Something did not make sense to Haniya at all, and noticing the tension in the room and how submerged everyone was, it felt like only she had noticed the minor detail.
For their supposed gateway to malfunction and let intruders in, someone from inside the hive would have to tamper with it in the first place, which meant there was a traitor among them.
Her heart was already heavy knowing that Isra and Khadija had gone through so much, but knowing that they were alright and happy in the grove now made her feel at peace. But that didn't mean Haniya was going to let go of the unseen traitor who had hurt the girls.
Taking advantage of the disheveled security around the room, she snuck close to the queen Golden and whispered something ever slightly, to which the queen nodded.
Then the queen left, and a few moments later, Haniya walked out as well. Amidst the chaos, no one gave her too much attention. She approached the Queen's chambers, and the solider bees simply let her in as they were instructed to do so.
"Your majesty, there is a traitor among us, and I may have an idea to draw him out."
******************
Isra and Khadija knelt together on the ground, playing with tiny trinkets and plotting. They were plotting like they always would before carrying out a mission. Their plan was to lure the bird under the tree and jump on it from above. The rest would be total improvisation. It was already a wonder how their plans ever worked, but they did. So the bird was indeed in imminent danger.
Soon, tiny critters that looked like little wooden manequins, only a few inches tall from the ground, started surrouding them and watching them both with high curiosity and a bit of fear. They were holding little bundles of shrubs. Apparently, they lived in the nearby tree, and the girls were blocking the way. So they simply waited politely, drawing up a huge line leading up to the stumps. The girls didn't pay them any attention and kept planning.
After some hours, their devious scheme was ready.
'I'll build the bait, and then we'll hang it upside down in front of its mother-' Khadija said. Her mature and responsible side was completely replaced by the maniacal influence of Isra.
It was already past noon, and that meant the babies of the dragon bird would be returning at any moment. Isra sat, kneeling on a branch that gave her a perfect view of her prey, observing it until, one by one, all of its babies landed around it, made themselves comfortable, and slept.
and that meant it was time for Khadija to move in.
Soon the weeds around their sleeping place parted, and Khadija emerged carrying a blanket made of grass and flowers. She tiptoed silently to one of the baby birds that was sleeping a bit away from its mother, lost in its dream, and tweeting a sonorous tone. It made Khadija's head heavy, so she pinched her cheeks and continued tip-toeing.
Suddenly, the dragon bird snorted loudly, and that almost threw Khadija off her feet, but somehow she kept calm and still. Her heart was beating frantically in her chest. She opened the blanket and slowly wrapped it around the baby bird and picked it up; it didn't wake up. Khadija turned around to leave and saw something strange.
From the parting, a small figure emerged, not two inches taller than the ground. It picked up a stone and shot it with such force at the sleeping dragon bird that it woke up and looked at Khadija with its baby wrapped in a blanket.
The little guy then gestured an offensive sign at Khadija and left. He had apparently extracted his revenge for keeping him standing in line for hours, blocking the tree.