I don't own any of KFP characters or locations. I own only the OCs.
The silver sickle still hung peacefully in its heavenly gray and bluish kingdom, low above the mountainous horizon when the rising sun was entering the firmament, painting it with golden rays in all its glory. The moon, after nine days of the black-and-white army's travel, had become little more than a crescent nearing unavoidable new moon.
The warriors had already gathered in the Jade Palace. Sitting in the lotus position next to one another in a few lines facing the Moon Pool, they were meditating. The complete silence in the Hall was unbelievable to Po when he glanced at the dozens of people around: the giant pandas dressed in black with the single wolf and the short line of the warriors from the Furious Five and Master Shifu among them.
The day promised to be beautiful but also very.. busy. It had begun very early; to Po's great 'joy', the panda masters had asked the servants not to disturb them in the Hall for some time and... they invited the warriors there to a meditation session. Before sunrise. Even earlier than they usually woke up in the Jade Palace. Well, tightening the bond among the warriors and reminding them about their goals and values surely did a great educational work, though Po regretted it couldn't be done in at least a little more pleasant way. Shifu, Tigress and the rest of the Five certainly considered that common meditation before breakfast an important custom and courtesy, but the Dragon Warrior had had to drag himself to the Hall, yawning discreetly, since he personally would rather stay in bed... Maybe he really wasn't wild, whatever it meant.
Despite the mystical aura filling the jade hall, the panda couldn't concentrate. The things he had found out the day before were niggling him and words were entering his mind again and again, making it impossible to focus and meditate and Po opened his eyes. He looked to his left; Shifu, Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Monkey and Viper sat with their eyes shut, though he wasn't sure if Deshi was really awake. His gaze wandered to the former maids on the other side of the Hall. They sat still in great focus, too, like everyone around, at least trying to meditate. Lihua's body trembled in the cool morning wind. Except for that, there was no movement among the bears. Po didn't find a soulmate in this distraction; the giant pandas seemed to have an irritating ability to be absolutely still and quiet when it was necessary. And they just were still and quiet. The teachers had trained them well, indeed. And as for the teachers, they sat close to the Moon Pool, but while Master Heng sat right before the stairs, a few pandas farther from him, Zhú sat at the very edge of the line, next to Master Rong. She seemed to like that guy's company...
A feeling of disappointment haunted Po when he saw that, but as if on cue he remembered from what his father took his spiritual stability and Inner Peace. The old master was rather mysterious when it came to talking about it. Maybe meditation was his way to be once again closer to Mom. To feel the presence of his long-gone world and be whole again. If it was, he surely needed that meditation, especially now, when the old set order of his heart had been disturbed. And Tai Lung appeared to understand it better than he did...
The Dragon Warrior sighed quietly as he felt his approaching stomach rumble. He fixed his gaze on a spot on the floor, trying to find solace in the hypnotizing sound of the breaths and the presence of all the pandas around, while the questions in his head were bustling.
Was it possible that some pandas could fall in love only once? If it was true, was his father one of them? If he was, was he himself another one too? He was also worried about Chen; Ming probably had given birth by now. It was their first child. They had friends and family there in the Hideout, they weren't alone, but if something went wrong, with Ming or the baby, it would completely shatter Chen's heart. And Chen was the one responsible for protecting the village. When Po thought of all the responsibility one of his 'brothers' had been burdened with, his own didn't seem so great anymore. The issue of the letter to the general emerged and caught him again. What the response would be? And when would it arrive?
Po shut his eyes and frowned, trying to stay calm, like Shifu always taught him to. He couldn't let the worries, fears and troubles overwhelm him. The Hideout had still many good warriors and was well protected by Emei Mountain with foggy labyrinths and ancient pine trees guarding the hidden meandering paths leading to the pandas' Shangri-la. Whatever Shan had known of, it couldn't be a great threat to China and its army. Someone would have warned them by now... Po's ears started to fall; his hunger was sneaking into his awareness, but he tried hard to focus on the silence.
That day in the Hideout began as a calm one, as always. The quiet sounds of the village waking up barely reached Ming and Chen's bedroom through the window. But even when they did, the female didn't pay attention to the noises from outside.
Chen wasn't there now, though, probably having got lost in the kitchen while making breakfast. He seemed to have found his feet well in his duties of caring for his wife and their newborn babies. Even Ming hadn't expected him to take care of them and the house with such devotion.
As for his wife, despite missing the usual daily trainings, she found much deeper levels of her wild nature in her maternity and felt absolutely confident and comfortable with it...
Ming, who had stayed in bed, lifted herself and still covered with the blanket, leaned over the two cubs who were sleeping under her. Chen had felt bad about leaving them in the crib (half a metre away from there) and insisted that they sleep in their bed and the babies seemed to feel comfortable surrounded by the furry bodies of their mom and dad from all sides at night.
