The Hawk and the Blue Jay
The War of the Three Kingdoms blazed a trail of war, peace, and revolution across the face of China and forever changed the land as we know it. The Ambition of Cao Cao, the Benevolence of Liu Bei, and the Pride of the Sun Family affected the fortunes of thousands, and many rose to meet the ever increasing challenges the war brought. We all know of the exploits of Sun Ce, Guan Yu, Zhang Liao, and the many other legendary warriors who fought in that epic conflict. But not all heroes have their names etched into the headstone of history. Not all heroes are kings and generals. Greatness can come from the unlikeliest of places…even a traveling circus…
Chapter 1
A city in the seaside region of Chang Sha…
A smooth, cheerful tune wafted over a warm breeze that was passing through the market one beautiful morning in a small port town as people peacefully went about their business. The smell of cooked fish and vegetables filled the nostrils of the market patrons as they gathered in the market's central square to watch a performance from a group of strangers who had recently come into town. It was a party of traveling performers who had been playing their way across the land, a dangerous enterprise to be involved in these days with the Yellow Turbans pillaging the countryside. But the tune floating through the air was enough to let people forget, if only for a little while, that at any moment they could be overrun by angry rebels. Instead, the people looked on in worried awe as a young, dark-skinned man with gray hair that looked like palm tree-fronds stood in front of a large, wooden board, playing on a bamboo flute with an apple on his head. About 15 feet in front of him stood a young woman with ruby-red hair, twirling around to the rhythm of the music with her hands full of throwing knives. The crowd gasped in horror as the woman suddenly threw one of the knives toward the flutist's head. The knife sliced cleanly through the apple, sticking in the board behind the flutist. Both halves of the apple fell into two bowls on either side of the flutist, which contained an assortment of several other fruits that had apparently suffered similar fates. The crowd applauded as the knife thrower bowed and flutist continued to play, not even having flinched once, despite the dangerous act he and his partner were performing. A boy and girl then walked out, picked up the bowls, and handed them to the crowd, inviting them to sample the delicious produce. The crowd buzzed in appreciation and excitement, wondering what would happen next, as the ruby-haired woman passed her knives to an assistant and picked up two large chakrams. Seeing this, the flutist walked towards his partner until they were about 3 feet apart and waved an assistant over to him. The assistant walked over to the flutist and tied a blindfold around his eyes. Raising his flute to his lips once more, the man began playing a much livelier song meant for dancing. Crouching into a battle stance, the ruby-haired woman suddenly began swinging her chakrams at her partner, twisting and turning her body in elegant movements that were difficult to follow, while the flutist danced away from her strikes, performing practiced, coordinated movements that perfectly complimented his partner's. Together, they spun, flipped, twisted, slid in a deadly dance with the grace of skilled dancers, and the expertise of experienced martial artists. Everyone was sure that one wrong move would leave the flutist broken and bleeding on the ground. But the fatal blow never came, and when the song was finished and the dance was done, the crowd erupted in applause and began throwing coins into a bag being held by a large man who was apparently the boss. "There you have it, my good people! The Hawk and the Blue Jay, performing their famous Dance of Death! Give them another round of applause!" the boss said as the Hawk and the Blue Jay took their bows and walked back towards their caravan. While the other acts played to the crowd and the boss continued to vacuum the crowd's money, the Blue Jay turned to the Hawk and slapped him in the face, catching him by surprise and causing him to fall to the ground. "You damn fool! What is the matter with you?!" she hissed at him. "What's wrong? You don't think we did a good job?" the Hawk said, getting back on his feet and rubbing his face. "We did a superb job. That's not the point! Why didn't you tell me you we going to wear a blindfold?! That's not part of the act!" the Blue Jay answered, angrily. "You didn't make a big deal about it out there," the Hawk responded. "Of course not. The show must go on after all, and I trusted your skill, but I could have killed you! If you're going to make changes like that, you should warn me beforehand! I don't want to end up killing you because you suddenly decided to try to catch one of my throwing knives in your teeth, you crazy man!" "Say, what a great idea! Maybe I'll try that one blindfolded as well! The crowd will LOVE it!" the Hawk said, excitedly. He then turned around, walked forward, and tumbled over a barrel, face-planting into the dirt, not realizing that he still had his blindfold on, while the Blue Jay face-palmed and walked away laughing…
