Hello once again, readers! Finally have Chapter 4 finished! I appreciate all the reviews I've gotten, especially since this is my first fanfiction on this movie.
If there is any confusion as to regarding small/specific details (eye color, ages, names, etc) please forgive me. I have a difficult time remembering these things, and often find myself having to reread my own chapters in order to remember (sad, right?).
Zhong couldn't even think straight. His mind was in all different directions as he was burning out his lungs and vocal chords. As a matter of fact, he couldn't even remember what happened next. All he knew was that once he began thinking clearly, he was running, with his paw being gripped tightly by a wing.
"We have to hurry!" Shen shouted to the wolf, however he heard it in a muffled and distorted voice. He was in complete shock now, and finally stopped screaming. He looked around, and saw that they were running through the forest. "S-S-Shen, I-I-" the wolf began, but only to be interrupted.
"Don't worry about that, just keep running!" Shen shouted. Zhong realized that Shen was coughing and panting horribly. It completely slipped both their minds as to how sick and vulnerable the poor fowl was. Zhong stopped running and pulled Shen. "You can't run like this, Shen! Go on my back" Zhong spoke as he bent down. Shen quickly got on and wrapped his arms around the wolf's neck, and held tightly as the wolf began dashing through the forest.
As Shen held on, he heard the wolf sniffling, and went to look at his face. "Zhong, what's wrong?" Shen asked, despite the fact that he knew the answer.
"I…I-I killed s-someone….I-I" Zhong broke down as he started sobbing, and ran a little slower. Shen opened his beak to speak, but was cut off by a loud voice. "Where are they?" it shouted, echoing through the trees. Fear filled the two kids hearts as they realized who that voice belonged too.
Now, Zhong ran even faster, barely dodging the many trees in their way. Shen's grip tightened, and he closed his eyes. Tears ran down the wolf's cheeks, but he didn't dare go any slower.
The only thing the wolf had on his mind was getting Shen back home.
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"Search everywhere!" Lord Fu Han shouted at the wolf guards as they arrived at the warehouse. The Lord had made a group of his strongest guards, and decided to head to the warehouse early. Fu Han was always the stubborn type, although at this moment his actions were somewhat justifiable. Either way, he wasn't going to give up on his son so easily.
The twenty-or-so wolves sniffed around everywhere, and Lord Fu Han's heart dropped when there were no signs of anyone.
"B-but the letter" Lord Fu Han said to himself as his heart pumped faster. If not here, where were they? He began to breathe faster at the thought of all of this being a trap; that his son and his friend were killed or drowned. A single tear met the Lord's eye.
"Wait, I hear something!" one of the wolves called out. After a brief moment of silence, the wolf pointed in the direction of the forest, shouting "That way!"
At this, Lord Fu Han's hope was kindled at the fact that maybe, just maybe, his son was alive. They all started to run toward the ever-so-faint sound.
He had ran nonstop for ten minutes, and his lungs were burning. He panted uncontrollably and his heart was in his throat. His body wanted to rest so badly. Gods, how a glass of water would do him wonders. When it came to stamina, the lord was lacking immensely. Of course, the peafowl didn't dare stop.
Not while his son was out there.
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"I-I hear someone!" Zhong shouted as he ran. At this, Shen looked up, paying attention to any sounds. "I-I don't hear anything, Zhong-"
"I'm a wolf, remember?" Zhong said as he looked back at the young fowl on top of him. "Oh, yeah…" Shen muttered, feeling stupid.
All of a sudden, Shen felt himself get launched in the air. He didn't even know what was happening as he landed on his sore, cut-up back. Shen cringed at the feeling; the stinging sensation on his back worse than anything he had ever felt. Shen gasped, and quickly rolled over. "Z-Zhong?" he called out, looking behind him to see the wolf grabbing his arms, blood trickling down them. Shen looked confused, and quickly got on his talons.
A few feet behind Zhong, Shen saw an incredibly thin wire, really low to the floor. He saw a line of blood on it, and it looked as if the blood was levitating. He realized that his lupine friend cut his arms in the trap.
A rustling sound was heard, and Shen looked up to see the smiley-faced bull that had tortured them a few days ago. Shen's heart stopped, and his mind drowned in fear.