The female licked their pink backs covered with thin fluff, putting slight force into it; she often touched the cubs with her nose, sniffed at them and watched them, examining their condition very attentively. The babies were still so tiny and weak. But as far as her young mother's instinct told her, newborn pandas needed a long time to fully develop their bodies and senses. And maybe her babies needed even a little more since they were twins. The mother looked down at them with some impatience; she would rather see them wake up and hear their desperate and scandalized cries for food. Especially from the younger one. But they both were still sound asleep for now. Well, babies had their whims and liked to eat at strange hours...
The tiny 'bees' were completely oblivious of what happened around them. They knew only their mom and their dad and probably thought that the two warm mountains of fur were the entire world. Maybe the tiny, pink and almost naked cubs looked funny with their mother, who was a fully-grown strong bear, but nobody knew as well as she did how she was proud of them. And of herself. And of their father. The female lay down beside the cubs and pulled them with love closer against her fur, protecting them from any cooler air with the blanket and with her arm, like two greatest treasures. She closed her eyes, trying to take a nap with the babies when knocking on the door came from the corridor.
Li Mei and Misumi had stayed in the Palace and apparently had been very busy with each other since. Chen, walking out of the kitchen, threw a kitchen cloth on his shoulder and approached the door unhurriedly, expecting to see his or Ming's parents. Recently, they had often been paying them visits, not wanting to miss much from their grandchildren's first days. But what Chen's surprise was when after opening the door, he saw... well, he certainly hadn't expected to see that person there.
"Mrs. Xuě?..." The young father began, confused, seeing the woman standing at his doorstep.
"May I ask you a question, Master?"
"Good morning." Chen said, realising how rude it sounded a second later. The female couldn't care less though, looking as impatient as when she had come there. "I mean, of course, please come in," he said trying to wash away the unpleasant atmosphere and led her into the corridor. "I've just made breakfast. Would you like something hot to drink?"
"No, thanks, I didn't come here to drink." Lihua's mother said immediately as she entered the corridor, though she did it somewhat reluctantly. "When are they going to come back?"
Chen turned round, stopping between the kitchen and the bedroom. "Who?"
"The Army, of course." Mrs. Xuě said. "The pandas who have left the Hideout."
The master was stunned. No, not by her attitude, but by the question. He looked at the woman, helpless and speechless for the first moment. "It hasn't been even two weeks since their departure." He said tentatively, counting the days in his mind very carefully. "Honestly, I have no idea... but not very soon, I suppose. They've gone to war, after all." He said, which brought another unnecessary worries to his heart. "And they've just left-"
"That's a scandal." The female stated sharply. "Why do you feed a messenger if even with him you still don't know anything?"
Oh dear. Chen took a deep breath as he felt his body start sweating from nerves. He had feared that day when the inhabitants started to come to his home to ask numerous questions who, why, where, how and resent him for his incompetence. "I understand your concern, Mrs. Xuě." He began, trying to sound as compassionate and confident as he could and quickly took the cloth off his shoulder. "I'm going to resume trainings in the village in the next... few days. As far as I know, the warriors keep making new projectiles in their free time. I'm already planning a new patrol schedule around the mountains. I admit, I had to suspend the trainings, my wife gave birth to twins a week ago and I must take care of my family. But I can assure you that the Hideout is safe."
"I'm not worried about the Hideout." Lihua's mother rolled her eyes in frustration as the master failed to understand. "I only want to know when the Army is going to be back. How can you send the pandas to fight so far from the village, not knowing who they are to face and not even knowing when they'll return?"
The older panda's statement surprised the young father even more. She wasn't afraid that the village was lacking protection? She wasn't complaining about his work? She just wanted the Army to come back?... It could mean only one... and it was as unbelievable as heartbreaking when he realised what that visit was about.
"I'm very sorry," Chen said quietly. He hadn't felt that helpless for a long time. He wanted to comfort her saying something about the other warriors who had left, that they were well-skilled and trained and took care of one another, but eventually, he didn't say any such thing. Nobody knew who from the Army would come back and in what state. Nobody even knew what they were going to face. Giving someone a false hope instead of truth didn't feel right. "I'm afraid I have no idea when they will return. It's a serious and very important mission. They won't be protecting only the village, but other people too. I'm sure that all the soldiers thought over well their decision to participate in it."
The other panda looked away wordlessly. The master's answer created an awkward pause between them. For a moment the female looked as though she really wanted to ask about something more, however, she didn't stay there. Mrs. Xuě left the house, all alone, not bothering to say goodbye, but repeating something that 'it was all a scandal'.
Chen closed the door. He remained in the corridor with an unpleasant feeling in his heart blended with pure astonishment.
So Lihua's mother actually cares about her?...
But the girl had left, and it was her own decision.