Later that night, in the local tavern…
The circus master approached the Hawk and the Blue Jay who were sitting together at a large table, which was covered with plates full of steak, fish, lobster, rolls, dumplings, salads, and cakes. "Now what in the seven hells is all of this?!" he said with an incredulous expression. "Are the two of you really going to eat all of this?!" "No. He is, Benkei," the Blue Jay said, pointing to the Hawk. "I just get the scraps," she said, sighing. "Oh come now, you get more than that," the Hawk said through a mouthful of crab and rice. "Yeah, usually just the vegetables. I've had to become a borderline vegetarian just to survive your feeding frenzies!" "You're still mad about that time in Dong Jun, aren't you? How many times am I gonna have to apologize for that? Is it a crime to get something to eat when we had been going hungry for ten days?" he said, cracking open a lobster tail. "That wasn't eating. I've seen eating. What you did there was pure chaos," the Blue Jay retorted. "You KNOW how I get when I'm hungry! If you don't want that to happen again, then let me feast! Don't judge me!" the Hawk exclaimed, stuffing a large piece of chicken into his mouth. "Well, feel free to enjoy it. I was just coming over to tell you that your little blindfold stunt really sealed the deal with the town magistrate. With the Yellow Turbans ravaging the country, the people need something to keep their minds off the war, so he gave us a contract promising us at least 2 months-worth of shows, so we'll be living it up for a while!" Benkei said, cheerfully. "That's wonderful news! Now we won't have to dine-and-dash like we usually do!" the Hawk said as he downed a mug of tea. "No kidding. I think one of those taverns back in Dong Lai actually put a bounty on our heads," said the Blue Jay. "Don't say that out loud!" Benkei said in a terrified whisper. "You remember what happened in the last town we were in!" The Hawk winced as he remembered being shot in the behind with an arrow. "I still have trouble sitting down," he said as he rubbed his right buttock. "Well it's not my fault your stomach is bigger than our wallet. You always eat more than we can afford! And you wonder why we're always broke!" the Blue Jay said, picking up a roast duck leg and throwing it at the Hawk. "DAMN YOU, WOMAN! We'd have more money for food if YOU'D stop spending most of it on new clothes! For the love of the gods, how many outfits do you need?!" he said, splashing some tea on the Blue Jay's gown. "YOU BASTARD! I work VERY HARD to earn that money! I deserve to indulge myself every now and then!" "Are you saying I don't work hard enough to earn the right to satisfy my appetite?!" "Tsk, hard work?! You have NO IDEA what hard work is-"the Blue Jay began until the Hawk yelled, "I WAS FROZEN TODAY!" Benkei stared at the Hawk with an expression that could only be described as saying, "What the hell is he talking about," while the Blue Jay buried her face in her hands and mumbled "Why do I even bother?" Meanwhile the other patrons were doing their best not to stare at the scene the Hawk and the Blue Jay were making while mothers instructed their children not to stare at the strange man and woman.
Later, outside the town…
The wind blew through the fields surrounding the small port town, rustling the branches of the trees which were bathed in the glow of several burning torches. However, the soft radiance of the fires against the darkness of the quiet night belied the murderous intent of the ones who carried them. At least 50 men, all clad in yellow bandanas, armbands, and turbans, converged on the town, led by a large, muscular man carrying a huge pike. "Xiaoli, the men have gathered! We are ready to attack!" a short man carrying a battle-rod said. "Alright then, Chaozu. Begin the attack! Don't stop until the town is ours!" the man named Xiaoli said raising his pike and pointing it at Chang Sha's main gate. "ATTACK!" Chaozu yelled as the company of bandits yelled and charged forward.