"This…damn…wolf…killed my friend!" the bull shouted through his mask as he took out his machete and aimed it at Zhong, who was laying down on the floor. Zhong could only watch as the man raised the machete.
It's over. He was going to die. At a mere eight years old, barely tasting the feast that is life. It was all going to end.
A single tear left his eye as he stared at his fate, rushing toward him. He closed his eyes, not knowing what was going to happen to him. The lupine flinched for a fraction of a second.
But what he felt wasn't a machete slicing through his flesh, but a pair of wings grabbing on to him. Was he dead? Perhaps he died so quick that his body didn't have time to register the pain, and an angel was taking him to heaven.
After a few seconds, however, he knew that he wasn't dead. For some miraculous reason, the wolf was still breathing. Curiosity got the best of him, and he opened his eyes. There, he saw Shen on top of him, hugging him and crying. "D-don't touch him!" Shen pleaded, looking at the man who stood in front of him. It didn't take Zhong long to realize why the man didn't strike.
"I-I am the prince of Gongmen…I'm the one who is going to g-get you all your m-money, a-and if you k-kill him, then you'll have to k-kill me" Shen spoke hoarsely to the bull, sniffing through his words. Despite the mask that displayed a bloody smile, both children knew how frustrated the bull was under it.
"Don't…you…THREATEN ME!" the bull shouted at the top of his lungs as he lunged his machete at them.
No…Shen thought as he saw the machete racing toward him and his friend. I…I couldn't save him. He sacrificed so much for me, and yet I've done nothing…Shen felt tears run down his feathery cheeks as time went in slow motion. The young fowl didn't want to, but he knew that it was the only thing that would, at the very least, make his friend live just a little bit longer.
Shen got off the wolf, and ran in front of the blade. He barely even heard Zhong shouting his name from behind him.
I'm sorry mama, papa…maybe you can try again…
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"AUGH!" Shen heard the bull shout. He quickly opened his eyes, and saw that the bull had some kind of knife in his shoulder. The bull dropped his machete and cringed in the pain. Quickly, Shen looked behind him, and it was as if he had finally found that speck of light in a long cave of darkness.
His father was standing there, looking straight at the two kids.
Both Shen and Zhong's eyes began to tear up. Without a second word, the two children lunged at the blue peafowl. Shen watched as his father opened his wings and embraced the two.
Shen completely let himself go. He grabbed the fine silk of his father's robe tightly as he stained said silk with what seemed to be an endless amount of tears. The feeling of his father's gentle, yet caring embrace was a feeling he thought he would never get to feel again.
His father looked down on him, tears streaming down the lord's face. "I thought I lost you! Oh, son I am so sorry!" his father nearly shouted as he cried more, and pulled Shen in an even tighter hug.
It was then that the Lord got up and looked at the bull, who was trying to pull out the blade lodged in his shoulder. "Boys!" the bull shouted, ripping his mask off in anger. "Where the hell are you?!"
Slowly, he saw figures emerge from the trees. He was excited for only a moment, for he soon realized that they weren't bulls.
He saw what seemed to be about ten other wolves walk toward him, and the bull was shocked.
"W-what did you do to my men?!" the bull shouted at everyone, backing away slowly from all the wolves.
"We got every single one of them. The guards are taking them to Chorh-Gom prison as we speak" Fu Han said darkly. "Guards, take him" Fu Han commanded, picking up both his son and the wolf in his wings. Fu Han ignored the shouts and curses of the bull behind him.
Shen became drowsy, and eventually fell asleep in his father's arms.
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Both Zhong and Shen were in the palace infirmary. Shen and Zhong were both laying down in one of the beds, for all the other beds were filled with injured palace guards. The village raid the guards had been sent to clear out resulted in many injuries, so the two children were quite lucky to have found a single bed.
Shen and Zhong were sleeping, the fowl snuggled up next to the furry wolf (wolf fur was surprisingly warm and cozy). Zhong would regularly be annoyed, but right now, he didn't even care. He was just happy to finally be out of harm's way.