The claws made a quick noise on the hard, slender trunk and tore off several splinters as Dazhong's paw swiped a bamboo tree growing in the small forest behind the Jade Palace. Dazhong, Rong, Yao, Heng and Yùlán had come there to sharpen and file their claws so that they were the best shape needed in their fighting style. Now the clump of trees shook with louder and quieter hits on the trunks as after breakfast, the pandas were slowly preparing themselves to return to regular trainings.
Yùlán was already finishing smoothing her claws in elaborated, short rapid swipes along a piece of ironwood she had got somewhere. Though she was after breakfast, she collected the bamboo twigs with leaves that had been torn off during their work. Eating them, she was glancing at the others once in a moment.
Master Heng had come there not talking much and looking lost it thought, which wasn't too surprising given the circumstances. Yao and Rong were just doing what was necessary and seemed preoccupied with it. Master Zhú's claws probably needed some more time to fully grow back and strengthen, so she wasn't there. And there was Dazhong.
The big male stood in sort of a fighting stance, swinging his paws at one of the trunks as a prelude to a training. The wood quickly became tattered and broken after meeting his claws. He was focused on his work, as always. The panda twisted his head and brought his shoulders up and backwards to relax his muscles. Yùlán noticed that he wasn't in a good mood.
"Are you worried 'bout her?..." She asked in a tone quiet enough so the others didn't pay attention to it.
"Huh?..." The male, distracted, gave her a brief, thoughtful look, guessing she was asking about his wife. It wasn't a secret that their marriage wasn't the warmest one the world had seen. And, as it was typical of him, he already knew what the gray-eyed warrior meant.
Yùlán stopped chewing the twigs with a few young leaves hanging from her mouth. Her eyes widened in shock as she whispered. "Don't tell me that you didn't talk to her before leaving."
"No, I did." Dazhong said, stopping for a moment.
"And what did she say?"
"She told me to take a good care of myself." The male stated as if cutting the sentence before its actual end. Although the answer calmed Yùlán a little, it didn't sound enthusiastic. She gave a helpless sigh. He knew what it meant.
"I regret.." He said, pondering upon every word. "that we didn't try for a baby long enough."
The female lifted her eyes and gave him a sympathetic look, but left that confession without a reply. He didn't expect any reply, either. It was just their life..
The life of giant pandas...
Traveling and staying in an unfamiliar place for a longer time, far away from one's home and family was a very stressful, but also extremely invigorating and inspiring experience. Especially when one was in such a great place the Jade Palace was. The panda bears, excited by their visit there, could hardly stop themselves from wandering around here and there as though they were going to remember every inch of the outer world. Especially of Jade Mountain. Everything there was big, beautiful, ancient, colorful, sacred and mysterious, even the Training Hall. And it was really hard to resist that exhilarating atmosphere. The Five and the servants quickly gave up trying to organise their guests' time.
"..What's that about?" Lihua panted out with a broad smile, collapsing and falling against the lone panda sitting on the stairs around the Moon Pool.
Master Zhú, whom she found losing herself in reading there, sat on them by the library, surrounded by seven scrolls taken from the shelves. The older bear's white, noble face contrasting with the deep black fur on her eyes and paws, was lowered as she was scanning a document in focus. And finally, the teacher was dressed in her dark uniform again. She looked so pretty to her.
To the girl's mind, as she was thrilled by the greatness of Jade Mountain and the mysticism of the Hall, strange things came; was this like the moments Master Zhú had spent with her own teacher? How long and hard training and what experiences becoming a warrior like Zhú required? Did she love her at least a little? The younger female wondered, bathing in the magnetizing, silky smooth Yin energy of her mentor.
She leaned to her, to see the topics she was studying, and noticed a schema of a crane's body in various positions; the first one with the wings spread, and the legs and spine straightened. The others presented various fighting stances, and some of them looked very difficult. Or maybe they pictured a combination of attacks and defence, she didn't know, the long descriptions to which the arrows led were written in tiny characters.
She couldn't imagine using that style in combat. Her feet started to hurt from watching the drawings alone; she had never appreciated being a bear so much. "I- though- i- wa- -ome...ing more interesting.." She yawned, not being able to suppress a sudden wave of drowsiness.
Zhú, dragged out of her focus, lifted her face. Her utterly scandalised look was like a thunderbolt to the ursa minor and in the same moment Lihua realised she had just said something very unconsidered.
Oops.
"Well, this should be interesting!" Her teacher snapped, thrusting the scroll against the younger panda's chest. "To you!"
Zhú rose and smoothed down her black clothes in a quick, angry movement of her paw. "We're starting a training session with the Five in a few hours. Utilize the fact that you have access to one of the most precious libraries in the world and get to work. We usually focus on our own fighting style in the Hideout, so you have a great opportunity to learn something else. For now, you and the girls are to read all of these scrolls." The female stated darkly and with a violent turn, she circled the Pool and made for the main door.
