EVENING OF THE THIRD DAY
TARAN ZHU
The gathering clouds had built into a full blown thunderstorm over the Jade Forest. Lightning flared brilliantly overhead, and twisting forks of astonishing brightness twisted like a many-tongued serpent against the looming clouds. The thunderclouds absorbed the disc of the sun by afternoon, and soon, the thunder contained within roared over the swaying bamboo stalks and high teak trees. Vast curtains of driving hail and water swept over the forest. The great howling winds of the storm twisted the branches of the trees this way and that, turning them over endlessly; snapping those that resisted but sweeping those that acquiesced in an endless phugoid cycle. Taran let a sigh of frustration escape his lips as he removed the facial scarf of the Shado-Pan. Ordinarily, he would not have done so, but now the scarlet fabric was soaked through with rainwater. The scarf was a hindrance now, not an asset.
They had been unable to avoid the thunderstorm entirely, of course. The trees helped a bit, but eventually, the steady downpour forced the Shado-Pan to seek shelter beneath the limbs of a gigantic teak tree. "We've passed the Hozen Village and crossed one of the major rivers in the area." Taran muttered to Jansho Ghostpaw, who rubbed at his saturated sleeves and leggings with both hands. "But we're at least a day away from Paw'don Village, and this weather doesn't help our cause at all."
Jansho eventually gave up on drying off. Their sheltering teak wasn't much of a place to take cover, but it was all they had. The western reaches of the Jade Forest weren't as heavily inhabited as the coasts, so there was little chance they'd find anyone with shelter to offer. "Lord Zhu, as unpleasant as the weather is, I'm glad to have accompanied you through it." He shivered slightly, and then let loose his own vexed sigh. "This weather seems intense for this season." Jansho observed, his deep brown eyes closing in thought. "I don't suppose..." His thoughts trailed off.
Taran admitted that Jansho had a point. Winter was a season keenly felt by Kun-Lai, but otherwise ignored by the rest of Pandaria. The Jade Forest merely saw its rainfall increase, the Valley of the Four Winds was occasionally covered by light layers of snow, and the Krasarang Wilds were hot almost all year round. "I sometimes wonder if a snowfall in Krasarang might be cause for alarm." Taran chuckled, but something in Jansho's voiced thoughts gave him pause. The sha might not be the only thing the outsiders were awakening.
Jansho laughed at Taran's jest, and it wasn't an uncomfortable laugh expected from one who feared his commander. Rather, it was a genuine belly-laugh that Pandaren were always capable of. "They don't give your wit enough credit, Lord Zhu." Jansho turned his head towards Taran from the drenched road and Taran saw the smile. The smile of a man unafraid of anything... Taran smiled a little himself. Jansho's expressions were contagious when he let down his own guard.
But what do my people give me credit for, I wonder? Taran thought, before dismissing that thought. No, that is a blatant exercise of the ego. One that I will not indulge in... His mind turned to the last day's events. According to the elders in Honeydew Village last night, there had been another intense thunderstorm the day before. Usually, they would have had at least an hour's notice before violent weather like that came upon the village. Not this time around...and Taran remembered that the roads had been soggy almost the entire way to the village from the south.
Jansho and he had gone back the way they came, but they had much further to go to Paw'don. As they'd left Honeydew in the Northeast, they'd made good progress. Up until the thunderstorm had swept in, that is. The driving rain and hail forced the two Shado-Pan to abandon the road, and their mounts rested now in shelter, their fur patterns concealing them in the darkness. For a moment, it seemed as though the rain was slackening, and just as Taran raised his hands to wipe off his brow and hair, he saw something quite large moving in the distance. It was quite imposing...and, if Taran's eyes were correct, extremely bad-tempered. His eyes narrowed. What would a single Zandalari be doing in the western reaches of the Jade Forest? He exchanged a quick glance with Jansho, as well a quick nod and a whisper, "Zandalari war scout." Jansho's deep brown eyes closed tightly as the two Shado-Pan read each other's intent. Taran was good at concealing himself, but Jansho, being the rogue, was a master of stealth and was thus better at vanishing entirely.
