Action of the Mantis
Monkey slid around the edge of the building, feet searching out the edges of the smooth flagstones, checking for loose rocks that could give him away. Even with the door shut, he could hear Po yelling. Peeking around the frame, he peered into the expansive training hall.
Tigress was dancing across the heavy coils of twisted rope, deftly jumping from one to the other as she practiced her handstands and flips. Viper was among the wooden arms, slithering across the ground and launching herself across the lower arms. She coiled close to the ground and sprung into the air; twirling and making sure the lantern light caught her scales and showed them off. Crane was hovering above the balancing bowl, a look of long-suffering patience on his face. Po was a rolling ball of black and white fury, unable to get his balance in the bowl as he rolled back and forth.
Clutching the wooden splinters in his hands, Monkey slid away from the door and swung over the porch railing. He hurried across the courtyard, glancing over his shoulder when he heard the hollow sound of Master Shifu's staff hitting the thick skull of a giant panda. Jumping down the steps, he grabbed the branch of an overhanging cherry blossom and swung to the path leading up to the living quarters.
"Mantis?" He stuck his head around the corner of the hall and glanced down the row of white paper doors. Creeping down the hall, he peeked into the room of his best friend. Mantis was lying on his mat, pincers folded beneath his head as he softly snored. Knocking on the thin wooden doorframe, Monkey danced anxiously from one foot to the other. "Mantis, wake up!" He hissed.
"Is the building on fire?" The insect asked, refusing to open his eyes.
"Er, no, but—"
"Is Po stuck in the window again?"
"No, well, not yet anyway." Closing the door, he sat in front of the small bed. "Mantis, c'mon, get up!"
The praying mantis lazily opened one eye, gazing up at his friend in cautiously. His bandaged antenna drooped in
front of his face, the heavy cast too much to hold up. Moving it out of his sight, he sighed. "What is it, Monkey?"
Shifting nervously, the kung fu master tightened his hand around his burden. "Well, I was in Po's room," he began in a rushed, anxious voice that was nothing like his usual carefree speech. "I let him borrow my staff and he forgot to bring it back, so I went to get it before practice started but," he twitched, fingers running over a splinter of broken green wood. Sitting up, Mantis peered at his hand.
"Monkey," he glanced up at the ashamed master, "what did you do?"
The Golden Langur opened his hands, revealing the destroyed remains of an action figure. "I broke you."