Inside the town, the Hawk and the Blue Jay were getting ready for bed. Neither of them were looking at each other or speaking to each other, and they laid down on their futons facing away from each other. Suddenly, the Hawk spoke up. "Do I really eat that much?" "Do you jest? I bet you could beat Dong Zhou in an eating contest!" said the Blue Jay. "You're so mean!" the Hawk whined. "You got tea all over my favorite dress. You bet your ass I'm mean!" she snapped. "I'm sorry, " the Hawk apologized, turning on his side, facing the Blue Jay's back. "Yeah, I know you are," the she said. "No, I mean, really. I know I make our lives more difficult than they have to be sometimes… But you and I both know what it's like to grow up poor and starving. I just want to have all the things I didn't have when I was a kid. And that mostly includes food. LOTS and LOTS of food. Did you know my family once spent an entire winter eating nothing but carrots, mushrooms, and limes? Seriously. LIMES. Almost nothing else. Just limes, limes, LIMES, LIMES-" "GET TO THE POINT!" the Blue Jay snapped again. "Sorry! It's just…I never wanted to make anyone else suffer for it. It's just the way I am," the Hawk said with genuine contrition. "Yeah? Well…I'm sorry too. Sometimes I get a little overindulgent myself. I know I shouldn't take my frustrations out on you, but sometimes you just make me so angry!" "Okay, okay, I'll leave you more tomatoes next time," the Hawk said. "It's not just about the food!" the Blue Jay responded, turning on her side to face the Hawk. "Like with the show this afternoon!" "Are you still on about that?!" the Hawk said with disbelief. "I said I was sorry!" "Yeah, but it won't stop you from doing it again! I know you too well. You always act so recklessly, and you don't care what anyone else thinks! Sure, you've got skills, but one day that won't be enough and you'll end up getting yourself hurt! I don't want to lose you because you got in over your head. Don't you know that I-" The Blue Jay was suddenly cut off as a torch crashed through the window of their room. The flames licked the silk curtains by the frame, almost instantly setting them ablaze, and traveling upward towards the roof. "What in the name of Fu Wa…" said the Hawk as he tossed the torch back out of the window and looked out onto the street. He then abruptly shut the window and turned towards the Blue Jay with a look of abject terror on his face. "What's wrong?!" she asked as she was ripping the curtains down and trying to smother the flames with a quilt. "It's the Yellow Turbans! They're here!" the Hawk responded. "You've got to be joking! What would they want with a small fishing town?!" the Blue Jay queried. "Who the hell knows? The Yellow Turbans are nothing more than a bandit army interested in pillage and plunder. This was probably just their next stop. We have to get out of here!" he exclaimed as he grabbed the Blue Jay's arm and ran. "Hold on! We have to wake the others!" she said as she broke the Hawk's grip and ran to knock on Benkei's door. "Benkei! Benkei, wake up!" she called. Lying in his bed, Benkei sat up groggily and yelled, "What do you want?!" "The roof! The roof! The roof is on fire!" the Blue Jay yelled, desperately banging on Benkei's door. "Oh forget about it! He doesn't need any water, just let the man burn!" Suddenly, a Yellow Turban crashed through Benkei's door from the inside, smashing into a wall. "No need," Benkei said, stepping out in a sky blue robe, holding a pair of iron rods. "Let's go, shall we?" The trio ran down the stairs of the inn, the bottom floor of which was catching fire while several Turbans were looting the food pantry and the wine cellar. "If we go now, we can sneak past them while they're preoccupied," said the Blue Jay. "Good idea. Let's—oh, no. What is he doing?!" Benkei said as he saw the Hawk running over to the Turbans. "HEY, YOU BASTARDS! THAT'S MY LOBSTER!" the Hawk yelled as he soared through the air as his name suggested, and kicked a Yellow Turban holding a lobster square in the head, sending him flying into a bag of flour. "NO ONE TOUCHES MY LOBSTER, DOUGH BOY!" the Hawk bellowed, taking a big chomp out of the lobster tail. Seeing this, the other Turbans raised their swords and charged at the Hawk. "Damn your stomach," the Blue Jay swore at the Hawk under her breath as he used his foot to toss broom into the air and catch it in his right hand. The Hawk then began swatting the Turban's sword arms, causing them to drop their weapons, then thrust the broom's bristle's into the Turbans faces, make them yelp in pain. "Time to sweep you idiots under the rug!" the Hawk yelled as knocked