Chapter Nine
The answer. What was the answer?
It was obvious. Why could the red panda not see it as well?
Fenghuang rubbed her temples gingerly, shaking her perfectly formed head. Her head-crest was flat, and her comb-like tuft of feathers on her beak were ruffled. Anxiety had cast it's net over her like moonlight, and she had fallen into it's clutches quite easily.
However, it was no groundless anxiety. Yaan, her nightmare, was on the move. She felt it in her bones. He was regrouping strength and power from his defeats, but far faster than last time. The tiger, Zhung Chai, proved it. That was no mercenary, Yaan had given the tiger some of his own power, extending his range, increasing his will. It also showed that the dragon was hiring or enslaving minions...
She sighed, unable to grasp by what twisted reason anyone would willingly serve the wicked creature.
Could they not see how wrong it was? Had Yaan corrupted the mortals to the point that they rushed into the open arms of their corruptor?
The state that the mortal world was in now, was horrifying. Fenghuang, who had seen civilization at it's zenith, seen the gloriously perfect world that had been intended, could only weep.
But the time for sorrow was not now. Yaan was on the move. The knowledge did nothing to help her, however. The questions that it raised were now pressing upon her mind, questions that she had no answer for. Where would he send his first hammer-strike? In what form would it come?
Closing her eyes, she spent a few minutes in silent prayer, washing her troubles away, at least for now.
"What do you think? Do you suppose the Grandmaster will permit your journey?" Shen questioned attentively, "I, personally think he should not..."
Po trudged back to his room, walking next to the peacock in silence. His mind was full of the Phoenix's quest as well, but he thought of it differently. The tale that she had spun sounded just like something his wild imagination would have cooked up.
"You realize, panda, that her request is quite a dangerous one..." Shen continued, "If the journey itself does not kill you, other things might. That tiger..."
"Oh, him?" Po asked quickly, interrupting the peacock, "Well, I suppose that we could just sneak past him...you know, my stealth mode is legendary."
"Is it?" Shen raised an eyebrow, "I never thought you were the stealthy type, Po."
"Yeah, Tigress said that it was the most unique thing she had ever seen," came the panda's reply, turning to face Shen, thus walking backwards.
"Well, perhaps I shall see it someday..." the peacock mused mildly.
"Yeah, you mean 'wouldn't see it', because it's so sneaky," Po grinned, "I used it to sneak to your tower, in Gongmen."
Shen's eyebrows knotted. "Weren't you caught that time?"
"Yea-y-yeah, but the, the getting captured was also part of my, eh, plot, to eh, get inside," Po stuttered, "I used it to sneak inside the factory, too, you know, I knocked out two wolves and his behind em-"
"I caught you then as well, Po," Shen smirked, "Just before I, er, shot you through a wall."
"Eh, wasn't your fault," Po stated dismissively, "You were crazy at the time."
Shen mumbled something, shaking his head quietly.
"Anyhow, panda," he started again, looking up, "I was talking, before we got side-tracked, about that tiger. He was hunting Yin, wouldn't he also want to hurt you? Simply by being with her, you place yourself in danger."
Po seemed to consider this, before responding.
"You know what I would like to know?" he asked, with a wistful frown on his chubby face, "How did he manage to shoot fire? Must be like, such a useful thing to have..."
Shen brought a wing to his face with a groan. "Panda, do you take nothing seriously? Fire BURNS! It... It..." he looked down to his feet, covered in grey, ashy scars, given to him, so long ago, "It scars, panda... Scars don't heal. And, fat is flammable." with that last statement, he fixed the panda in his red glare, eying him.
"Heh, Shen, I'll deal with it!" came the reply from the bear, as he now turned from the peacock, pacing cheerily towards his door, "Don't worry."
Po closed his door abruptly in Shen's face, leaving the bird alone in the dark.
Shen stared at the closed door, seething angrily. "Fine!" he whispered to the door, as venomous as possible, "Get yourself killed, panda! See if I care!"
The door gave no answer, standing silently, rebutting Shen's declaration as effectively as if it had spoke. Shen whirled from the entrance, and stormed down the hall towards his own room, angry thoughts running through his head. His door greeted his eyes, and he flung it aside wildly, enjoying the loud 'BANG' immensely.
"Stupid panda! Stupid, stupid, STUPID panda!" he almost shouted, keeping in mind that the rooms were made of paper, and that he was bound to be heard if he made too much noise.
"Why doesn't he ever think?" Shen continued his heated rant, pacing hurriedly back and forth, "He's going to get himself killed. He's going to meet that tiger, and he is going to burn like an oil drum! Aargh..." the peacock ground to a halt, panting quickly, his feathers ruffled. He shook his head, and sat down slowly.
It had been a very long day, and, although he didn't realize it, Shen was exhausted. He could not sleep, however... He could not even keep his eyes closed for any length.
This was useless. Groaning a little, Shen got to his feet, and continued to pace, slower this time, around and around, in circles. Soon, he found a rhythm, and his body moved as if by itself, walking round and around, in continuous circles, far into the night...
Fire, burning, shining... immortal. Fire will never die... as long as it is fed.
