glowing as adults. Upon pupation, they emerge with only limited feeding abilities, relegated to drinking nectar from a long, oily proboscis. Before the year lapses, they lay their eggs under the bell of mushrooms before the adults perish. Their lives are brief but colourful.

Wispwings are timid, social creatures. They congregate in large flocks around an area of abundant nectar or water in the hopes of finding a partner. Their glowing tails serve to advertise their presence and communicate silently in the night sky. Some scholars report that the Wispwing alters the flashes of its lights when approached by different stimuli, suggesting perhaps a more complex form of communication. Beyond pairing up, they spend much of their time feeding on nectar or perching in out-of-reach places.