each of them out and literally swept them behind the bar. "Are you done?" Benkei asked as he punched one of the bandits in the face, sending him flying back the way he came. "I'm done," the Hawke said as he hoisted a sack full of food over his shoulder. "Even in the middle of a bandit raid, your hunger gets the better of you. You wouldn't see me acting this way over-" The Blue Jay froze as she spied a group of Yellow Turbans raiding the tailor's shop and making off with valuable articles of clothing, including a pretty black dress with gold trim and an embroidered rose that the Blue Jay had been planning to buy. "HEY, YOU BASTARDS! THAT'S MY DRESS!" she roared as she flew towards the vandals, pulling one of her throwing knives from a holster strapped to her leg and throwing it into one of the Turban's arms, causing him to drop the dress. The Blue Jay then ran up, leapt forward, hand-planted, and pushed herself into the air, launching herself feet-first into the bandit's jaw. Landing on her feet, she saw that she was surrounded by seven Yellow Turbans. "MINE!" the Blue Jay hissed, clutching the dress close to her chest. The Haw then crashed through a weakened wall and slammed his sack of food into a Turban's head from behind. He then tossed a pair of small maces to the Blue Jay which she caught, giving him a quizzical expression. "Stopped by the blacksmith stand. Thought you'd like them," he said as he pulled a live crab out of his goodie-bag and threw it onto another Turban's face. "This is a raid, not a shopping-spree!" the Blue Jay said as she whacked her new weapons into an enemy chest, and then threw one at another's legs, tripping him and allowing the Hawk to flip forward and drop-kick the downed Turban. "What's the difference?" the Hawk asked as he dodged a sword swipe and roundhouse kicked his assailant. "CAN WE LEAVE NOW?!" Benkei screamed over the commotion while slamming together the head of two Turbans. The Hawk tossed him the sack of provisions as the trio ran to their caravan which was parked over by the stables. "Mistress Blue Jay! Master Hawk! You're alright!" a young girl cried as she ran into the Blue Jay's arms. "Yuki! I'm so glad you're safe," the Blue Jay said, embracing the child tightly. "This sucks!" said a young boy, kicking the dirt. "We finally find a place that offers the promise of steady work on the same day the Yellow Turbans decide to come to town! Why is our luck always so bad?!" "Aw, chin up Syaoran!" the Hawk said, clapping a hand on the boy's shoulder. "So this didn't exactly turn out the way we hoped. We'll just do what we always do and find another place. Hopefully one with more lobster," he said, taking a bite out of the last of the lobster tail. "Nothing ever dampens your spirits, does it?" the Blue Jay said with a smile. "Nothing except your wet blood gushing from your corpses like a fountain!" a loud, angry voice called. The Hawk and the Blue Jay looked up and saw a big, muscular man holding a long pike, and a short man carrying an iron battle rod. "Oh look, it's one-and-a-half men!" the Hawk said, jeering at the short man. "Are you mocking me you, son of a whore?!" the short man yelled. "Calm down, Chaozu," than large man said. Turning to the Hawk and the Blue Jay, he spoke, "The two of you have brought harm to our brothers, and we shall have retribution to be repaid in blood!" "Well look at you, using such big words! I thought you Yellow Turbans we're just a bunch of illiterate, pillaging morons. Have you been stealing books as well as people's livelihoods? But then, I suppose you'd have to know how to read, too. My, you boys are just full of surprises aren't you? You must lead such rich, fulfilling lives," the Blue Jay derided. "But don't you know? Short people don't have any reason to live," the Hawke said, pointing at Chaozu. "NOW YOU'RE GONNA GET IT!" the enraged little man shouted, stamping his feet on the ground. "'Now you're gonna get it!'" the Hawk imitated, mockingly. "STOP MOCKING ME!" "'Stop mocking me—aw, this is stupid," the Hawk said, pulling out his flute, and leaping toward Chaozu. The short man barely had time to raise his battle rod to block the Hawk's strike while the Blue Jay produced a chain whip and whipped it toward the Xiaoli's pike (that really doesn't sound right, does it?). Refusing to let his weapon be ripped out of his hands, Xiaoli held firm, and pulled with all of his might, sending the Blue Jay flying towards him. Anticipating this, the Blue Jay threw her legs out in front of her and kicked Xiaoli with both feet, sending him flying and slamming into the trunk of a tree. Getting back on his feet, Xiaoli roared a battle cry