Taran swept his facial scarf up and back into position. It clung to his neck and his nose, the clammy cloth sending a brief chill through his body. Wet or not, the scarlet cloth of the scarf would still be useful for concealing the white of his muzzle. As he drew closer, hidden by both the gathering gloom of the evening rainstorm, his suspicions were confirmed. There had been trolls among the Horde at Honeydew Village, but they had not truly reeked of arrogance. The same could never be said of the Zandalari. The war scout was walking along the path to the north, his shoulders high and his visage bearing an ugly expression of hate and confusion. It would only be a matter of time before he had sighted the Shado-Pan at this pace. Taran readied the two-handed sword that rested on his back, using the foliage for cover and shielding his eyes with his left hand, his right resting on the hilt of his sword. He was within fifteen yards of the Zandalari when the towering troll suddenly stopped and sniffed the air. Muttering something foul in the language of his people, the Zandalari war scout prepared to move along...just as Taran closed the distance. Suddenly, the troll whirled and the Zandalari snarled, "I see you!" Brandishing a massive hammer, the scout lunged towards the Lord of the Shado-Pan, swinging the hammer up and readying hastily.
Taran Zhu instinctively rolled to the right, ducking under the attack in the process, and wielded his two-handed sword. The sword swayed as Taran assumed his stance, both hands stabilizing the heavy blade. The Zandalari snarled hateful words in his own tongue, shifting his own weight from foot to foot. Taran stared his opponent down, ever patient...and the Zandalari lunged again, swinging the hammer in such a way that would prevent the Lord of the Shado-Pan from rolling away. Sometimes it was better to redirect force than to meet it head on. Taran did just that, feinting with the sword but suddenly meeting it. But that meeting was short; he pushed with the Zandalari, not against it. Taken off guard and unable to step back in time, his foe toppled head over heels. As the Zandalari attempted to scrabble upright, it howled in pain for two reasons; Taran slashed the scout's left thigh, and three shuriken glinted in what little light remained, all embedded in the Zandalari's left hip. Jansho's shuriken storm had struck home, and Taran smiled under his scarf.
Hate and rage suffused the Zandalari's very being, and Taran jumped back as his opponent seemed to gather lightning about his hands. With a deafening clap, the thunder the Zandalari had summoned now smashed the ground in front of him as he brought both hands forward. Lightning flashed against the clouds above with sudden violence, and the heavens echoed the Zandalari's actions. When the cadence of the heavens faded, Taran Zhu was nowhere near his opponent. He fell into cover, and waited for his next opportunity to strike. Taran Zhu needed to needle his target, get under his skin. Angry opponents made mistakes that calm opponents did not. Now, the Shado-Pan was the hunting tiger. The Zandalari groaned and plucked at Jansho's shuriken in his hip, and looked about in utter confusion. He couldn't find Taran...but a blur of motion suddenly drew his attention away. Again, the Zandalari roared with agony as it turned to face the blur. This was coupled with the unnatural sound of grinding stone against hardened steel. Taran's eyes widened as he saw Jansho wheel in from behind the Zandalari, who spun about almost in place. The hammer and Jansho's favored kunai rang against each other again and again. The troll was bleeding now from both hips. Jansho clearly had landed another trio of shuriken, and the Zandalari snarled more agonized phrases of hatred as the rogue faced the war scout.
Taran had his opportunity as Jansho avoided another hammer strike. The scout swung his heavy hammer and missed Jansho again. Now, its back was to Taran Zhu. His steps as silent as the rainy ground would allow, Taran closed the distance rapidly, and jumped. With one hand, he seized the Zandalari's head from behind as he fell, toppling it over once again. The Zandalari attempted to roll, but Taran thwarted his efforts and forced the Zandalari onto his back. His weight pinned the troll's shoulder to the ground. Taran Zhu never gave the scout the time needed to recover. Their eyes met, and the Zandalari's face filled with horror as he realized his predicament. In an instant, the two-handed sword rose over his neck, and Taran cut the war scout's throat swiftly. The Zandalari's eyes bulged, and then with a rattling gurgle, the life ebbed from the war scout's body.
Taran felt the adrenaline rush of battle fade as he stood over his fallen foe. The rain dripped down his helmet as his panting slackened and he began to breathe normally. This was violence, yes, but it was necessary. The Zandalari were truly dangerous to any Pandaren, even those among the Shado-Pan, and they could not be allowed to go about Pandaria unhindered. "Where one Zandalari is found, another is usually nearby." He murmured to Jansho, folding the dead troll's arms over his chest. It was a form of respect, and Taran was painfully aware that it was one that would never have been afforded had their positions been reversed.
Jansho nodded. "Are you well, Lord Zhu?"
"I believe I am uninjured." Taran responded. "How are you?"
