"Girl, what are you doing?" Mushu asked. As Mulan continued to pack her belongings.
"I'm being sent home. It seems.."she gritted her teeth,"Captain Li, has decided to deem me unsuitable for war. I'm unsuitable as a wife and as a soldier. I might as well not go home." She sniffled, "this was my last chance to bring some honor back to my family and as always I failed."
"Did you think this would be easy, Mulan? You are a lone woman trying to fight for a place in a man's society" Mushu said, "and you have yet to actually fight, come on girl. War is not just about physical strength but about cleverness and wit and determination." Mushu ventured on as he gained steam, "Sweetie, you're clever and witty and look where your determination got you. Stop trying to be as strong as the men around and use that pretty little head of yours. Brains beat brawn all the time. You need to think on your feet. And we both know you can do. Now, show that puffed up peacock and that up stick the butt general what Fa Mulan is really made of."
"How?" She asked as she picked up her rucksack and left the tent, Mushu following in her wake.
As they crossed the center of camp. A full moon cast a shadow between the two, causing Mushu to stop and reply, "By doing what everyone else failed to do."
Mulan whipped around then and was about to tell Mushu that there wasn't anything the others couldn't do, but stopped short as he wasn't looking at her but at long the shadow that divided them. Then it came to her,the POLE! How could she have forgotten about it!
She walked up to the pole, and looked up to where Shang's arrow sat imbedded into the pole. With a renewed spark in her eyes she raced off to where weights were kept.
Tying the weights that were to represent discipline and strength. After numerous attempts to climb the pole. Mulan examined each weight weighing them carefully. "Hhmmm..."She made one last attempt this time she slung the weight with enough force that they were knotted together she gave a testing tug on them. And began to climb, "HA!", she thought to her self. She slipped about thirty feet off the ground but regaining her footing she kept climbing.
It was sunrise and she heard people leave their tents. Cheers Erupted from the small knot of soldiers that had congregated below her as they had formed a circle around the pole. With renewed vigor, Mulan used the last of her strength to pull her self up on to the pole she slung the weights over her left shoulder. Reaching down she plucked the arrow from its notch on the pole.
She looked down to the other camp had witnessed her accomplishment. She waited having not seen captain Shang in the crowd below, for his formidable form to appear in front of his tent flaps. "Not suited for war, hah, I'll show you." She murmured to her self, as Shang came out of his tent and throw the arrow with everything she had, it stuck a foot away from his feet.
Startling him, quick to find the culprit. Only seeing the soldiers that encircled the pole. It took him a moment to realized that they weren't laughing at someone on the ground but...his eyes flew up and up and up. Till they finial met Mulan's. With a cheeky grin. That said "you were saying?".
He smiled back without remorse, lifting one brow as if to say,"Well, are you coming down or do I have to come up."
With that she used the weights to slow her fall. As she slid down the pole and turned to face her captain. She held out the weights for him to take all the while holding his gaze defiantly. As if saying "I'm not going anywhere."
Shane took the weight from her. And she headed for the mess hall.