Chapter Ten- Anuli's Secrets

"I told you I saw her." Chao said.

"We have to find her!" Siren urged. "She can come home with us!"

"Whoa, hold up!" Anuli sounded flustered. "Now listen, this is very important information that we can add to our agenda. But we can't just rush around without a plan. Sorry guys, but we really can't afford any more trips to the hospital. That panther sorceress is still out there. We need a solid plan and go from there. Maybe even a day to rest."

Everyone exchanged looks. It wasn't really what they were thinking, but nobody could argue with Anuli's logic. So they nodded in agreement.

"Good." Anuli nodded. "I'll stay with Shifu tonight and bring him home. Let's get you guys back to the house."

"I can take them." Siren offered. "I know the way."

"I need to speak with Anuli alone." Shifu said. It was the first time he had really spoken since the doctor's revelation. Everyone noticed his troubled look and, though they were reluctant to leave him alone, Siren led Chao and Tigress out. Anuli pulled up the chair and sat down.

"What do you want to talk about?" Anuli asked.

Shifu didn't look at her for a while. When he did, his eyes were looking at her hat. "You're a fox."

Anuli looked confused. "What?"

"When you gave me your hat in the fire, I saw something." Shifu said. "You don't have human ears; you have fox ears on your head. And while we were running, you were moving the fire so it wouldn't hit us."

Anuli stared for a moment, then laughed lightly. "Shifu that smoke must've gotten to your brain. You were hallucinating."

"I remember saying, 'You're a cat' and you told me, 'I'm a fox.'" Shifu frowned. "I know what I saw. Now you need to tell me the truth."

"Shifu, it's scientifically impossible for a human to have fox ears." Anuli said.

"Really?" Shifu raised an eyebrow. "Is it also impossible for animals to be masters in kung fu? Is it impossible for a sorceress to exist, and have her be a panther no less?" Anuli suddenly gained interest in the floor. "Anuli, I don't care if you're part fox. I just want to know the truth. I promise I won't ostracize you or call you a freak."

Anuli smiled and took Shifu's hand in hers. "Don't worry about me." She stood and walked over to the couch, relaxing as she read a magazine. "Just get some sleep."

Shifu sighed a little before lying down. He looked out the window, staring at the vast city outside, wondering if the panther was out there, still angry and hungry for revenge. Shifu sighed again and settled down to sleep.

STAR STAR STAR STAR STAR

He ran as fast as he could, dodging arrows that threatened to turn him into a pincushion. His feet barely touched the ground as he sped through the forest. Mice and rabbits on the ground jumped away in fright as he nearly trampled them. But that wasn't on his mind. He was too concerned about the crazy cat lady that was after him.

He knew he had seen that figure change in the Hall of Warriors. It wasn't a wolf at all; it was a panther. And that panther was the reason he fell into the Moon Pool and ended up in this place. Ok, so maybe he was the one that jumped on the cat/wolf's back to stop her from killing Shifu, but does that really mean it was his fault he was in the human world?

Junjie suddenly jumped and scaled a tree to its uppermost branches. He stayed still and silent as the panther stopped beneath his tree. She looked around for a bit before growling in frustration.

"You can't hide forever." She seethed. "I will find you, and I will kill you for getting in my way." She stalked off into the forest, leaving Junjie alone. The fox waited for a moment until he knew she was gone before climbing down. He sighed and journeyed back towards the city. He walked through the neighborhood, not really having a specific destination in mind. He caught sight of his reflection and stared for a moment. His human form, he discovered, had bright orange hair that was speckled with white. His eyes were still orange, and his clothes and glasses were still there. He kept walking, wondering how he would find his way home. Or how he would find Shifu and the others. Just recently he witnessed Shifu get pulled out of a burning building and then taken to who-knows-where.

Junjie suddenly stopped and hid behind a corner. He peered out and saw Siren, Chao, and Tigress walking down the sidewalk near him. He listened to their conversation as they passed, keeping to the shadows.

"I'm sure we'll find Ren." Tigress sounded assuring. "And we'll bring her home."

"I just hope we can find her soon." Siren sighed. "We only know that she's alive; we have no idea where she could be."

"Then we'll search for her." Chao said firmly. "We will find her and bring her home."

