In the distance, a soft hum had been heard. She'd thought nothing of it at first, choosing to ignore it and go about the rest of her day as if it'd never been heard. Yet, soon she'd found that it could not be ignored. With each passing minute, the sound grew louder, an uneasy feeling settling into her stomach. The yearling had grown anxious, anticipating that which was coming, but knowing not exactly what she should be preparing for. It felt as if a rock was weighing her down, it's weight increasing constantly and leaving her with hardly any space to breathe. The feeling was unlike any she'd ever felt before, causing panic to rise from beneath her usually docile demeanor. Still, she'd tried to work through it, harvesting some plants here and there and then storing them away for safekeeping, ensuring winds and pest alike could not reach them. It was her normal procedure, wishing not for any unwelcomed guests to steal from their herbal caches. Lingering near to each storage facility grew groupings of pot marigold, regarded highly for it's ability to ward of pests.

Asterr had been extracting leaves from a sapling when the hum had grown especially loud—deafening, almost—and she'd been forced to drop the leaves in favour of investigating. What she'd seen, however, was not something she could have ever prepared for. Not entirely, anyways. For swarming her beloved lair were thousands of locusts, the most hellacious of pests. The threat they posed had been quick to register within her mind, and her head had tilted back as she called out to her tribe. She was summoning them, warning them, insisting that they beware the bugs. It was lucky for them, at least, that their home thrived within a mountain. For while the plant life still attracted the bugs, not as many could manage to successfully infiltrate the lair as they could an open plain. They were not smart enough to target the holes directly, resulting in many ramming into the rocky roof, bouncing off, and either being deterred or dying from the sheer force of the impact. Still, those that did get in wasted no time in beginning their awful work, attacking the plants and causing an all around ruckus.

"Collect as many plants are you can!" she'd called out, words meant for anyone near enough to hear them. "Save the herbs, store them within any openings in the walls that you can find and then cover them!" They needed the plants, all of them. Even if it was only a sample, it would later prove useful when the land could begin thriving once more. They could replant all that was lost, take the time out of their days to live the lives of gardeners and farmers. Asterr was set on doing so, on preserving the life of her home. "Fill any crevices with rocks, dead wood, something..." She needed to take a breath, to settle herself down and then proceed with a rational mind. "We must not allow for these insects to tear us down." The dragoness carried on then, following her own instructions. They would need to find shelter soon, a place where they could all go to wait out the assault. Until then, however, the Draconid would hope that they might salvage enough of species to someday restore that which was bound to be destroyed.

Jolon was on patrol as always. Yet, today was different. Faint buzzing noises and more than usual sightings of grasshopper like creatures. It took around 10 minutes for him to realize that this weren't normal grasshoppers. Oh, shit... He whispered, watching the swarm of locusts come closer. Then, the howl of Asterr hit him. His home. Ezimette...

Like a thundercloud rushing over the lands, Jolon made his way down from the roof, seeing that the creatures were already feasting on everything green. In a desperate attempt to kill the monsters, one flew almost inside his nostril. It stung like a bee, and he was quick to sneeze it out. You foul creature! He shouted, now picking up the warnings from Asterr. Herbs? His knowledge of herbs were as good as none! Still, he saw that even the small little red wolf was doing her part. There had to be something! Ezi! He began shouting. Ezi, where are you?! He cried out. His painful nose went to the ground, trying to pick up her scent as well as look for anything that looked and smelled like herbs. This was a disaster.

Finally, while he was still trying to kill all the locust, he picked up her scent. His legs were moving like lightning now, finally seeing the pale fur of his girlfriend Ezimette. Ezi! He chipped. Noc! He followed soon after, now seeing the other dark brute as well.

