Sakura Tree

~CHAPTER SIX~

Grasshopper stiffened. "What?" Chinch sighed and took a deep breath.

"You've read scrolls before. You know how stories always are. The villains are evil but there's always some sort of quality that makes you sort of want them to win. Now, I was never a villain, but of course everybody would think I was. And you know why? Because they didn't know my plan. They didn't realise my intentions. They didn't know what I could do, and still don't," Chinch 'glared' straight past Grasshopper, at the cell across from Manchineels.

"Redwood has told me so many times how she found me that I can tell the story myself. So how about we start there, hmm?

Redwood, still a new queen, found me as a newly-hatched dragonet all clawed-up and half dead. I'm sure it was my mother who didn't want a possible flamesilk child and so she threw me out. I was brought back to the Forestwing kingdom. You know, Grasshopper, you remind me a lot of myself. Nobody thought Redwood's choice was correct, considering she had only been queen for a year.

Wisteria, Redwood's first child and, at the time, the one who would've become queen. Her and I grew up together, obviously. We became close. But not a month after Wisteria's hatching Rainbow hatched, as a slight surprise to the kingdom.

Rainbow and I were closer than I and Wisteria. Just two years after Wisteria's hatching, Spruce and Sakura hatched. We were friends, but not as close as with I and Wisteria or Rainbow. Hmmph. I never really did like Sakura, actually." Chinch frowned and fluttered his wings uncomfortably. He leaped into the air and began lightly flowing down back to Rainbow's body. Grasshopper glanced back once at Manchineel, who had already pressed herself back against the wall, before leaping down behind Chinch.

Chinch landed in front of Rainbow and began twirling a strand of glowing silk around his fingers. "Now, where was I?" Chinch sat down calmly. "Ah, yes, Sakura."

"I think that Sakura had always guessed what I was up to, and always assumed it was something horrible. I don't think she ever trusted me, which makes her trusting you even more miraculous. But I never had any horrible intentions.

Days before my metamorphosis I formed a plan and introduced it to Rainbow. She and I agreed on our parts. I would discretely attack a Forestwing when I exited my metamorphosis, and when they attacked me the Forestwings would see how fragile their tribe was. After that, I-" Grasshopper cut Chinch off.

"That's idiotic!" He squeaked, right before realizing what he said. This dragon was huge and could easily attack and kill him. That was a dangerous move. Chinch just tied the silk strand he had been playing with around his talon loosely and shuffled his talons.

"Now, now, Leafwing. My plan made perfect sense at the time. And the tribe truly is fragile. If they had a strong king and queen they could finally complete their goal and strengthen the tribe, they wouldn't fear me. Or you, Grasshopper," Chinch smiled and Grasshopper widened his eyes and shivered. He had never told Chinch his name. And Chinch constantly called him 'Leafwing'. So how did he know Grasshopper's name all of a sudden?

Chinch tilted his head and so-called 'inspected' Grasshopper. "Hmm. I know who would absolutely love to meet you. However, we can't do that right now, can we?

And my plan wasn't idiotic. The Forestwing's were the idiotic ones. They couldn't realize that my plan was to save them.

Now, The Forestwing's took me down. Wisteria nearly killed me; she was powered by rage. The rest of the Forestwing's took me down. But just before I was dragged off I killed Wisteria. Justice was served. Now Sakura would have to watch her oldest sibling die." Chinch chuckled manically.

"So then I was just in prison for who knows how long. Seven years, according to Rainbow. In that time you get to know things, Grasshopper. You find ways to do things. If I was sure you would die, I would tell you much more. But I can't betray my fellow prisoners!" Chinch spread his wings and looked side to side, gesturing to the prisoners in the prison.

Grasshopper glanced behind Chinch at oshua, who was leaning over Rainbow's limp, barely breathing, body; he was grieving. Joshua lifted his head and caught Grasshopper's eye. Grasshopper expected sadness to echo off of Joshua's gaze; instead he caught hope. Joshua gestured something and Grasshopper took it as a sign to keep Chinch talking. Waiting. For some possible miracle.

"How many prisoners are there?" Grasshopper blurted, covering Chinch's words.

Chinch whirled his head around from looking around to looking at Grasshopper. "Well, Mezereon and Manchineel. Carpenter is the Hivewing on the top level. Carpenter, who Birch tends to control. It was her request to toss her in here.

Fraxinus, who's also a Forestwing. Oh, there's GhostGum who's a Leafwing. He would like to meet you, too." Chinch scowled. "Most of the cells are empty, this entire place is just an overeageration. Especially since the Forestwing's don't even shove you in here right away."

Chinch tapped his talon on the floor continuously. It was a long moment of just Chinch's tapping claws echoing through the room. When he stopped, the prisons were silent until the echo faded. Then all the other prisoners made tapping noises. The sounds echoing through the room were seemingly repetitive and random. When the noise stopped Chinch pricked his ears up and mumbled something.

"Hmmph." Chinch paused. 'You know how I said I know things. It wasn't a lie. I know what you all are going to do to me. You all are so predictable." Chinch sighed and smiled. "I know you're stalling," Chinch paused and glanced at Grasshopper, who had tensed up. "I know That Joshua holds unreasonable hope," Chinch whirled around and stared at Joshua, who had sat up and was also tense. He believed Chinch.

Chinch walked around Rainbow and shoved Joshua away from her. Joshua yelped and stumbled away from Rainbow. Joshua leaped over next to Grasshopper and brushed his scales against Grasshopper's. Grasshopper glanced at Joshua, who was looking away from him and staring straight at Rainbow. Grasshopper turned his head to also watch Chinch, and see what he would do to Rainbow.

If Grasshopper was brave enough, he would go and attack Chinch while Joshua took Rainbow to the healers, but he could never do that.

Chinch lowered his head to grieve, just as Joshua had been. Chinch looked as if crying, but that was impossible. He didn't have eyes.

Chinch raised a talon and went to lift his head, but suddenly his eyelid stretched with surprise.

Joshua leaned forward as Rainbow threw herself at Chinch, gripping her talons around his neck and landing behind him, bringing Chinch's neck further than a dragon neck could bend. Grasshopper winced at the sickening sound of bones cracking.

Rainbow had just snapped Chinch's neck, and Chinch was now dead.

A/N

*screeches*

CHAPTER SIX IS FINALLY DONE

CHINCH IS FINALLY DEAD

AND AFTER REWRITING JUST ONE MORE CHAPTER I CAN POST CHAPTERS 8-9 AND THEN GET TO WRITING THE REST

AhAHHAHHAHHAHAUHAIYDONGWENIYU

also I wanted to finish this yesterday but sleep and bedtimes exist