Junjie waited until the group had rounded a corner before emerging. "Ren's alive…" he whispered to no one in particular. Suddenly, he knew what to do, and he took off down the street, frowning in determination

STAR STAR STAR STAR STAR

He ducked as a flaming chunk of rock soared over his head and crashed into the trees nearby. He kept running up the mountain, but he couldn't remember why. Suddenly, he became aware of two other beings running alongside him. He looked to his right and saw a fox in a blue gi shirt, red pants, and wearing round, black framed glasses.

"Junjie, why are we running?" Shifu called. Junjie didn't answer, staring straight ahead. Shifu looked to the being on his left and almost tripped from shock. Running alongside him was a peacock wearing silver robes to match his snow-white plumage. His blood red eyes glittered like rubies.

"Lord Shen…" Shifu whispered in shock. Shen was like Junjie, running as fast as he could and looking like he didn't hear Shifu. The aged master kept the same pace with them as they leaped into the air and landed on the top of the mountain. Shifu looked ahead and stared.

Standing before the three of them were a raven and a fox. Then, before their eyes, the two animals grew and changed. The raven's legs grew larger and a second pair grew to form front legs. The wings shed feathers as they went enormous, keeping to the raven's back. The raven's beak went from hard bone to the feathered jaws of a monster with sharp, pointed teeth like daggers. Talons extended as the raven reared up like a horse and let out an ear-splitting screech. The fox changed, too. Its body grew bigger and its claws were unsheathed. Fire spewed from its mouth and fur. Both the raven and the fox's eyes glowed red. When the transformation was done, two great beasts, like a demonic fox and raven, stood before Shifu, Junjie, and Shen. The fox shot fire in every direction. The raven blew wind all around, threatening to blow the trio off the mountain.

Shifu thought about turning and running, but his feet were firmly planted on the ground. He watched as Shen approached the raven beast and Junjie walked to the fox beast. He opened his mouth to stop them, but no words came out. He stared in shock as Junjie and Shen actually started talking to the beasts in front of them. The fire and wind died down and the beasts looked calm.

Junjie turned to Shifu. "Wake up, Big Ears!" he snapped.

Shifu opened his eyes with a sharp gasp. He stared at the wall for a moment before sitting up.

It was the day after he returned from the hospital. That morning, Dr. Bán permitted Anuli to take Shifu home. The second he was home, however, he went straight to bed; had hadn't slept the entire night because the hospital bed wasn't too comfortable. Anuli's guest bed was far more comfortable, and he was asleep in seconds. That same day, Anuli, Shifu, Chao, Siren, and Tigress got together to form a plan. Shifu frantically looked around, then calmed when he saw the books he had been studying on the table nearby. He must've fallen asleep while he was studying last night. Anuli must've put him to bed.

"So motherly." He murmured to himself. Then, a sound reached his ears. He looked towards the door as the sound continued. It sounded like music, but it didn't sound like any instrument he had ever heard of. He stood and silently crept from his room, down the stairs, and to the living room. He peered in and saw Anuli sitting at a large black…thing. Anuli was tapping black and white bars on it; every time she did, a sound rang out. Anuli was singing as she played. Shifu marveled at how beautiful her voice sounded.

When Anuli finished, she sighed with content.

"That was very beautiful."

Anuli jumped and turned to find Shifu right next to her. "How long have you been there?"

"Just a while." Shifu shrugged. He tapped one of the white bars on the instrument. "What is this?"

"It's called a piano." Anuli said. "It's one of my favorite instruments."

"I didn't know you could play." Shifu said as he examined the piano.

"Not many people do." Anuli shrugged. "I also dance a little."

"Really?" Shifu raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Well aren't you full of surprises."

Anuli laughed a little. "More like secrets…."

Shifu looked towards Anuli. The young African girl had a sorrowful look in her eyes. He was confused at first, but remembered the strange things he had seen Anuli do. He wanted to comfort her, but Siren's voice stopped him.

"Well, look who's up." she chuckled. "Care to join us?" Shifu turned and smiled. He and Anuli walked away from the piano and joined the others at the table.

"So what's our plan?" Anuli asked.

"Master Chao and I are going back to what's left of the burning building." Tigress said. "We're going to see if the panther maybe left something behind and search for Junjie."