Jolon nodded at Eve. Purple. He could do that, right? But then came the words of Ezimette. Dock, codono flipsiflaps? What was he supposed to do?! Jezus Christ, women, make up your minds! He panicked, running around now to find the purple things he had already forgotten the name of. It didn't take him awfully long, not even with the irritating bugs jumping on him on a regular basis, to find something purple. Just normal flowers, but it resembled Eve's description. He would later find out he had find the codonopsis. Damn, what a name.

He picked the flowers, as much as he could fit in his mouth, and ran to where the little ember seemed to hide them. He found a hole in the wall and pushed the herbs inside, covering it with a stone that magically seemed to fit. He panted, his feet hurting, his ears sensitive to the buzzing noises. Right, dock... What in the name of Glaux was that? Ezi! He called out above the humming. Describe dock please, if you wouldn't mind! He followed, his voice shaking.

It was a disaster.

The swarm only seemed to be growing, feeding upon their home and leaving behind nothing more than twigs and bare branches. They were killing the lair, the little gluttons that they were, gorging themselves to the point in which it became a surprise that they could even continue to move. The tribe had responded, thankfully, and seemed to be doing their part in salvaging that which could be saved. Through all of the chaos, though, there came a voice. It was loud enough to be heard, as were many others, but the statement it'd produced was what had allowed it to steal her attention away from the task at hand. For there was Eve, claiming their home was being stolen away, resulting in a response from the chieftess that wasn't at all like her—she'd growled. Neither playfully nor affectionately, but out of sheer anger and frustration. The statement had been a bold one in her mind, and not at all how anyone living within the lair should respond during their current predicament. "If you believe a swarm of insects can steal from me—from us—this home of ours, then perhaps you do not belong here," she'd stated, the fact that she was disappointed in the other being made clear by her tone. The land itself was not a dragon, but it did serve as the home to several of the great beasts, and because of that it could never truly be taken away from them.

Not for a moment longer did she allow herself to be distracted by the seemingly traitorous phrase, head turning to face the others to ensure they were doing as instructed. It pleased her to see everyone, even those unfamiliar with plants, assisting in the saving of their herbs. While most would end up being dried out in the days to come and then stored away, those that could provide nutrition were also being collected. Asterr, too, assisting in the harvesting of the plants, snapping at and, in some cases, eating any of the locust that dared to threaten a plant her gaze had locked onto. It had continued like that, too, but for how long she would never be certain. Her mind was alive and senses in overdrive, adrenaline having shot through her system for the first time in ages. Nothing else matter, only the safety of her home's flora. She would store them away, whether they be already dead or in the process of dying, and then await the moment in which life could once again flourish within their home. In the end, they would win the battle forced upon them, and not a single bug would be able to change that.

With the swarm thickening, Asterr had needed to make a final call. To allow her subordinates to carry on with the task requested of them, or to get everyone into a sheltered location where they might wait out the storm in. Of course, she'd ended up choosing the latter, her new demand being issued after a sharp bark flew past her lips. "Everyone, it is time we seek shelter," she'd announced, hopefully having acquired everyone's attention beforehand. "These pests will stop at nothing, but we will not allow them to win. Come, we will wait this out and questions will be answered, and once everything has settled, our home will need our assistance in mending all that has been broken." With that, she'd started moving, motioning for those who'd heard her to follow. It was to her personal storage facility that she would lead them, her direction set for the farthest reach the lair had to offer. Against the wall that touched the mountain, southwest of the only known entrance into the territory. There, in the wall, there was a chamber that she'd happened across once upon a time, and it was through a narrow entrance into it that she would grant her followers entry.

Inside the small cavern was where she often stored her herbs, for away from any disturbances it was. Along the ceiling there were only small slivers to allow light to shine down through to the floor, the spaces seeming too small to be of any interest for the locust (still, a few got through every now and again). Once within the safety of its walls, she would draw herself closest to the back, wishing not to take up more room than necessary. It was bound to be a snug fit, but she was determined to make sure no one was left out with the bugs. Thus, to the back she would sit, awaiting for the rest of the tribe to file in, and dreading any questions that might arise.