Lihua fell silent, not wanting to get on her nerves more. It was enough that her teacher's personal life hadn't been too successful over the last days. When the older bear left, probably for the other students, she sighed and took a look around the scrolls. Leopard style, Crane, Snake... and some other styles and strange fighting techniques with funny and foreign names. As if being a giant panda wasn't awesome enough. She wondered if the Five and the Dragon Warrior had already read and learned all of it.
She read several small fragments. Judging by the content of the documents, the next minutes they were going to spend in the library didn't promise to be very exciting. Who would have thought that learning how to fight and reading about it was sometimes simply arduous and boring? And to make it worse, she noticed some characters she couldn't recognize well. The panda facepalmed.
But she didn't regret any of her decisions. Master Zhú was right. They weren't on holiday. After all, they'd left the Hideout to work hard, especially the maids, for they had some shortcomings in their education. They didn't even imagine turning out to be a disgrace and wasting the chance they were once given.
Master Shifu put his paws together and shut his eyes, balancing on Master Oogway's staff, the slight breeze in the cave couldn't disturb his inner equilibrium. The red panda, after delicious breakfast, encouraged by the beauty of the sunny weather and the successful meditation session earlier, had come there, to the Dragon Grotto, to find another hour of serenity during their awaiting for any news. The master lowered one shoulder, adjusting his green robe and took another deep breath, listening in to the noise of the cold water falling constantly.
"But what is so strange about it that I want my father to have a satisfying life?" Po's resentful voice spoke again. The black-and-white bear, lying on his belly on the moss growing on the tiny 'islet' in the grotto pool, bit off another piece of the big dumpling he was clutching in his paw. "I just want him to be happy." He explained, although nobody was arguing with him.
His ramble didn't bother Shifu; he had learned long before how to derive Inner Peace from this peculiar source and keep balance regardless of the circumstances.
"He was happy." Shifu said, not opening his eyes. "With your mom. Imagine how great their love must have been if a Dragon Warrior was its fruit."
Maybe his words sounded too weird. The suspicious silence that had fallen after them made the blue eyes open. Po was sitting on the mossy stone with a sour expression. "Sure, I understand. I get it. I comprehend that my father is loyal to my mom." The giant panda nodded his head. "But my dad has outlived my mom by almost thirty years. I don't want him to suffer any longer."
"Maybe he's not exactly suffering?..."
Po, confused, tilted his head at Shifu's strange question.
The red panda dropped his arms. He got off the staff calmly and approached the Dragon Warrior, who was still looking at him questioningly. "Forgive me Po, but I must tell you this." He began gently, clutching the staff in his paw. "Your father is an incurable monogamist. And I think.. I even understand him. You see, when you love someone more than your own life, when you give yourself to someone so completely... it's very possible that you won't have anything left."
Po cast his eyes down and ate the last piece of the dumpling. The depressed look, so unlike him, troubled Shifu; the bigger panda could be sometimes so sensitive. He too saddened, seeing his reaction, although he didn't know what Po's sadness was really caused by. The teacher stroked his shoulder to comfort him. "People dream of such love.." He added somewhat awkwardly.
The giant panda sighed resignedly, but he suddenly raised his eyes again as if remembering something. "But he certainly feels something towards Zhú. I saw it even at the feast in the Hideout, you too. He was so confident and high-spirited around her and always kept her close."
"Yes, because she worked with him and was his most trusted friend." Shifu stated thoughtfully, stroking his chin. "But your father learned from Master Lao a very firm and traditional view on the relationship between a teacher and his students. No wonder that being with Zhú would be a sacrilege to him."
The older master started playing with his whiskers as after he said the last words something occured to him; Master Heng had forgiven Zhú all she had done. He trusted her, he had taken her along on this mission... But for some reason he still hadn't brought her back to work. He wondered why...
"But you, teachers, have methods or ways out in case your students have fallen in love with you?" Po asked, looking uncertainly at the other panda. "I'm asking out of curiosity, of course." He added quickly.
"Wha-?.." Shifu shook his head, returning to reality. "Oh yeah, we do." He said carelessly. "But I don't think they would be of any use here. Zhú isn't a teenage girl infatuated with a teacher met a few months ago. Telling an adult woman that she'll grow out of it wouldn't work." The small panda looked at Po, changing his tone. "But actually, why do you insist so much on bringing them together?"
"Why?" Po asked. He pulled his leg closer and sat in a more comfortable position, looking at the red panda disbelievingly. "Seriously, why? Shifu, tomorrow, my father will get old. Ming and Chen have their own family. Soon Tai Lung will probably have his own too. Deshi may leave the Hideout for good. He doesn't look like someone who could stay in one place for too long. I don't want my dad to end up unhappy and die in loneliness like a monk." The Dragon Warrior explained. "Not to mention it would be sad if that happened to Zhú too, especially because he's someone who could save her soul."
"Soul?..." The master repeated, frowning slightly in surprise. "What are you talking about, Po?"
