CHAPTER 10. LI SHAN AND PING ATTEMPTS TO SNEAK AFTER PO
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LI SHAN'S POV
Here we were, me and Mr. Ping, standing outside of the Training Hall and watching to the stormy sky upon the Valley.
It was getting in every passing second even more and more violent and ominous.
"I'm telling you yet again, I don't like the storm like this. Too ominous to be the normal storm, I say." I said with the deep concern of our son Po.
"The middle-afternoon has already passed... about two hours ago... and he isn't still back." Mr. Ping said, with as concerned tone of voice as mine.
"This is not like Po. He's never late from anything. At least he wasn't always late from the father-and-son act and serving the guests of my noodle shop back in the time when he used to live still under my wings until he became the Kung Fu master and the Dragon Warrior. I know that he's now skilled warrior and old and able enough to take care of himself in any situation, but this storm... those savage wolves out there in the woods... and the fact that our boy isn't yet back home... I have no idea what to do, except to wait for his return as master Shifu said. If you ask me, I'll say that I go to master Shifu right now and plead him to send one of his Five to search for Po and bring him back... or else I'm gonna do that by myself." Mr. Ping added as he crossed his wings and took the frustrated expression.
As a Po's father from panda side, I equally shared the same common feelings with Mr. Ping.
Even though I didn't liked to just stand here and wait for Po's arrival, master Shifu was the grand master of the Jade Palace like his predecessor, some turtle called Oogway, as my son and master Shifu had called him when they had told me something about that guy, including that the grand master's word is the law in here.
Po has told me much about this certain and famous turtle, or at least all what he already knew and heard about him from master Shifu, who had also confirmed my knowledge about this turtle by telling more about master Oogway's achievement all around of China with his skills, wisdom and guidance... which is why every Kung Fu warrior and every peasant, villager and citizen in China respected him with the great respect.
And after I heard that it was him who was the one who was responsible of my son becoming the Dragon Warrior, which led eventually, as my son had told me, Lord Shen's and that horned blade-wielding maniac's demise in my son's paws, his spirit has gained my respect for what all good and what kind of life he had granted to my son.
I slightly turned my head to check that was Mr. Ping okay, until I saw that he wasn't anymore standing where he was standing a second ago.
I looked all around of me to see that where the goose had gone, only to find him with my eyes walking in middle of the training yard and the pouring rain and that the goose was heading towards the gates of the yard.
I quickly rushed after him before he reached to the doors of the Training Yard, knelt down at his level after I had reached next to him and I stretched out my arm in front of him, preventing him to take a one step outside of the doors
"WOW, WOW, WOW, MR. PING! Where you think you're going?!" I asked with a bit scolding tone from Mr. Ping, as he shot daggers from his own eyes to mine.
"I'm going to look for our son, Mr. Shan. I'm done with waiting. Besides, Po might be in the big trouble, meaning that he needs help." Mr. Ping said as he pushed my paw out of his way and entered outside through the doors.
"Are you kidding me?! In this weather?" I asked firmly as I walked after him to stop him again by the same way, only to get my paw pushed away by Mr. Ping's wings.
"Yes. Even in this weather." He answered firmly and kept going.
"But it's dark on this thunder storm!" I protested.
"I have the lanterns at home. I can use them to see forward of me." He said.
"What about you got the lethal strike from the lighting bolt? Or you got crushed under the falling tree pulled with its roots from the ground by the strong storm wind? Or what if you get caught under of the flood from this pouring rain?" I said as I listed with the worrying tone the several dangers of this thunderstorm that might be waiting for any careless walker in the woods.
"As long as I stay far away from the tallest trees and keep an eye at every tree all around of me, and as long as I stay away from the flooding spots of the woods, there's nothing to be worried about for me, Mr. Shan." He said.
"What about the wolves?!" I said as I reminded him about the wolves.
"I was a master in the hide-and-seek game when I was a little goose. I'm able to hide myself from those savages." He responded, not moved even from the knowledge about the wolves.
"There's too many of them out there, Mr. Ping, you'll get surrounded from every corner! Besides, they do not even need to see you out there, because they have very accurate sense of smell. If they caught your scent, they'll hunt you down and they'll not stopped until they've squeezed the life out of you!" I said to Mr. Ping as we two walked through the bridge, that went across the chasm that separated the top of the Jade Mountain into two tips, to which the Training Hall and the Garden of the Masters were located.
UGH! As I took the wolves as a subject, my head was filled with various unpleasant and even traumatizing memories of my fellow pandas' being mauled or strangled to death by Lord Shen's wolves back in that invasion upon my old village's destruction, as well as some memories from the aftermath of the invasion, when Lord Shen's wolves were fiercely, mercilessly and tirelessly chasing in the woods the remaining pandas, who had managed to escape from the village until most of them were brutally hunted down by the wolves.
"After I've found Po in the woods, he'll protect me from the packs of those savages." Mr. Ping said.