The flames fed now, crackling as they wrapped around rooftops. The Valley was on fire, as sparks flew swiftly from house to house, hastening the inexorable advance of the inferno.
The fire, running in streaks down the roads, cut off fleeing villagers, trapping them inside the blaze. Their screams of pain, their dying gasps, went unheard, drowned out by the roaring fire in the night.
Shifu raced down the stairs, horrified. Desperately, he forced his way to the village, but walls of flickering heat confronted him, forcing him to a stop.
Crane. He must get Crane. With his wings, he could get in, save SOME lives, anyone!
The aged Grandmaster turned quickly, his lungs aching from the inhalation of the smoke. The stairs. He must reach the stairs...
Finally, his racing feet carried him to the foot of the mountain, the Jade Palace untouchable, high above. The red panda was brave, but his heart quailed at the thought of the lives lost while he climbed those steps.
Taking a deep breath, he began, step after step after step-
He looked up again, and screeched to a halt. There, standing on the five-hundredth step, stood a white tiger, gleaming sword unsheathed in hand. His other paw was held to the sky, orange lightning passing between it and the clouds above. A bolt of fire came from the clouds, setting flames to the already burning village.
With a cry of anger, Shifu raced up the stairs, and leaped into an aerial kick on the tiger's side. The tiger did not spare him a glance, deflecting the attack with his sword. Shifu, Oogway's staff in hand, pinned the sword, and kicked the tiger sideways. The lightning stopped, and the tiger turned it's glowing eyes to the Grandmaster at last.
"It hurts, doesn't it, Shifu!?" the tiger growled, bringing the sword upwards with a flourish, "To watch everyone down there, burn? I bet you wish you were down there now! Well, that wish can be granted!"
Shifu did something he had never done before. He snarled, with animal ferocity, and rushed the tiger, swinging the staff in a hammer blow to the feline's knee, then twirling the staff effortlessly, stabbed the tiger in his golden-armored chest. The feline gasped, and drew back with a growl.
"You seem to be worthy of an adversary, Shifu!" the tiger yelled, showing his fangs, "There are not many, for the great Zhung Chai!"
With that, Zhung leaped into the air, holding his sword with both hands, and sliced it downwards towards Shifu. The Grandmaster caught the blade in the forked end of his staff, stopping the slice, but the tiger used the momentum of his feet to send a powerful kick to Shifu's face. Absorbing the force of the blow, Shifu grabbed the outstretched foot, sending the tiger sprawling on his back. The Grandmaster did not give the tiger a chance to recover, leaping into the air, and pinning Zhung by his neck, using the forked end of Oogway's staff to put a throttle hold on the feline.
"There is no word for the pain you will suffer for this!" Shifu yelled in Zhung's face, his eyes raging with angry fire.
"You feel the flames, Shifu!" Zhung replied with a chuckle, "You already feel them inside! They burn you already! Now, they burn you.. From without!"
Zhung brought his paws together, and a beam of flame sent the Grandmaster hurtling upwards, landing hard. Shifu gasped in pain, as his hip, shattered from his blow from Tai Lung, took the full force of the impact. He grunted, standing unsteadily.
Zhung laughed, and sent another beam of fire at the red panda, to turn him to a pile of burning ashes.
Shifu saw the arrow-like tip of the beam, coming at his face.
He closed his eyes, and made a circling motion with his foot...
At the last possible second, he vaulted up on his staff, twirling above the beam, then twisted around in mid-air, bringing the staff down in a terrific clout on Zhung's face. The tiger fell back, stunned... but was forced to defend himself, as Shifu landed, delivering strike after strike after kick, each executed with deadly precision.
Zhung drew back a step, and unsheathed his sword with a tremendous roar. Shifu lunged, and the two exchanged blows, wisps of fire sparking freely, each time the sword came into contact with the staff.
Shifu stabbed forward, hoping to hit the tiger in his stomach, only to have Zhung parry quickly. The Grandmaster twirled the staff in his fingers, confusing the feline, and landed a blow to his side. Zhung groaned, then snarled... he reached out with his paw, and caught the staff, yanking it from Shifu with tremendous force. Shifu, unprotected, dodged blow after blow from the sword, waiting for a chance.
Finally, he got one, as Zhung brough his sword down with terrible force. Shifu leaped backwards, and the blade embedded itself in thson tone stairs. Shifu then ran up the flat of the blade, delivering a kick to Zhung's face, which sent the tiger hurtling upwards. Shifu leaped upwards after him, and delivered a second, spinning kick with his right leg, and upwards kick with his left, then finishing with a horrendous blow to the tiger's hip with both feet.
Both animals dropped, Shifu landing on his feet, and the tiger landing on his side.
The Grandmaster gasped, panting, his eyes turning back to the Valley, now almost completely ablaze. He staggered, horrified at the destruction. All those people... His people, ones he had sworn to protect, gone... He turned his head, as Zhung attempted to stand...
Shifu rushed forward, bloodlust in his normally calm eyes. Zhung, seeing the enraged Master, tried desperately to stand... he began groping frantically, for anything...