A short hot wave of adrenaline after blabbing out one word too many made the panda sweat. "I said 'soul'?..." He looked away, confused. "I mean.. her heart.. um, 'cause it would be nice if they got together.." He explained briefly, scratching the back of his neck. He sighed inwardly when the teacher stared off, far at the sky or at the bell tower in the distance.
The cool wind that had managed to sneak in to the Grotto gently disturbed the small panda's whiskers. The usual silence in the cave among the burbling water felt uneasy.
"The moon is waning..." Master Shifu murmured, lost in thought.
"So what?"
Shifu blinked his eyes, shaking off his pensiveness. "Just saying..."
Po shrugged. The stone dragon had nothing to say, either.
The training had finally begun and the whole Arena in front of the Jade Palace moved and waved from the slightly sloppy rows of the gathered warriors as they were performing their attacks, blocks and kicks. The Five appreciated that warm up. The inhabitants of the Palace with Tai Lung, Po and Deshi had formed a line at the edge of the panda Army, closest to the stairs, under the eye of Master Shifu, who was only watching for now.
The servants, though they tried not to make it too noticeable, apparently decided to take a short break from whatever they were doing. They stopped around the Arena to watch the pandas and their training. The younger bears, upon noticing the geese and pigs felt slightly awkward about somebody staring at them, but their presence didn't bother their older friends at all, which was helpful.
And it was hard not to look at them. The Five had to admit it; a training of the small panda army dressed in black was an interesting and peculiar sight. They had got to know Master Heng's students earlier, but the black-and-white fluffy bears' potential sometimes was still surprising.
With a collective cry, the warriors threw two swift punches into the air. Two crescent kicks followed the punches, equally violent. The older pandas at the other side of the group twirled in circles the weapons they held and stabbed forward, the blades of the sabers and pudaos making quiet, cutting sounds. Several of the geese twitched at the last quick move.
Shifu stood beside the Grand Master's staff he was holding in his paw, gazing at the warriors, focused.
Po's father's students landed after another kick and spread their claws. They immediately swiped their arms multiple times at the invisible opponent and stopped at the same time in the initial position.
The giant pandas' moves were fierce and resolute, even violent, their footing very firm. Even the new warriors who had been trained on Master Zhú's command seemed well-introduced and prepared for their role... It said much about their teachers' skills and effectiveness. The longer the old master was watching them, the more he saw how the dark masks hid their eyes almost in a supernatural way, concealing their emotions, identity, as though they weren't sentient beings but demons, machines or other fearful creatures. That was something the red panda could barely see looking at Po and didn't see at all looking at his students and even at the wolf.
A stray, disturbing feeling suddenly entered the master's heart, sending a shiver down his neck and the rest of his body. Shifu had to shut his eyes for a moment. The aura of a savage unpredictability around the wild pandas was strong, though it seemed not to bother the other warriors, who had welcomed them with trust. And Po probably took it as a feeling of a wonderful unity, which was very strong indeed, too.
...
Meanwhile with a small delay, Master Heng appeared there too as he went down to the main terrace overlooking the Arena. There was already a small crowd on it since all the other teachers with Zhú had gathered there.
Something created that tense void in his soul again when he saw her. It was exactly like the old days. The female, dressed in her green bamboo robe, stood tall and calm among the other pandas as they were watching the Army and their discipline and skills. They were the greatest masterpiece of her life, no wonder she was so proud of them. They were her life. Though apart from them there used to be many other dreams she had to bury. Despite the seriousness she usually wore on her face, Po's father could also notice concealed sadness in her look. And she seemed isolated with that emotion among the others. He then felt something painful in his chest that it made him rub his heart very briefly before it disappeared. Maybe Po was right and the last thing he should be doing now was avoiding her?
But it was only a moment before the teachers, after last brief remarks, started turning around. The older female did it too and noticed him approach.
"Can we talk?" The question itself jumped out of his mouth when she was about to go past him. He realised he wasn't sure what he was doing.
The rest of the teachers, hearing that, started making for the stairs in an unhurried dignified manner and wordlessly left the terrace, not wanting to bother them. Zhú turned to the Grand Master with a trace of surprise on her face as they were about to follow the others. "Yes? What happened?"
"I could ask you the same question." He began somewhat awkwardly. "You didn't say a word at breakfast. I thought you were feeling worse again."
"I wasn't."
The male nodded his head at the answer. He quickly turned round as he noticed they were approaching the stairs and made her stop. "Zhú, there is one thing I'd like to-"
"Actually, Master," She said suddenly, sending a glance at the pandas in the distance. "I'd rather join my students."
Heng looked at her, speechless, for about two seconds. "They won't run away."
Zhú stepped aside, but he did the same. Well, it was surprising. She returned to the previous spot, but he moved too and barred her way again. He didn't show it, but he obviously considered it funny and was doing it deliberately. She made another step to the right. He immediately followed her again. The female sent him a questioning look. His eyes barely caught a swift, familiar move of her arms when he suddenly was pushed backwards.