The two slowly woke up, and said 'hi' to each other, albeit awkwardly. Soon, they heard the door open, and Shen was ecstatic to see his favorite (and in his eyes, world's best) nana walk in, with two cups of tea in her hands.
The soothsayer gave Shen a warm hug, and the young fowl felt tears go down his cheeks. Zhong smiled, but was filled with shock as the soothsayer grabbed his arm and forced him to join the embrace. Zhong was surprised at first, but eventually gave in to the comfortable spooning.
As the two of them were sipping their tea, the Soothsayer spoke to Zhong. "You know, sweetie, I have a special guest" she said as she opened the door. Zhong's heart fell as he saw Chun walk in.
A wave of guilt went over Zhong. The wolf felt horrible for putting his first and best friend into so much worry. Zhong was about to speak, but was stopped when Chun ran up to him.
"ZHONG!" Chun yelled as she hugged him tightly, and tears began to stain the hospital gown the lupine had on. Zhong, due to his shyness, hesitated to hug the female back. The soothsayer grinned at the sight.
Zhong felt even more guilt as she muttered "I knew you were coming back" in his chest. Zhong felt himself start to tear up, and he eventually started to sob as well.
"I…I'm so, so sorry, Chun…I didn't mean to make you worry" Zhong sniffed, now embracing the she-wolf tightly.
Shen watched the scene, blushing furiously. The prince was no doubt feeling awkward about the situation. "Umm…hi" Shen shyly muttered, and waved his wing. Chun looked up, and her face filled with surprise. She hadn't even noticed the prince was there the whole time.
Chun began stammering her words. "I-uh, I'm sorry, Shen-I-I mean, Lord, Shen, yeah that's it. M-my Lord" Chun said as she awkwardly bowed down, trying to show respect to me.
"I was just saved from a ransom attempt, formal speech is the last of my worries!" Shen tried his best to make a joke, and was happy to see Chun chuckle. "T-thanks, Lord Shen" she replied warmly. He was about to say that he wasn't a lord yet but, he had to admit, being called 'Lord Shen' was freaking awesome.
Chun looked back at Zhong, and her eyes widened in horror at his teeth. "Zhong, what happened?!" she screamed as she opened the wolf's mouth and looked at the yanked out teeth.
"Uh…long story, Dandan. They'll grow back, though!" Zhong reassured her. Chun's heart began to beat faster at that name. She grew teary eyed again, and pulled Zhong in yet another hug. "I never want to lose you again" she softly said in a whisper. Zhong gave a warm smile at the words.
The soothsayer was the one to speak next "Chun has been adopted, Zhong. By a wonderful family".
Zhong's ears perked up, and his eyes widened. "What?" he muttered. He was feeling mixed emotions about this, actually. He was so, so happy for Chun to finally have a family; it was what he always wished for her to have. But, he was sad that he was officially going to be alone in that orphanage. His ears flattened, but he forced a smile and said "I'm happy for you, Chun" while choking on the word 'happy'. He expected Chun to give a frown, but she just smiled even more.
"Don't worry, silly. My family lives close to the palace" Chun reassured him. This did nothing for Zhong, however. "Dandan, I don't live in the palace" he grumbled.
"Well" the Soothsayer spoke up again. Now, all three children looked at her. "It took a lot of convincing, but…I finally got the Lord and Lady to agree."
Zhong and Shen both tilted their heads, and said at the same time "Agree to what?"
The soothsayer had a big smile, and spoke "We retrieved all your clothes and personal belongings, Zhong. I just hope you don't mind having a peafowl for a brother!" in a rather excited voice, unusual for her wise character.
Both Zhong and Shen's crimson eyes widened, and their mouths were opened wide.
No, this wasn't happening. He was just dreaming. Chun was still in the orphanage, and he and Shen were still sleeping. He was just having a dream. An awesome dream, but a dream nonetheless. He'll wake up any second now.
But it didn't happen.
He wasn't dreaming. This was happening. All of this was really happening. "Are…are you serious?" Zhong muttered as he looked at Shen, who looked at him.
"The Lord and Lady decided that, after all Zhong had done for you, he doesn't deserve to go back to that wretched orphanage. And, honestly, you can thank that young girl over there" the soothsayer confirmed as she gestured to the female wolf, smiling brightly.