"I am alert, awake, and whole of mind and body," Jansho answered him with a casual shrug, "which is more than I can say for him." With a click, Jansho's kunai fit into their sheaths on his belt.
Taran nodded as Jansho cleaned his kunai with a small cloth. "Now, I have another reason to order some of our people to safeguard this region. Zandalari were known to haunt the northeast coast of the Jade Forest when their empire reigned, and they inflicted much grief upon our people in days of old." He let loose a long breath, and remembered a quote of his grandfather's. He whispered it aloud, "We are not to allow today's problems to become the nightmares that haunt our people in days ahead."
Jansho plucked the shuriken from the dead Zandalari, cleaning them off with care so as not to poke his own fingers. "True enough, Lord Zhu." His brow knit with thought as the rain slackened for good. Only occasional drops fell, the driving curtains of rain having passed towards the rest of the continent. "He sounded like he was lost. I don't know the Zandalari tongue, but he did not act as one familiar with these roads." Suddenly, Jansho noticed a glint of light in the Zandalari's pockets. He grunted and rummaged through them, finding the object of his search after a moment. As he removed the object, even in the twilight, Taran could see Jansho's dark face turn almost white with shock. Taran leaned in closer and Jansho handed it to him, his hands shaking slightly.
He recognized it even in the dim light, and Taran's eyes grew wide with horror. Jansho had handed him the clasp of a Shado-Pan veteran's belt. The image of Xuen's face, set in gold alloy, adorned the front of the clasp. What scraps of fabric remained on the other side were saturated with Pandaren blood. From what Taran could tell, the belt had been fairly new. Its owner had met an untimely demise, all too likely at the hands of this very Zandalari... Sorrowfully, Taran turned it over in his hands. Jansho shook his head as he stood to his feet, and the color slowly returned to his face. "I don't know who this was taken from, but at least we prevented this monster from claiming other lives." Jansho said coldly, his shuriken now clean and returned to his pack.
Taran nodded and took off his helmet. The intonation for a fallen member of the Shado-Pan came to his mind all too easily...and with no small amount of grief in his heart. He removed the helmet from his head and wrung out the face wrap to shed the rainwater that had soaked it through. After a moment, Taran closed his golden eyes, bowed his head, and spoke solemnly, "Where one Shado-Pan falls, another shall take their place." The falling rains seemed to slacken as he spoke, and Jansho bowed his head reverently. "We do not know what your fate was, but we know that you fell. You were one of us. We shall see you again in a far better life to come." His task completed, Taran took the helmet and put it back on.
Jansho was silent. Taran placed the belt clasp in his pack and turned to him. "The rain has let up, and I've got my second wind. Shall we ride through the night and see where we are come morning, Ghostpaw?"
Jansho bowed. "I shall follow you for as long as I am needed, Lord Zhu."
Taran smiled slightly, and they returned to their riding tigers. The great cats were restless as the Shado-Pan approached, and Taran's white tiger snarled as it smelled the Zandalari blood crusting along the edge of his sword. Taran hastily whipped out a cleaning cloth and set to work taking that off; he didn't want the blade sticking to his clothes, after all. Eventually, they readied up, and soon the feet of their riding tigers pounded smoothly along the road to the south. They left behind them the body of the Zandalari war scout, but before leaving, the two Shado-Pan removed the corpse from the path and placed it in a grove. The thunder echoed in the distance as the Shado-Pan rode onwards.
ELSEWHERE IN THE LAND OF MISTS
THE OX-GATE BETWEEN TOWNLONG STEPPES AND KUN-LAI SUMMIT
LAO-CHIN THE IRON BELLY
Lao-Chin the Iron Belly had never expected to find himself in the presence of three Shado-Masters of the Shado-Pan, and certainly not all at the same time. Shado-Masters commanded a considerable amount of knowledge of the teachings of the order, and both Zhiyao and Zhen radiated calm. Shado-Master Chong had manned this part of the Serpent's Spine for the last month without aid, and now that his relief had arrived, Chong was able to sleep.
The snowstorm billowed about the great wall of the Serpent's Spine. Near the Ox-Gate, the small area they'd chosen for refuge was beset by a spat of weather that had been stirred to action over the mountains of Kun-Lai. The Shado-Pan had taken refuge in a gatehouse, and Chong wasn't the only one sleeping. Confined indoors by the wintry blast, Shado-Masters Zhiyao and Zhen sat at a small table, both enwrapped in a match of mahjong. No, Lao-Chin corrected himself, it was a full-scale war, and it was not one that favored Zhiyao in the long run. The losing Shado-Master's brow was knit with concentration, his focus directed to the game. Sweat dripped down his brow as well, and he blinked as he contemplated his move.