"I'm going to the market." Siren said. "See if Junjie or Mom is there. Plus, we need groceries."

"I thought I told you I would do that." Anuli said.

"Don't worry about it." Siren assured. "You're already doing so much for us. This is a way to thank you."

Anuli sighed. "Alright, but I'm giving you my own money to use."

"What about me?" Shifu asked. "Should I join Siren at the market?"

"You're staying here." Chao said. "That sorceress is still out there, and we can't risk you getting hurt again."

"I think I'll be fine." Shifu protested.

"Shifu, just stay here." Tigress insisted. "I know you hate being cooped up, but it's just safer." Shifu opened his mouth to protest, but he couldn't argue with her logic. So he frowned and folded his arms over his chest grumpily.

"Fine…." He muttered.

Chao and Tigress left right afterwards. Siren got some money from Anuli and went to the market. Shifu walked to his room and sat at the window, pondering his dream. He had never seen such beasts before. And the fact that both Junjie and Lord Shen were there made it seem more like a vision. But what did it mean?

Shifu sighed and sat on his bed, folding his legs into a lotus position. He breathed evenly, softly chanting "Inner peace….." to calm his mind. But no peace would come to him, especially not when music started playing in the living room again. But this wasn't the piano; it was different and more upbeat. Shifu walked from his room and to the living room once more. But when he looked in, he was met with a most surprising sight.

Anuli had her music playing from her iPod dock. She was currently dancing to one of the songs. She moved with the grace of a bird and the energy of shrew mouse. She wore a teal tank top and white Daisy Duke shorts. She didn't have a hat on.

On top of her head were fox ears. Sprouting from her tailbone was an actual tail; a fox tail to be precise.

Anuli obviously hadn't noticed Shifu yet. She was happy as ever, dancing around the room like a fairy. Her fox tail wagged with pleasure. She laughed as she jumped and twirled and danced her heart out. When the song ended, she bowed to an invisible master.

Shifu suddenly appeared in front of her and clapped.

Anuli looked up quickly and screamed a little as she stumbled back. She tried to cover her ears and hide her tail, but the damage was done.

"Don't freak out." Shifu chuckled. "You said you could dance, but I never knew it was so well."

Anuli looked down, her fox ears flattening on her head. "You weren't supposed to find out."

"That's why you wear that hat all the time." Shifu guessed. "And why you wear long skirts; to hide this."

"Of course." Anuli sighed as she sat down on the couch. "Because everyone in this world can see my tail and ears. They'd think I was a freak; send animal control or something. Nobody can know about this."

"Trust me, your secret is safe." Shifu assured as he sat down next to her.

"Really?" Anuli asked. "You don't think I'm a freak?"

"Of course not." Shifu shook his head. "I don't understand why I would."

"I'm a human that has animal ears and a tail." Anuli said. "That's not normal."

Shifu nodded in understanding. "Does Siren know?"

"She's known for a while."

"Then she would understand a lot better than I would." Shifu explained. "She lived in a world where she was the only human around. Many saw her as a pale-faced demon. It took a long time for people to get used to her. Even then, she faced a lot of prejudice against her. Ren was the same way. But both of them managed to get through it. They looked on the positive side, and both led very happy lives. They never let something as pointless as their looks affect their lives." Shifu smiled at Anuli. "You shouldn't, either."

Anuli looked at the ground, then smiled. "I guess so."

Shifu nodded. "Which, I must ask, how did you get your fox traits? Since they're not really normal."

"It actually happened naturally." Anuli admitted. "My father moved here from China after his family died. My mother met him in town once. They literally ran into each other while she was shopping. To apologize, my dad took her to lunch. They talked, laughed, and parted ways with the promise of meeting again. And they did, exactly three days later." Anuli laughed lightly. "Mom used to tell me she had never loved someone more. They were married four months later. And then I came into the picture. Siren was born on the same day. When I was born, I had my father's human form with my mother's tail and ears."

"So your mother was the fox." Shifu said.

"Yep." Anuli nodded. "It made perfect sense, too. Her name was Vixen."

Shifu stared at Anuli in shock. "Vixen?"

"Yeah." Anuli said. "Why?"

"Do you know how she came to this world?" Shifu asked hurriedly.

Anuli thought for a moment. "She was a midwife, for Siren's mother Ren."