Sakura Tree

~CHAPTER TWO~

Grasshopper held his breath as Sakura tossed aside the huge vines that were apparently the gateway into her kingdom. Unlike the rest of the wall surrounding the Forestwing kingdom, these vines were tossed aside easily.

Any noises stopped dead. All heads turned to stare at Grasshopper. It was almost as if even though all the dragons there had expected Sakura to return alone, they instantly knew Grasshopper was there, too.

"Get behind me," Sakura snarled, thrashing her tail violently and hunching her back. Grasshopper hid behind her outstretched wings. Winbeats filled the air and the tribe turned their attention to the dragons landing across from Sakura. The tribe cleared a pathway in between Sakura and the group of dragons. Sakura straightened into a more formal position, folding her wings in, and took a step forward.

"Mother," Sakura greeted the dragon in the front of the group with a bow. Sakura cleared her throat and thwapped Grasshopper with her tail. Grasshopper held back a yelp and messily bowed to the dragon. Sakura rose again, and Grasshopper copied her.

"Sakura, dear. Who is this?" The dragon in the front asked menacingly, baring her teeth. The dragon in the front was a deep maroon with rich, dark green spiky wings and a mane. A huge, copper crown encrusted with smaller jewels rested on her head.

"Mother," Sakura ground her teeth in a snarl, digging her claws into the ground. "This is Grasshopper. I would really love it if you allowed him to stay without attacking." The dragon in front, Sakura's mother, and Sakura stared at each other for what seemed like eternity, until Sakura's mother stood up calmly and flicked her tail.

All of the tribe, who had been in a ready-to-fight position, stood up and relaxed. Sakura stood up and sighed with relief. "Grasshopper, that is my mother, Queen Redwood, and behind her is my father, King Oak, and my siblings, Prince Spruce, Prince Joshua, and Princess Birch," Sakura flicked her tail at each dragon as she spoke.

King Oak, who was a tan color with a lush green mane and a slightly smaller crown with less jewels than Queen Redwoods, stepped up regally to Queen Redwood's right; however, he still couldn't match the regalness and authority of the queen. In fact, he looked nervous to be anywhere near her and intruding her spotlight.

Prince Spruce, Prince Joshua, and Princess Birch all stepped up to Queen Redwood's left. Prince Spruce stared straight forward, not a scale out of place. Spruce had dark brown scales and a combed, dark green mane. Prince Joshua clumsily mimicked Prince Spruce's pose, and Birch looked at Grasshopper excitedly. Her eyes and his met for a split second, and at once Grasshopper knew that there was more under the surface of this tribe. Joshua's scales were a tan-brown desert color, with a rough and unwashed yellow-green mane. Birch was a pale, nearly white yellow-gray with gray stripes and a gray-green mane.

Sakura gripped Grasshopper's front leg with her tail and strode confidently past the crowd. Grasshopper had no idea how she remained so calm and confident in front of so many dragons that could attack with one word from Queen Redwood. Instead, all of the dragons glanced around nervously, as if they were the ones scared of Sakura.

Sakura whisked past Queen Redwood, and Grasshopper could feel his scales crawl under her judging eyes. He quickly rushed past her. In front of him was a palace. A palace just like one of the ones Tsunami and Turtle had described.

Grasshopper stared in awe at the spirals of stone. Layers of floors piled on top of each other. He glanced at Sakura, but she was still the same. Of course she was used to this palace. She lived in it. A huge vine door loomed in front of him. Sakura shoved it open. Dragons, supposedly maids, scurried around. Sakura whispered into the nearest one's ear, a light brown girl with a red-orange mane and pointy wings.