Other fighters of the Shado-Pan lay on sleeping pads, all attempting to rest up for when the weather ceased. Before the sudden snowstorm, it had actually been rather warm out. The shift was devastating and not welcome, but it kept the Yaungol away from the Ox-Gate as well. After having met the yaungol in battle time and again the past week, they were now too exhausted to face weather like this. A single Shado-Pan remained outside, and she was one well-suited for this. Snow Blossom, a very powerful Omnia mage, had insisted that at least one of them remain. Lao-Chin recalled that where others had balked, she alone had remained out of doors. A frost mage, she would be better suited for it than any of them.
Another move by Zhiyao provoked a smile from Zhen, and Zhiyao grew increasingly frustrated. The game was not favoring him. Zhen's low chuckling didn't help his temperament, and Zhiyao locked eyes with Lao-Chin. After a moment, he commanded, "Iron Belly, go make sure that Snow Blossom's still alive out there."
Lao-Chin nodded, grabbing a thick cloak with a fur collar from the gatehouse as he did so. Normally, he would have gone with just the pants, but he wasn't foolish enough to tempt fate. And certainly not with these wintry gales that continued to howl outside of the gatehouse... Reluctantly, Lao-Chin opened the gatehouse door to the side of the wall, and immediately gripped it tightly as the wind swept in and threatened to sweep his footing away. His eyes narrowed; the ground was covered by at least a foot of snow right now. He trudged out to the ladder that led up to the wall...
He clambered up, gripping the wooden rungs tightly amidst the swirling winds. To his surprise, he saw that Snow Blossom remained atop the wall. She was unharmed by the cold or by any attack, and she smiled as he approached. "Lao-Chin!" She greeted him warmly. "Have you come to keep me company?"
"Actually, I came to see if you were alive first." Lao-Chin sat down next to her, and she smiled brilliantly. Her teeth could illuminate even the hostile weather of a Kun-Lai blizzard. "And then I didn't know what to do afterwards." He admitted, drawing the cloak tightly to his body. Not even his thick belly and layers of insulating fat were enough to truly keep Lao-Chin warm in weather like this.
Snow Blossom's hair was tied back with two pins holding it in a steady knot. "I appreciate that they sent someone up after all. But I haven't seen any Yaungol yet." She added with a small smile. "I don't think they can tolerate this weather, and they don't have the big bellies that you and our other warriors do." She glanced at Lao-Chin's rather expansive gut and smiled again.
"Heaven knows the giant insects certainly can't handle this." Lao-Chin rumbled in agreement. "Small mercies."
"Indeed." Snow Blossom looked out towards Townlong Steppes. "We do have enough problems out here without the mantid besieging us as well." Her eyes narrowed suddenly. "Have we heard anything from the Monastery?" She inquired respectfully. Of all the Omnia, Snow Blossom had always treated him with dignity and kindness. The same couldn't be said of others from her discipline; Lao-Chin knew full well that Ban Bearheart thought him an idiot.
"Not since we arrived, Snow Blossom." Lao-Chin responded in the negative. "Is no news good news, though?"
Snow Blossom let loose a long icy breath. "Perhaps." She shook off the gathering snowflakes from her shoulders. "I'm glad that Zhiyao and Zhen are here. Those two can handle almost anything that comes our way. But...the others need a good long respite. Time in the Monastery would do the more tired souls here wonders."
"Exhausted Shado-Pan seldom make good soldiers." Lao-Chin agreed, citing the old adage of the order. "But Lord Zhu's not in the Monastery right now. Even if we could get a message away..."
Snow Blossom nodded as she understood his meaning. "...he wouldn't be able to act on it." She sighed as another gust swept over the battlements of the Serpent's Spine, and both she and Lao-Chin braced themselves against it. She let loose a breath in vexation after the battering ram of wind had passed. "I pity that man. He does so much for our sake."
"Taran Zhu?" Lao-Chin asked, and Snow Blossom nodded in agreement.
"I wonder if the only mark he will leave upon this impossibly stubborn order was that he tried to do so much at once, only to be beset by ten disasters at the same time. He just can't see everything through personally. Heaven knows his father tried." Snow Blossom sighed wearily. "Jet Zhu, Celestials grant him peace, certainly left this world a bitter man." Snow Blossom blinked suddenly. "But the role of leadership suits Lord Taran Zhu quite well."