I was a bit dumbfounded that that goose was really gonna march into the bamboo woods after Po... in this dark and violent thunderstorm and yet those woods were swarming of Lord Shen's barbaric wolves.
It was the foolish act.
It was a suicide mission.
Mr. Ping was really gonna get himself killed in the claws of those wolves, who certainly do not hesitant to get the goose for meal.
He doesn't even know Kung Fu like I do.
That's why I gotta stop him.
"Mr. Ping. Listen to me. I know that you're upset of what master Shifu told us to do – just wait Po's return – but going out there to look for him during of the such of violent thunderstorm like this and in the such of darkness with a high risk to get lost in the bamboo woods, which are swarming with the wolves who certainly do not hesitant to hunt you down for food, is suicide mission. It is foolish to go out into the bamboo woods and then get killed before you have a time to say to the wolves "Hi. Excuse me, but do you know where's my son?" Besides, I think that maybe master Shifu has the reason in ordering all of us to stay here and not go after Po so that we do not get the more of us into the trouble. Or at least I believe so." I said as we two walked through of the statues of the Garden of the Masters.
"Am I supposed to just wait when my son comes back home in the bruises and badly battered by those wolves that he cannot even stand or even stay in conscious. I already heard that Po nearly got killed during of his mission in the other side of the China by that sadistic peacock's cannons... thrice." Mr. Ping said as we climbed up the stairs, in top of which was standing the master Oogway's re-carved statue.
"You do not need to do this, Mr. Ping. Don't be so fool that you're actually gonna get yourself killed while trying to find him. You gotta believe me, I'm worried about him too but we gotta do as master Shifu said." I tried to say while I landed my paw on Mr. Ping's shoulder, only to be shook off.
"I already told you, I'm tired of this pointless waiting. He was supposed to be back right now but he isn't. The mid-afternoon, when he was supposed to be back, went over the couple hours ago. So, I'm going." Mr. Ping exclaimed and kept walking.
I tried to speak him out of this foolish act to the front of the gates of the Jade Palace, but that goose stubbornly turned off my every wise advice and the sense of voice I tried to say to him.
And then, I finally snapped out of it.
I have enough of that goose's stubbornness.
"That's it, I'm going!" I said as I, quite rudely, pushed the stubborn goose out of my way and I began to head the stairs.
Even though I didn't paid any look at Mr. Ping anymore, I bet that he was right now looking at me with the badly dumbfounded and quite confused expression in his face and because of what I just did and said.
Just like I had when he began to walk away from the Jade palace into the woods to find Po.
However, when I was about to take one step to the stairs, I felt something grabbing on my paw and pulling me back.
I turned around and saw Mr. Ping holding me from my paw... and as I guessed, he had dumbfounded and confused look in his face.
"What are you doing?!" The goose shouted.
"I said, "I'm going to look for Po." I said firmly back and I tried to leave, only to being pulled back by the goose.
"Out there? In this storm? To the darkness-filled bamboo woods where you could get lost? To the bamboo woods which are swarming by those savage wolves?" The goose exclaimed.
I rolled my eyes out of frustration, as those were exactly the same warnings I said to him a moment ago... only for them to fall to the deaf ears of that a moment ago stubborn goose... before I pulled my paw off from his wings.
"Hey! Even if you did not listen to my wise advises "not go out there" in this storm, it doesn't mean that you should imitate my own words, which you yourself a moment ago stubbornly ignored." I said firmly back.
I tried once again to leave, but I was halted back yet again by Mr. Ping who had rushed in front of me and pushed me back from my stomach... or at least he tried, because he was the small and light goose and I was the giant panda.
"But you said that the wolves wouldn't hesitate to have the goose for meal. It applies to you too. Both of you and Po have already told me how that creepy peacock and his savage wolves nearly wiped out all the pandas to the extinction in that horrible-sounding massacre you've experienced. So, even though that monstrous peacock is gone, that doesn't mean that his wolves don't hesitate to attack and kill the every panda they've caught in their sight. That means that if they catch you in their sight they'll hunt down and kill you."
I rolled my eyes at this.
"Why you even care? You didn't listen me when I was trying to speak you out of this." I said.
"Because, I've been considering this for the whole day since Po just left from here to investigate the wolf activity in the bamboo woods. And because its already dark thanks to this storm, because I'm small due to being goose and because the pouring rain will cover my scent from the wolves, I'm able to sneak among the wolves in the pushes and if they've found our son I'm even able to follow them and found him. That's why I was going." Mr. Ping explained.
"What about me, then?" I asked referring with my paw at myself, with a bit offended mind.