"Ms. Soothsayer came to me while you were gone. I told her about how unfair they had treated us…" Chun began to tell them about what had happened that day.
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Chun turned for the thirty fourth time on her bed. It was lunch time, however she was in no mood to eat. She wasn't in the mood to do anything. Originally, she was planning on getting lunch, however overheard Aiguo talking about how Zhong deserved to be kidnapped, and how it would be even better if Chun had been murdered off as well.
She ran back to her room, tears in her eyes. After calming herself, she just turned…and turned…and turned.
All of a sudden, she heard a loud bang on the door. "Hey mutt, you have a visitor!" the voice said harshly as the door opened. Chun straightened herself up as best as she could as she saw a familiar goat figure walked inside. Chun immediately recognized her as the goat that was with the Prince, on the day of the incident. The goat closed the door behind her, and slowly trotted to Chun's bed and sat.
"You miss him, don't you?" the soothsayer politely asked. Chun tilted her head, and she said "How do you know?"
The soothsayer just smiled, replying "A mother's instinct." Chun let out a small smile at the thought. The smile soon faded, however, as she let out a rather depressed sigh. The soothsayer had a look of worry on her face. "It doesn't even matter if he comes back. It isn't like he'll be any happier…" Chun started as she felt tears bundle up in her eyes.
"Why is that?" the soothsayer gently asked the obviously distressed wolf. Chu sniffed, rubbed her eyes, and replied "They don't like us here…a-and there mean to us. We don't get as much food, we get beaten more than the other kids, a-and we are always blamed for everything. H-he always t-tells me how he h-hates it here. I hate it t-too, but…I just d-don't want to see him sad." Chun felt the tears flowing down her face, but she paid no mind to it.
"And n-no matter w-what I do, I-I can never make him f-feel better. Aren't you s-supposed to m-make your b-best friend's happy? S-so if I can't make him happy, w-what kind of friend am I?" Chun finished as she shoved her face in her arms and cried. "I-I just don't get it. T-they always talk bad about us to the parents who want to adopt, b-but they make our lives horrible here. I-I'm never l-leaving…" Chun cried harder in her already-soaked sleeves.
Chun felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked to see the soothsayer, sympathy in her eyes. "I know, I know. Unfortunately, despite how unfair something is, you can't do anything about it."
Chun just looked down, and sniffed more. "But, that doesn't mean someone else can't" the soothsayer replied with a bright smile. "I'll be back soon, umm….my apologies, your name?"
"Chun."
"Chun. Well, I promise I'll be back soon" the soothsayer spoke as she walked out the door. Chun just looked on, confused, a little worried, but somewhat hopeful.
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"I…I still don't know how she did it, but she actually got parents for me. Next thing you know, I was packing up my clothes and moving. I was so happy, and after hearing you were back, I…" Chun's voice trailed off as tears, once again, came to her eyes. Zhong just smiled, and pulled her in for a big hug. "Thank you so much, Chun" Zhong whispered in her ear as they embraced. He then felt a pair of wings wrap around them. "Don't forget about me. We're brothers now!" Shen claimed excitingly. Zhong gave a genuine smile, but it soon turned into a sly one.
"You must love the idea of being an older brother, huh?"
Shen stopped and thought of this. He had just realized that the wolf wasn't his age. As a matter of fact, Shen didn't even know the wolf's age, he merely guessed.
"Wait, so how old are you?" Shen asked, hitting himself for having gone through all of this and still not knowing how old he was.
"I'm seven" Zhong laughed.
Shen sighed, happy to know that the wolf wasn't that young. His self-esteem would've hit rock bottom had he found out this brave and strong wolf was five or six, as unlikely as that would be.
Zhong chuckled at Shen's relief, and saw the soothsayer at the door, about to walk away.
"Get in here, you old goat! Or should I say, nana!" Zhong exclaimed as he got up and pulled her into a hug. The soothsayer blushed furiously as she felt Zhong, then Shen, and then Chun pull her into an embrace.
