Sakura Tree

~CHAPTER ELEVEN~

"And don't you deny it," Mantis hissed at Grasshopper.

Sakura clamped a talon around Mantis' snout. "Wait, this is your mother? I just found her wandering around our borders," Sakura yelped in surprise. Grasshopper and Mantis held each other's gaze for a while.

"Why aren't you with the rest of our tribe, out on Pyrrhia?" Grasshopper questioned Mantis at last. Mantis rolled her eyes.

"Well, I'm not just going to leave you here after you mysteriously 'disappeared' after I grounded you. I'm not losing the chance to punish you further." Mantis growled. Grasshopper had, when she started talking, felt his heart rise. But of course Mantis didn't really care about him. His heart sank.

"So... Grasshopper. If this is your mother-" Sakura shook her head. She paused for a moment before speaking again. "I mean, I would need mother's permission but- would you want her to stay out of the dungeons?" Mantis scowled.

"Why would a royal dragon be trying to listen to a lowly, horrible dragonet. Oh I wonder..." Mantis sighed, half laughing throughout her sigh.

Sakura silently slammed her tail around Mantis' snout. She stared at Grasshopper expectantly. Grasshopper was torn. He thought so hard. Even though Mantis was horrible, she was still his mother. Grasshopper inhaled sharply. "Take her to the dungeons..."

Sakura nodded and grappled Mantis, trying to hold her down and drag her somewhere at the same time. "You're making a mistake, Grasshopper!" Mantis screeched. "If you ever want to know who your father is, you'll listen to me! He's alive!" Grasshopper and everybody else froze. The three other dragons from the patrol with Sakura exchanged glances. Grasshopper took a few steps closer to Mantis.

"Who is he?"

"The worst dragon ever. He betrayed me so easily. Just disappeared one day, leaving me with a whole dragonet to raise."

While Mantis was busy scowling, Grasshopper roared and slashed at Mantis' snout. She flinched. He had gone deep. Grasshopper was surprised at himself. How had he gone off the rails like that. But he couldn't stop himself. "WHO IS HE?!" He snarled with so much viciousness he was scared of himself.

Mantis just blinked a few times calmly. "His name is Mezereon. For the longest time I wondered where he disappeared to. But now I know. Seven years ago, he betrayed me." Grasshopper felt as if somebody had just flipped him upside down and told him he had been flying the wrong direction his entire life. Mezereon. Seven years ago. Seven years ago was when Chinch had his metamorphosis and the giant battle happened.

Grasshopper staggered backwards. Mezereon was Chinch's best friend, and his father. He felt himself nearly fall, But Sakura let another dragon take her place holding Mantis down, and as Sakura caught him and nuzzled his muzzle with her's, he could see another dragon knocking Mantis unconscious and dragging her away. Grasshopper breathed heavily for a moment, then ran. He ran all the way to the second entrance into the staircase tunnel, rushing through no matter how many times he heard Sakura yelping his name.

He could hear Sakura's talonsteps rushing towards him, but he was too fast. He was running faster than he had his entire life. He felt Sakura's talons try to grab his tail, but he shook her off and ran. He needed to see Mezereon.

Grasshopper burst through the trapdoor and beat his wings as hard as he could to get to the top level. He rushed around the top floor, but right as he was passing Manchineel's cell a dragon tackled him midair. He rolled out of their grip onto the ledge. Sakura leaped on top of him. Grasshopper roared and thrashed.

"Grasshopper! Stay down! Ughh, don't make me hurt you!" Grasshopper calmed down and stared at Sakura, his gaze softening. Sakura stepped off of him. Grasshopper shook himself and stood up.

"Grasshopper, you can't go rushing in. Believe me, if I had a chance to meet Wisteria again I would want to throw myself at her. But your father is a criminal, and it's pretty different. You have to think a little bit about this." Grasshopper stared down at his talons.

"What did Mezereon do, besides being friends with Chinch?" Grasshopper looked up and stared Sakura in the eyes hopefully. She sighed.

"We never knew about Mezereon until the battle, because Chinch had meetings with him in secret, I suppose. Chinch and Mezereon fought together. It's the one part of the battle that nobody talks about, because it was just so... unimportant compared to everything else going on. Specifically my sister's death." Sakura paused. Grasshopper recognised her expression as grief.

Sakura and Grasshopper flew down to the floor, and they talked for a moment about a confrontation plan for when Grasshopper went to speak to Mezereon. There was a moment of silence as Grasshopper prepared to go and speak to Mezereon. Grasshopper had to go at one point, and so he rose up into the air.

Grasshopper landed in front of Mezereon's cell. He squinted inside and gasped. "Um, Sakura?"

Sakura leaped into the air and landed next to him. "Yes, Grasshopper?" She turned to look at the cell. She slit her eyes in a specific way that made her look like a panther in the night. A hunting, searching panther.

"Where is he?" she snarled, but not at Grasshopper. "Oh, no. Grasshopper, have you seen Rainbow today?" Sakura asked as she began to rush down out of the tunnels.

Grasshopper rushed after her. "No! I don't think Joshua has either. But what's wrong?!" Sakura was already rushing down the staircase when she answered.

"What if Rainbow isn't on our side?!" Sakura yelped as she turned into one of the two forked tunnels. Grasshopper tried to use the wing-speed trick to catch up to Sakura, but he just stumbled and nearly tripped multiple times.

Sakura leaped out of the trapdoor and into the palace halls. Grasshopper jumped out after her and finally caught up with her and they ran side by side. Sakura burst through the palace doors and looked around. She stepped a few steps further.

"How are we sure she isn't just with Eucalyptus?" Grasshopper hissed silently.

"Because, just like you, she hates her mother. And would always try to sneak out," Sakura hissed. Wingbeats suddenly rose above them. Sakura and Grasshopper turned to look at what everyone was staring at. Chinch had risen into the air, and Rainbow and Mezereon were right behind him.

Rainbow was the first to speak. "This is what I wanted to warn you about. Chinch is an animus dragon, and most definitely alive."

A/N

FINALLY

FINALLY

FOR THE LOVE OF CLEARSIGHT I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS CHAPTER F O R E V E R

*screams*

TIME FOR PART THREE