Zander

Bio: The Z-Squadron's leader and fancy flyer. Though he likes to show off his flight maneuvers from time to time, Zander is pretty laid-back, personality wise. You won't find him getting riled up by much, though his antics with Zeke can create more excitement, and his dedication to planning the team's flight shows is unparalleled.

Wearing the helmet that once belonged to his father and being ex-military himself, Zander feels a high sense of obligation to be a good leader for his team to honour his father's memory, but it didn't go so well at first. During his time in the army, Zander found that he never really fit the rigid obedience required to be a good soldier, and was often chastised for being too "fancy" with his flying when out on the battlefield. Even now, he wonders whether his father would be proud of the path he chose, but with the support of his family, he has reached more peace with it over time.

Hawks and other birds are predators to the characters in this story, so a cloak like his shows a sense of confidence from the wearer, and perhaps a bit of recklessness too! Zander is certainly confident, but more in a “go with the flow” kind of way rather than out of arrogance or excessive pride. He considers close shaves like these to be an adventure, something with a story in their already dangerous lives as hunted insects.

That said though, sometimes his curiosity can get the better of him and he doesn’t fully think through a dangerous situation, often landing him into more trouble than his siblings by comparison. Luckily for him, he’s fast enough to escape most threats, but does still need to be bailed out every so often.