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Two days later, Shen, Zhong, and Chun sat around a small wooden table. They were at Chun's brand new home. The table was draped with a beautifully embroidered cover, and the house was filled with beautiful hand-painted vases and trinkets.
Turns out that, not only were Chun's parents both wolves, but they had a very big interest in antiques. The most noticing part, however, was that they were…well, gay.
Heng had a light grey coat and hazel eyes. Peizhi was slightly taller, and had royal blue fur which complimented his deep blue eyes. In Gongmen, being with the same gender wasn't a big deal at all. The citizens usually stared at them just for the fact that barely anyone in the town were like that.
Zhong titled his head as he saw the two share a kiss in the kitchen. It was a weird sight, but Shen and Chun paid no mind to it.
Actually, he cared more about that glorious smell emerging from the kitchen. He felt a little bit of drool from his muzzle land on the expensive table cloth. Embarrassed, he quickly wiped it off and looked up, relieved to see Shen and Chun engaged in a conversation.
"What are you guys, uh, talking about?" Zhong spoke up, ignoring the fact that he slobbered on the table. "How you two escaped! Did you really let Shen ride on your back?" Chun asked with a smile. Zhong nodded, and looked to Shen, who gave a reassuring nod back.
Zhong personally asked him to lie about what really happened. The story they made was rather unbelievable; a guard left the door open, and they simply ran out. His teeth were gone due to the fact that he had gotten a 'growth spurt' that caused his baby teeth to grow out faster. Of course, this would sound like nothing but a lie to any older person, but Chun's seven year old mind totally fell for it. It was actually funny, how gullible yet wise the female could be.
Another detail the two made sure to leave out was Zhong's actions. They had a serious talk about it before, and decided to just forget that ever happened, which was admittedly hard for Zhong to do.
Thankfully, Heng emerged out of the kitchen with two plates, and Peizhi with one. Both wolves patted Chun on the head as they placed a plate in front of her and Zhong. "We made you two beef with mashed-potatoes. For our feathery little prince here-" Peizhi said as he placed his paw on his shoulder "We have a delicious sandwich" while placing the large sandwich in front of Shen.
"We really don't have any feathered visitors, so we only had enough to make something simple" Heng apologized as he handed Chun and Zhong a fork and a knife. Peizhi placed a napkin in front of Shen, who proceeded to shove it inside his neck so he wouldn't get dirty (at least, that's what his etiquette lessons taught him).
They stayed there for a good few hours before leaving. It was awkward to leave Chun, since Zhong had been used to seeing her in the morning. That was something the two would have to get used too. After a somewhat bittersweet goodbye, Shen and Zhong were escorted home by two guards.
Zhong had talked with them about what it was like being part of the Royal Guard. "We are the closest to the royal family. We always escort the Lord and Lady to destinations. Now, due to the incident, we are required to escort you two" one of the guards said, although in a polite manner.
Zhong then asked how old you had to be to join, and they replied "The age limit is 13. Of course, most people go when they're much older. I've never seen a 13 year old join the ranks" one of the guard's joked with the young wolf. Zhong pouted, and swore that he would be the first.
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Shen nor Zhong understood why Fu Han and Ah Lam had adopted him. Zhong was positive that there must have been another family who could've adopted the young wolf. Not that neither of them were complaining, they were simply curious as to the reasoning.
Zhong and Shen, for now, had to share the same room (which they didn't mind at all), and were both under the cover's with a tiny lantern. The kids were supposed to be sleeping by now but, thanks to Zhong's hearing and smelling, they could tell when someone was coming up to check on them.
"Do you really want to be in the Royal Guard when you grow up?" Shen asked.
"You bet! It would be awesome! Besides, it's the least I can do for your parents. They took me in, after all."
"Yeah, my parents have a lot of power. The adoption process took a few weeks to get accomplished. Yours only took a few hours. By the way, don't you mean 'our' parents?"
"Yeah, that's going to take some getting used to" Zhong let out a nervous chuckle.
"Probably. Also, I've been wondering, do you like Chun?"
"What? Ew, gross!" Zhong put his finger to his mouth and made a gagging sound. Shen laughed at this.
"Momma and Papa say that one day, we all find our true love eventually. Maybe Chun will be yours?"