"Well, no offense of course, Mr. Shan. But because you're giant panda, it's a bit difficult for you to hide and even move in the bushes without being undetected. Even the darkness of this storm cannot grand to you the protection because of the white areas of your fur which, the wolves can see you everytime when the lighting bolts enlighten the darkness all around of you in the woods. Do you understand, Mr. Shan?! They would be able to see you too easily, either due to your size or with the help from the bright lighting... and because of you being panda like Po... they wouldn't hesitate to kill you like they didn't the last time with Po and the other pandas. That's why I need to go... alone... and that's why I'm not asking you to come with me despite the fact that we're both fathers of the one certain panda. I'm sorry" Mr. Ping said, before he turned around and started to walk down the stairs by himself.
I was, however, still willing to say something back to him. So I grabbed from his shoulder and pulled him back.
"And if you manage to find him by following those wolves, and if he's surrounded by them, then how in earth you're supposed to get him out from the such of situation and bring him back home? You're not Kung Fu warrior like Po and me... well, I'm not completely as skilled Kung Fu warrior as Po but the warrior nonetheless. That's why you should let me to go alone to find him, because he can fight and I can fight. We both can fight our way out from there. Protecting you, as the villager, would only slow us down." I said and I tried to pass him, only to be pushed back by Mr. Ping, yet again.
"Did you just called me burden?!" He exclaimed, with the offended expression.
"Well, who called me "too easily noticeable" to those wolves because of my size?!" I exclaimed back, with the offended expression on my face.
We both stared at each others with the daggers in our eyes, until I simply gave up and kept walking down the stairs.
"Hey! Where are you..." Mr. Ping started until I cut his words off.
"I told you already. I'm going after Po." I said while keeping walking. I was not in the mood to stop and turn to continue this from nowhere formed argument with this stubborn goose.
"But what about the big risk to get detected by those savage wolves you're gonna take if you go out there?" Mr. Ping firmly asked.
I rolled my eyes and turned around and bowed down to the goose.
"And what about your high lack of Kung Fu skills? You're gonna make from yourself easy prey fro those wolves. And their great numbers will make sure that even Po's skills aren't enough to protect you from them. You might even unintentionally disrupt his concentration on fighting them." I said back.
I snorted in frustration that we two weren't gonna in any way proceed in our "foolish and suicide-like" mission if we just keep arguing with each others. I eventually stoop upright and crossed my arms together.
"Fine... If we do not reach an agreement, then we go together." I declared, waiting impatiently the goose's respond.
"No way, I'm going, because you're bearing too great risk to be seen by them, hunted down by them and killed by them because of being the giant panda." Mr. Ping said firmly.
"Well, if you're not gonna agree with going out there together, then you're the one who should stay in the Jade Palace in safe from danger due to being goose with the high lack of Kung Fu skills." I said firmly back.
"And I say that there's no the sense to get both of us into the danger of death. Besides, I know these areas much better than you do, that's why I need to go, not you." Mr. Ping fired back.
"And because of your small size due to being goose and having not knowledge of kung fu is gonna get yourself killed by those wolves is the reason why you should not go out there." I fired back, not caring how rudely I said it.
"No! You should not go out there!" Mr. Ping, finally losing his patience with me, shouted at me.
"NO, BUT YOU SHOULDN'T!" I nearly roared back.
"NO YOU!"
"YOU!"
"YOU!"
"YOU!"
"YOU!"
"YOU!"
"YOU!"
"YOU!"
"YOU!"
"YOU!"
"YOU!" We both fiercely, angrily and stubbornly fired to each others while pointing each others with the demanding finger.
"Ahem, excuse me, but... what are you two doing?" Someone suddenly asked from the right next to us.
"WHAT?!" We both fiercely shouted as we both turned to look at the figure who had suddenly and undetected appeared next to us.
"Ouch!" I yelled as I suddenly felt the sharp pain in my head like someone had just hit me with the stick in the head.
"Ouch! My wing!" Mr. Ping yelled as something hit to his right wing too.
We both, while rubbing our sore spots where the strikes had got their hits, turned our eyes to one who probably was the one who had just hit both of us with something.
We both freeze in sudden shock after we both realized that it was none other than master Shifu himself, scowling both of us with the questioning look in his eyes, as he spun the grand master's staff in his hands with the high speed and around of himself, not taking his eyes off from both of us to it, before he placed the staff into upright position in his left hand.
Master Shifu stood quietly in his place, scowling alternately both of us.
And then, he opened his mouth, breaking the silence around of us.
"What are you two doing here in the stairs of the Jade palace... and yet out during of such of weather and pouring rain like this one currently upon us? You two might even catch a cold if you two keep standing here and do not immediately come out from the rain and get into the warm." Master Shifu said firmly as he still scowled alternately both of us.
"And, anyway, where you two were even going in this weather?" He added.
We were both, Mr. Ping and me, quite embarrassed that we two were caught in standing here in the stairs under of this pouring rain by master Shifu like two little undisciplined children trying to sneak for the jar of cookies.
We both lowered our heads slightly down, pulled our paws and wings behind of our backs and twirled our legs embarrassed.
TO BE CONTINUE...
I hope that you enjoyed this chapter.