Shifu, as he ran, picked up Oogway's staff, lying fallen where the tiger had thrown it. He leaped into the air, bringing the staff over his head...
he was going to splatter that tiger's brains, all over the stairs.
Zhung, watching the Grandmaster come down like a meteor, winced. His flailing hands finally found something, and he brought it up in front of him quickly...
Shifu, enraged, saw Zhung grasp his sword desperately, and hold it up. A sickening thud, and Shifu's eyes widened... and he fell backwards, toppling to his side, with Zhung's curved blade impaled in his chest.
The tiger, gasping, rose slowly and painfully to his feet, sending the dying Grandmaster a triumphant look. He raised both paws to the sky, and yelled loudly.
Shifu's vision began to fade around the edges, but he still saw clearly. The flames that had engulfed the city, now began to tower upward, a pillar shooting into the atmosphere. It looked like an inverted tornado, it's bright orange pinnacle twisting weirdly in the air.
The Grandmaster gasped, a red liquid trailing down the corners of his mouth, and he began to cough up blood...
His fingers twitched uselessly around the blade, stabbed deep into his chest, but his arms seemed drained of all strength. He could only lie helplessly, watching the final demise of the valley he held dear.
Suddenly, a roar shattered the air, and there came a dragon, rising from the summit of the flames. It's wings filled the sky, and it's tail was long and trailing, like a ribbon of white flame. The span of it's wings matched the width of the valley, and they created two huge cyclones as they flapped, bearing the dragon high above. Seven backwards-pointing horns framed the back of his head, and his scales were the color of the hottest of fire.
The flames of the burning valley moved up to greet the dragon, who raised his wings in triumph, throwing back his head, and roaring at the moon, flame spouting forcefully from his mouth.
Shifu yelled, as the dragon suddenly brought his wings down, crashing them on the Valley, utterly destroying it, sending bits of rubble flying...
"NOOOOOOOoooooo!"
The shriek, sounding like the last scream of a dying man, echoed through the halls of the Jade Palace, normally silent and serene. The jade muffled the sound, the wood distorted it, till, by the time it reached the ears of the sleeping Five, it was simply another eerie sound of the night.
But one heard it, one who could not sleep...
Shifu lay on his back, drenched in in liquid. His body twitched uncontrollably, his breath, what was left of it, coming in gasps, nothing even.
His hands moved to his chest, and with a gasp of surprise- found it was intact. There was no blade in it.
The Grandmaster collapsed back, his breathing ragged with relief and shock. He was still in the meditation room, trying to find the answer to the problem posed to him by Yin, or Zhu Yin, whichever was more proper. So it was just a nightmare. What a horrible nightmare!
Footsteps, cautiously echoing down the hall, coming towards the room, brought Shifu to his feet in a flash. He moved into a somewhat shaky fighting stance, and just waited. The footsteps continued to echo. Whoever it was, was just outside the door...
Shifu's already frayed nerves could not stand this any longer. He raced to the door, and threw it open. A flash of white greeted his eyes, and he yelled, striking the other creature with a knife-handed blow without thinking.
The other creature yelled and drew back, groaning slightly.
"Master?! Wha- why would you do that?" came it's voice, one Shifu recognized, to his relief.
"Shen? what are you doing here?" Shifu questioned intently, his eyes and mind still a little wild.
"Master, I heard a scream, and came to investigate..." Shen explained, eyeing the red panda strangely, "Master, are you... alright?"
"No, peacock, I am not," the grandmaster answered truthfully, "I-I just experienced a nightmare, the likes of which I have never before encountered in my life."
Shen seemed surprised.
"A nightmare, Master?" he asked, his face almost looking comical.
"Yes, a terrible, terrible nightmare," Shifu sighed, composing himself, "It was awful. The Valley was in flame- the Valley!"
Shifu suddenly raced to the window, and began peering out as if he was almost afraid of what he might see. Shen walked slower behind.
Shifu groaned in relief. The Valley was still there, as peacefully as always, the full winter moon hanging frostily in the sky above.
The grandmaster turned back to Shen, and sighed.
"I apologize for waking you up, Shen," he stated quietly, nodding to the peacock, "You may return to your room now."
"Master, I was not asleep," Shen replied respectfully, "You know, I never thought that you would have nightmares..."
"This was no ordinary nightmare, peacock!" Shifu rebutted quickly, "It was unimaginably real..."
He explained the whole dream to Shen, who listened quietly. Shen was no newcomer to horrible dreams, he used to suffer from them quite frequently. But one thing that was always consistent with those dreams... Was that they were surreal. This one was clear-cut, precise...
"Master, perhaps the universe is trying to tell you something... something about this quest of Yin's?"
"That thought occured to me as well, peacock," Shifu responded, sitting, "At first, I thought that it must mean not for me to send Po away, so that the Valley will be better protected... but what would that accomplish in the end? This dragon... it..." Shifu kept talking, as if something was being revealed to him as he spoke, "The dragon must be destroyed. Shen, talking to you has cleared my mind."
"Why... Thank you, Master..."
"Yes, I know now what must be done."
Author's note: Did I scare you? Probably not. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! It was fun to write, as well.