It was like a blast of a hurricane. He heard a dull clang as he hit painfully against something hard and cold. The push had knocked the wind out of his lungs, but he managed to keep his footing. The master opened his eyes and realised he had landed on the golden statue behind his back. The male grabbed his heart in shock. The dragon however, remained motionless. That move must have been quite powerful; the female stood several steps away from him, returning now to her natural position. Heng looked at the other panda in utter astonishment.
"Sorry. It was a reflex." Zhú explained and went down to the Arena.
It took the male a moment to shake off the stupefaction. He finally got off the dragon's golden rear and noticed Shifu. The red panda had shock written all over his face too, staring at the scene.
...
The appearance of the Iron Ox aroused a great sensation among the warriors. The giant pandas ran up to it when a group of pigs trundled it to the middle of the Arena on the Five's request. The bears gaped in amazement at the large machine and scanned every detail of its limbs wielding axes, at its head and tail while all the teachers finally joined them.
"Awesome equipment!" One of the pandas exclaimed genuinely.
Mantis jumped onto one of the axes held out in the air. "Ladies and gentlemen!" He shouted jovially to the crowd, waving his tiny arms. "This is the Juggernaut! A machine custom-built and designed specially for Tigress to fully discover her feline predatory potential! (Although we finally defeated it too. After many tries.) Who wants to face it first?!"
The rest of the Five, Deshi, Po and Shifu remained at the end of the group, watching the developments. The pandas stepped back to make more room, not knowing what to expect when the machine was turned on. The teachers didn't have any objections watching the Ox, equally impressed as the other bears. Master Dazhong stroked his chin when someone's arm shot up from the group.
"Me! I do! I want!" Someone shouted enthusiastically. The male who had said that lifted his paw and waved, running out from the crowd.
"All right, um.." The insect paused, not able to recall his name.
"Zhong." The giant panda said walking up to the machine, his dark grey eyes fixed resolutely on its face.
"Yes." Mantis continued. "When we turn this on, the Ox will start swinging his arms, oh, he can move his tail and approach you, so better prepare a quick plan-"
"Screw the plan! Turn it on!" Zhong shouted, entering a fighting stance.
"Haw-haw! Like I always say!" Chun hollered from the crowd triumphantly.
Viper, Crane and Monkey exchanged unsure looks. The panda didn't know what he was agreeing to. Mantis hesitated for a moment, but he eventually jumped off the weapon. "Well, good luck."
One of the pigs approached the machine's rear and with effort, he pushed upwards the lever sticking out from the wooden cover. The worker immediately ran away to a safe distance and the pandas instinctively backed again in unison too.
There was only Zhong and the Iron Ox in the middle of the Arena.
The group of the warriors formed an uneven crescent around the daredevil and the Ox. Now all the servants on the terraces stood still, waiting for the panda's fight with the machine with bated breath.
To that moment, they had only very occasionally seen Master Tigress, the other members of the Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior fight with it. A couple of them still had in their memory an old horrifying picture of young Tigress during her first try against it. She had been alone in the Arena, with Master Shifu and Master Oogway watching her, the engineer who had built the machine and a few servants, who happened to be there too. After a long, complicated and not very successful fight, the feline made a mistake. Exhausted, she stumbled and collapsed on the ground. Right under one of the blades falling down towards her. It wasn't even a second. They all felt their hearts stop and their blood curdle in horror as they could only wait and watch helplessly the tigress being about to get cut in half. Automatically, they all started screaming, their voices blending into something desperate and unintelligible. But then there was something like a green, almost soundless lightning bolt crossing the Arena. The edge of the blade hit the stone sending sparks around, but the feline was already a dozen of metres away from the machine and Master Oogway, who had saved her in the last moment, was laying her on the ground, only to return to the Ox and turn it off.
She never admitted it, neither did Shifu, but the servants knew that accident had horrified them both almost to death.
But that was many years earlier. The masters' skills improved greatly, they trained every day, it was impossible that they could lose now. But that young giant panda, he had never seen the Juggernaut before. They started to fear for him.
Zhong stood, waiting tensely in his fighting stance. The gears slowly started to spin; the mechanism inside the box made a long, labored noise, which rolled in the silence of the vast space. It sounded really ominous, despite the Ox's expressionless face.
The upper limbs started moving, very slowly and aimlessly for now. Then the lower ones joined them and as the sound of the mechanism running became more rapid, the Ox suddenly started waving his arms much faster.
A gasp of awe went through the Army as the warriors stared, amazed and uncertain at the running devilish machine. Zhong didn't move a muscle though, his eyes fixed on the Ox's body as he was studying his moves and watching how its joints worked.
The mechanism must have been designed very well since the axes never hit one another. Admittedly, the Juggernaut was flailing his arms like a drunk panda who had run into a spider's web, but foreseeing his next moves was much harder than the male had thought.