and charged toward the Blue Jay swinging his pike towards her head. However, he missed as the Blue Jay vanished in a blur of speed and reappeared, balanced on the end of Xiaoli's weapon. Xiaoli only had a second to register what had happened before the woman kicked him in the face, flipped into the air, wrapped her whip around Xiaoli's neck, pulled him into the air behind her, and slammed him into the ground as she landed. Chaozu meanwhile, was desperately trying to hit the Hawke, but the Hawk as dancing around him while laying all manner of short jokes on him. "No matter what you say, I can rise above your taunts!" Chaozu said with a determined tone. "'Rise above'! I normally hate puns, but that's hilarious! Give me another one!" the Hawk responded as he poked Chaozu in the eyes and kicked his legs out from under him. Rising to his feet, Chaozu declared, "No matter what you do, I am still standing!" "HA! BARELY!" the Hawke said laughing jumped over Chaozu and launched his leg out behind him, striking Chaozu in the back of the head, knocking him to the ground again. "Come on! Say something more funny stuff!" Getting back on his feet, Chaozu turned around and threw his battle rod at the Hawk, striking him square in the groin. "Th-That's not funny…that's not funny at all…" the Hawke said, as he fell to his knees, clutching his throbbing privates. Picking up his battle rod and intending to finish the Hawk off, Chaozu was caught off guard as a mace struck him in the back, knocking him onto his face. "Are you all right, dear?" the Blue Jay asked with mock concern as she walked over to the Hawk with a smirk and a stifled laugh. "Give me a second…" the Hawk groaned, bent over on the ground with his head between his knees. "I warned you to stop making fun of short people. I told you over and over that one day, it was going to come back and kick you in the balls. And what do you know? It really did!" the Blue Jay said, as she burst out laughing, no longer able to contain herself as she helped the Hawk off the ground. "You insolent BASTARDS!" Xiaoli yelled as Chaozu helped him to his feet. "You have made enemies of the Yellow Turbans! Prepare to feel our wrath!" he bellowed as several more Turbans surrounded the Hawk and the Blue Jay. The Blue Jay looked at the Hawk as he raised his flute to his lips. "Don't worry. I'm not going to wear a blindfold this time!" The Blue Jay nodded as she pulled out her chakrams. "All right, you derelicts. Let's dance!" the Hawk said as he began playing a fast-paced melody. The Yellow Turbans charged the duo with swords, spears, and axes drawn. Striking elaborate dancing poses, the Hawk and the Blue Jay positioned their bodies in such a way that allowed them to dodge the simultaneous strike of all of the Turbans' weapons. Then, using the nearest Turbans as stepping stones, the Hawk and the Blue Jay propelled themselves into the air, and the Blue Jay let fly her chakrams, cutting Turbans this way and that before returning to her hands while she landed gracefully on the ground while the Hawk caught in midair a Bo staff that Benkei had thrown to him. The Hawk then landed and slammed the Bo into the ground with such force that it knocked many of the Turbans off of their feet and into the air. The Hawk then spun around with the staff while the Blue Jay back-flipped towards him and jumped onto the staff as the Hawk swung it, launching the Blue Jay like a missile towards the remaining Turbans, bowling them over and knocking them out. Yuki and Syaoran cheered from the sidelines as the Hawk and the Blue Jay took a moment to catch their breath. "Benkei, prepare the caravan to move out. We'll hold them here!" the Blue Jay said as she and the Hawk made ready to fend off another wave of Turbans. "Alright, but make sure you guys get out of here too. Even you can't fight forever," Benkei said as he grabbed the two kids and loaded them into the wagon and climbed into the driver's seat, calling for the rest of the wagons to follow his lead as he rode off while watching his two friends fighting the bandit army. The Hawk and the Blue Jay fought with all their strength, but they were eventually exhausted, and they found themselves surrounded by enemies. Xiaoli then approached the duo. "Hmph. You fight well, but not well enough it seems. Prepare to die, scum!" "Ugh, do you ever stop talking?" the Hawk said, spitting a mouthful of blood onto Xiaoli's face. Reeling in disgust, Xiaoli raised his spear, preparing to skewer the Hawk when suddenly, he was struck in the shoulder blade by an arrow. Xiaoli wheeled around, and saw a mass of soldiers clad in purplish-blue armor advancing towards the town…