"No way. Nuh uh. 'N' to the 'O'" Zhong exclaimed while crossing his arms. "Me and her are best friends. That's going to make things…well, weird."
"Oh come on, she obviously likes you-"
"She does?!" Zhong said rather excitingly. It took Shen his all not to laugh as Zhong quickly redeemed himself. "I-I mean, that's cool. But, I, uh, don't feel anything like, well, that toward her."
"Oh give me a break, there's no denying that you feel something more than a friendship. Or are you just afraid of getting 'friendzoned'?" Shen teased with a sly grin.
"Me? My Lord, I promise you that I, a future Royal Guard member, will NEVER be afraid of anything!"
"Ever?"
"Never. Ever."
Shen just chuckled. Zhong was so optimistic. Shen never looked at life like Zhong did. Even now, the albino felt guilty for everything that he had done to Zhong, no matter how many times the lupine pup would convince him otherwise.
It was quite amazing how all of this happened in a week or so. Now, he didn't know rather he should hate the bullies or thank them. If he didn't get into that fight, he would have never met Zhong. The wolf that saved his life. Shen didn't want to think about having to go through that kidnapping alone.
The wolf had done so much for the fowl in only a matter of days. Shen just knew he would have to pay the wolf back someday. It was the least he could do.
Heck, maybe the white peafowl will join his brother in his Kung-Fu training. To be honest, Shen doesn't want to have Zhong become his guard. They were brothers. If anything, Shen would want to fight side-by-side with his brother, rather than have him be his pawn. Shen shuddered at the thought of the independent wolf dwindling down to a mere servant; a pawn for his family to use when in danger.
It was going to take a while for Zhong to be considered 'part of the family', obviously, but Shen knew that within time, it will be as though Zhong is his blood.
Shen smiled at the thought, which quickly caught Zhong's attention. "What're you smiling about, Shen?" the wolf asked, tilting his head. Shen only now realized how adorable the pup looked when he did that.
Shen let out a small chuckle.
"Nothing, much."
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Well, this concludes this arc of the story. Truth be told, I do plan on making a fanfiction dedicated to more about Shen and Zhong's early childhood, but of course that is to be made later. As for now, we are going to go through a little time-skip.
As you can infer from reading the summary, I don't plan on just writing about Shen and Zhong's childhood, but what happens to them after Gongmen City (in other words, yes, I plan on having both live, albeit realistically and believable). The next chapters are going to be revolving around Shen and Zhong's teenage years. Specifically, Zhong will be 13 years old, while Shen will be 14. This arc is going to be much longer, obviously, and then I will have a little arc about what happened during Kung Fu Panda 2. Finally, I will make the 'sequel' arc, as you can call it.
Also, with the gay-father thing with Chun, don't worry; I'm not going to add anything too crazy with that. I understand if homosexuality in any way makes you uncomfortable, and I will respect your limits regarding that. Granted, I am thinking about making Wolf Boss/Shen pairings (which, of course, will have no relation to the story whatsoever; not even going to use the name 'Zhong' for it) both Rated T and Rated M, so if you just so happen to be curious about that, then at least you have that to look forward too.
Finally, if you were wondering, I'm not going to leave a big gap in updating time simply because this is the end of an arc. I might take a break for two weeks tops, and that's because I have a lot of other stories I want to write (Zhong/Tigress pairing, actually; quite excited to make that). Nonetheless, thank you all for reading! I would really appreciate it if people can review this story and give me your thoughts. I won't lie; I love having big review numbers. It makes me feel special xD (and I hope I don't sound rude or greedy saying that, because I assure you that isn't my intention).
If you are new to this archive, and you want to read some more Wolf Boss related works, then I would highly recommend AnimationUniverse (where I got the name Zhong from) as well as TheCoolKat (who uses Zhong in his stories as well). AnimationUniverse has many, many stories revolving KFP, and he is literally an endless train of ideas. TheCoolKat is a literary genius, and was actually my inspiration to make this story. If you two are reading this, then I thank you for making such amazing stories for me to indulge in. You two are awesome for that!
Welp, thank you all for reading, and have an awesome day!