The movements of the arms unexpectedly slowed down. The whole machine suddenly twitched upwards. Zhong's eyes widened in surprise. The Ox swung around, his massive tail sweeping over the ground. The panda was focused enough; he jumped over the spiked tail effortlessly and circled the bull, observing it again. He realised why it had such an oddly long tail; the machine would fall while performing such sudden moves were it not for the balancing weight. The pandas started bouncing and shouting something about a target on its chest, but it only irritated the warrior.
Shifu was looking at his performance with interest and curiosity. Heng, Dazhong, Rong, Yao and Yùlán seemed to doubt Zhong's future a little. Mantis, Monkey, Crane and Viper were as tense as the Army and the geese and pigs. Po looked at his fingers and realised he was biting his claws from nerves again, although he had made a decision he would cut down on it. Deshi was petrified, watching the scene with his jaw dropped.
The wooden bull suddenly made a half-turn again. This time to the panda, as though he could see it. Zhong caught himself wondering if a demon was steering it from inside.
The Ox, waving the axes, suddenly swung one of his arms right at the warrior. The bear quickly made a dodge. The blade didn't touch the ground and was heaved again, but it was only the beginning of the trap. The bull, as if his creator had foreseen it, immediately turned again, following his opponent. The opposite axe cut off the panda's way, not giving him a moment to rest. Then the lower right arm lifted the weapon and swung its axe above the Arena floor. Zhong barely managed to jump backwards and roll away. He looked disbelievingly at the Ox from the Arena's floor; that last cut could have killed him.
"Watch out! It's harder than it seems!" Tigress shouted finally.
"Now you've pissed me off." The male cursed quietly as the machine, which in all its audacity and cockiness kept swinging its weapons at him and was shaking with a loud noise, threatening to turn around again and knock him down. As if it was aware that the panda couldn't just kick its legs from under it, nor could he paralyse it with any cunning attack.
Zhong suddenly lifted his legs and thrust them forward, regaining his footing. The bull was bringing his left lower arm down again. The panda ran to the machine as fast as he could and jumped high. Landing, he pressed down the arm with all his weight. There was a loud crunch, which made the audience moan at their imagination that it was the bear's broken leg. But no, it wasn't. One of the arms armed with a big double-edged axe lay on the ground and the stub was still moving, but it was harmless now. The panda didn't have time to admire his work, though.
The bull lifted slightly again. For the short moment when the machine was turning, it couldn't move its arms. Zhong immediately caught the upper arm and held it fast. As he was expecting; the bull made a sudden turn again. It swayed a little under the additional weight, but didn't fall down. A sly smile flashed on Zhong's face. Now, it all made sense.
The arms started to move again. The panda pulled himself to the upper side of the arm and climbed to the Ox's 'shoulder'. The lever indicated that the machine was still far from stopping. He got onto the horned head, tightened his limbs and jumped far over the swinging blades, landing on all fours right in front of the Juggernaut. After a second, the panda straightened up and prepared to attack.
The door on the bull's chest opened again and showed a red-and-white target. Zhong didn't wait. The panda automatically ran up to him again and jumped. He turned in mid-air and delivered a kick to the red circle as hard as he could. Everyone heard another crunch and saw, with considerable surprise, a hole in the target. Zhong fell on the lower swinging axe, somewhat surprised by breaking the boards too. He rolled off the blade as it moved to the side again and darted away from the swinging limbs as fast as he could and returned to the spot where he had landed.
The bear got into his fighting stance when he noticed something black escaping the wooden cover. A second later he sensed the audience's anxiety rise and he saw more dark smoke emerge from behind the bull's shoulder. The Iron Ox's limbs started moving too fast. Zhong looked confused for a moment. Oh damn. He must have damaged the mechanism with that kick.
The Ox made another unexpected turn, but only partial. Zhong made a dodge to avoid the tail, but it didn't even reach him. The pandas standing closest though had to jump back, almost knocking over the others.
"Bite-his-balls!"
Po looked, speechless, at Deshi, who kept yelling his brilliant ideas to the warrior.
"Bite-his-s-!" The wolf collapsed with a yelp into the crowd as the panda stomped on his foot.
Tai Lung burst out laughing at the wolf's hilarious fall. "Better get used to his obscene comments!"
"The lever!" Someone started shouting from the group. "Turn it off!"
No shit! Zhong thought, trying to concentrate. The Juggernaut was facing him obliquely, but now it could be impossible to foresee his turns. The panda got into a stance on all fours. He was about to plunge at the machine, though its shaking and the violent moves of its arms made him twitch in doubt at first. He then charged at the bull, approaching it in several leaps. He caught the lone left arm and barely dodging one of the right axes, he got onto the shoulder again. The head was the safest place now. He caught one of the horns and looked down.
