The Heartwood I can look back,

Hm, how was she supposed to describe honey to someone who has never had it before? Searching her brain for possible likeness she could describe the sticky substance in a vivid light just enough for the other damsel to understand, the Empress remained silent for a little while. Eyes wandering the branches from where the nest hung. If she could find any honey that had leaked out it would be beneficial for the dark-headed woman to taste it! But the branches and ground were bare, the season too young for them to produce enough for the nest to overflow. 

If I could describe it, it feels like tree sap. Her companion must have already come across tree sap before. Tangled in her fur or stuck to her paws, by the looks of her age, though young, she must have lived long enough to see sap. Thick, sticky, and hard to get out of your fur, but it tastes very sweet. It's gold-coloured, very pretty, and the bees guard it viciously with stingers that hurt more than thistle. Of all things she had to be certain she shared how they guarded their nests, what an unpleasant surprise it could be to desire the honey and get attacked by little soldiers!

Almost! They don't have feathers, more like a butterfly's wing but smaller and faster, and you can see right through them.