There was silence between them. "Do you...love him?" Lao-Chin asked her in a respectful tone, shifting the cloak on his back.
"I...honestly..." Her voice trailed off as she gathered her thoughts. "I really haven't thought about it long enough to call it that." Snow Blossom admitted, rubbing her arms with both hands to keep warm. "Perhaps in a very different time, in a very different life..." She mused aloud, and sighed dismissively, as though the matter were truly settled, before chuckling. "Lao-Chin, if Yalia Sagewhisper could hear me now, she'd say that such thoughts were for cubs alone." With another chuckle, Snow Blossom added, "And she'd say that I was a fool to think of such things at my age. I can see her now!"
Lao-Chin said nothing. Snow Blossom clearly had kept these things to herself. For a moment, Snow Blossom said nothing as well, but she then saw him shivering and smiled affably, speaking in her calm voice, "Thanks for keeping me company, Lao-Chin, but I truly am well-built to handle this. Those with a mastery of ice often are." She smiled again. "I will check in later. And I will let those inside know the moment it is safe to return to this frozen landscape."
"I'll be back later." Lao-Chin offered, but as he headed back to the ladder down to the lower levels, he swore he could hear Snow Blossom's chuckling.
When he returned to the gatehouse, he saw that the mahjong game had been cleared. Zhiyao paced about the far side, his proud head slumped in defeat and his eyebrows expressing unhappiness. Shado-Master Zhen, on the other hand, had a grin from ear to ear, and he smiled even wider as Lao-Chin put up his now soggy cloak. "Iron Belly! Does Snow Blossom yet live?"
"She still draws breath." Lao-Chin responded with a small smile. "And she'd be perfectly content to stay out there until the weather clears."
Zhen's expression soured. "If it ever clears..." He sat down at the table. "Zhiyao, the bad sport that he is, tried to deny me total victory." Leaning in towards Lao-Chin, who sat as well, Zhen whispered, "It was like he was trying to lose instead."
Zhiyao, who paced on the other side of the room, rolled his eyes and walked over. "I underestimated Zhen's cunning. For a Battlemaster, he's certainly quick to take advantage of anything."
"One would think a Rogue would understand such things!" Zhen reached up and thumped Zhiyao's back with a hearty laugh. "Iron Belly, fancy a game?"
"No thanks." Lao-Chin smiled. "I'd rather keep my dignity."
"Ah well." Zhen sighed. "Such is life. Perhaps Brother Shan would be willing?" He pointed to a rather weary-eyed monk. Ishagar Shan leaned against the gatehouse wall, his eyes droopy with sleep, but he perked up a bit at the mention of his name.
Shan somberly replied, "I think we've all had enough mahjong for today..." His eyes fluttered to a close even as he spoke, and soon he slumped next to two other monks, all snoring softly.
Zhen guffawed and smiled helplessly. "Ah well. People's champion today..."
"People's loser on the morrow..." Zhiyao muttered.
"Why...Is that a challenge, Zhiyao?" Zhen winked at Lao-Chin.
"It might be, Zhen." Zhiyao answered him smartly, with a cunning smile of his own.
For his part, Lao-Chin was content to keep watch over his fellows as the night set in, and even the Shado-Masters succumbed to sleep. When Ishagar Shan awoke, he took over the watch, allowing Lao-Chin the Iron Belly to sleep as well. As slumber claimed him, he made out the form of Snow Blossom as she placed another cloak over his back. She was smiling...and her smile reminded him so much of his own mother. His thoughts before slumber claimed him as well were of Snow Blossom and Taran Zhu. It did her no good at all to pine over the Lord of the Shado-Pan, especially if he didn't return her affections. When he woke tomorrow, he would continue to listen. Any good brewmaster did just that, after all...but in an order that valued secrecy, stealth, and keeping one's emotions contained, that was a difficult task.
Author's Notes: Whew! That was quite a long chapter, and I had some corrections to make from the first draft to the second. I ultimately plan on putting these on my personal tumblr, but not until later.
If the name Brother Shan sounds familiar, it is! Shadows of the Horde has given me some ideas, but I ultimately will be illuminating the light on the darkness of what were the Shado-Pan doing after the Alliance and Horde landed. I might go back and write from the perspectives of the OC's, depending on how well this goes over.
If you have any questions about this work, or corrections you would advise, please do not hesitate to PM me. My inbox is always open.