Hachi

Appearance
Bombus polaris, or Tundra Bees, are much like any other Tundra dragon in shape and build. It is the particular yellow and black color-block coat patterning, paired with fine, translucent wing membranes, that makes them visually distinct from the rest of their Tundra brethren.

Living primarily in the Snowsquall Tundra, these dragons grow a dense coat of hair in the winter that covers their entire bodies and wings. This thick, luxurious fur’s primary purpose is in helping to slow the loss of the dragon’s body heat.

Lairs
Like all Tundras, Bombus polaris are natural burrowers and skilled builders. They dig vast, labyrinthine nests underground made up of interconnected hexagonal chambers. The chambers and passages of the burrowed nests are stabilized using thick branches and sapling trunks from Arctic willow trees.

These nests are heavily insulated, which is an important factor for the dragons’ energy conservation in their harsh polar environment. The Tundra Bees line all of the chambers with a mixture of their winter coat sheddings, Arctic Scrub, and Groundfrost Grasses to help seal in the warmth created from their collective body heat. By shivering their flight muscles, they can temporarily raise their body temperature. Using this method, the colony has the ability to raise the inside temperature of their living quarters to a steady 35 °C (95 °F), even over the coldest winter nights! However, they prefer to keep the ambient temperature closer to a comfortable 22 °C (71 °F).

Only a handful of chambers are occupied by mated pairs and their families. A typical nest will house around five mated pairs and their hatchlings. The majority of the nests’ chambers are dedicated to food storage that will sustain the colony throughout the long winter months.

Food
Spring and summer pass by very quickly in the Southern Icefield. The Bombus polaris Tundras have only two and a half to three months in which to collect enough food to carry them through the next nine months of winter. During the spring and summer, the daily task of foraging is rotated amongst the adults of the colony, leaving a few dragons behind every day to guard the nest and the hatchlings.

The foragers, having shed their thick winter coats, fly great distances from their homes in order to find food. In fact, there are a few cultures across the Starfall Isles and the Windswept Plateau who mark the beginning of the spring season with the first sighting of a Bombus polaris Tundra dragon foraging for food.

The Tundra Bees collect their bounties in nets and wood baskets, and carry it back to the nest to restock their depleted winter stores. Among the foods gathered by the foragers, you will likely find large quantities of Blueberries, Chilled Edamame, Frosted Violets, Lace Lantana, Lume Daffodil, Minty Jadevine, Potato Onion, Sweet Potato Vine, White Quinoa, and Winter Brussels Sprouts. All favorites of the subspecies, in general. You will also find a stockpile of Broadleaf Plantain and Peppermint which are used medicinally.

Ecology
Bombus polaris dragons actually play a vital role in the ecological health of their habitat. While foraging for their winter food supplies, their thick fur coats brush against wildflowers in the field, accidentally collecting bits of pollen. As the dragons move slowly along in their search, the pollen is unintentionally but serendipitously transported to other flowers, completing the pollination process needed to ensure new fruit growth for plants such as Moor Thistle and Winterbelle.

In addition to being essential pollinators in the Snowsquall Tundra, Tundra Bees also have excellent relations with the Dunhoof and Wintermane clans that live across the Southern Icefield. These alliances span several generations, though the centaurs are the only ones who remember any specific details of their history. Understanding the nature of the Tundra Bees’ memory, Wintermane Mistrals have written many odes about the clans’ adventures and exploits in winters past. The centaurs play these songs each time the clans meet to help the Tundra Bees’ in their “friend-again” process.