And he didn't like what he saw. The lever was already down, limp, being dragged along on the stone, but somehow the Ox was still working. Zhong gasped in shock.
He glanced at the tail and something came to his mind. He bent his limbs as tightly as he could and jumped off, pushing the machine away as hard as he could. The panda landed on the ground heavily, with a roll. Unfortunately, the Iron Ox was too heavy; it swayed, but remained standing. The push, however, had made him turn towards the panda. And apparently enabled the mechanism of moving Master Mantis had mentioned; the machine started trundling towards the bear, forcing him to back towards the main gate. Zhong read it as a personal challenge. He chuckled and got into his fighting stance again, feeling a wave of adrenaline.
The machine was coming closer, swinging its three axes relentlessly.
"Giant Panda mode on!" The bear whooped and charged at the Ox on all fours. The left arm was shooting towards him. He leaped and grabbed the blade, side-kicking the opposite arm. The old wooden limb was crushed when the panda's foot collided with it. Everyone twitched at the loud dry noise as the right arm with the axe fell and hit the ground with a clang. The blow turned the bull away from the gate a little; Zhong landed on the stone, finding himself between the remaining arms again. The machine lifted the lower right arm and swung it again. The axe was flying at the warrior, as he had expected. The panda blurred into a small black-and-white whirlwind, smashing the limb with a spinning hook kick; the other arm went down too.
The servants held their breath as the Ox was lifting his last arm. The panda had no chance! Some of the warriors covered their eyes as the last blow was sent at the opponent's back.
There was another crush. They opened their eyes and...
Zhong was holding his arm outstretched. The splinters around his fist were sent around as the pole was broken. The warriors and servants couldn't believe he had managed to turn around and hit it so accurately.
The last axe went down. The bear returned to his fighting stance as his teacher, Master Rong had taught him, and finally looked at the weapon, a smile of disbelief slowly appearing across his face. The Ox was flailing his arms futilely. All the four arms were now unarmed.
But suddenly, something clanged inside again. The whole machine shook unsteadily. The panda frowned and backed, watching it unsurely; was it going to explode? Could it?...
The Juggernaut's face remained completely expressionless when the bull, still smoking from inside, made a clang once again and suddenly turned around. Zhong tried to avoid the trap, but the upper part of the spiked tail hit his legs and made him fall. Zhong rolled away, got to his feet and backed as fast as he could. The whole machine swayed from side to side very hard, but it managed to keep its balance somehow in the last moment. The Ox started trundling away, but stopped as it got stuck on the first arm the panda had separated from it.
It couldn't run far away. Not effortlessly, but the bear picked up the huge axe he had just broken. He looked comically holding the oversized weapon very professionally, like a warrior should hold his sword, but he didn't think of it. The wheels, having got stuck on the obstacle made the bull make a slow and clumsy turn, as if he expected a coup de grâce. It didn't meet disappointment. Zhong turned, swinging the axe in a circle. The panda performed that move flawlessly, letting go of the pole in the right moment. The force of inertia did all the work; the axe was sent flying, and smashed the bull's head, overturning the whole machine. It fell on the stone with a rumble along with the weapon. The bared wheels in the underside spun slowly in the air as the broken arms made the last pathetic moves. The mechanism inside froze.
Silence fell on the whole Arena again.
The Juggernaut was defeated.
"WOOHOO!"
Zhong lifted his arms and whooped in excitement, running to the rest of the bears. "I did it! I totally kicked his f-!" He suddenly paused, remembering the Grand Masters' presence. It wasn't until that moment that he finally felt how exhausted he really was. "I thought you'd help me!" The giant panda shouted resentfully to the bears as they were flocking around him with hugs and congratulations.
"We were going to intervene," Master Rong shouted to him, glancing at Yùlán. "if you were killed!"
But they all were grinning and everyone was clapping in admiration. Even Master Zhú. Shifu clapped too, after resting the staff against his shoulder. "Zeng," He spoke to the goose standing next to him. "please, add it to the list of the things we need to replace." He said calmly, looking at the overturned machine that lay motionless.
The gray goose nodded, still shaking slightly, and took the piece of paper which already contained names of a dozen of the elements from the Training Hall the pandas had broken.
The red panda then noticed Po's father sigh with a facepalm, though he kept himself from any comments.
"What's this dissatisfaction?"
The other panda glanced down at him. "That was a sheer... overconfidence." He looked as if he was refraining from saying something else. "He didn't know what he was supposed to do, he didn't even ask what to expect, although he could have. And almost got killed at least several times."
Shifu nodded with understanding; it was hard to disagree with the master. Zhong's hot-headedness probably would have ended worse in different circumstances. "That's true. But.." He sent him a brief, sly smile. "he won."
"He won." The other panda repeated finally.
Several from the panda warriors with the servants together took the training machine from the Arena and Zhong offered his help in fixing it... someday. It needed regular repairs, servicing and improvements anyway. But the Juggernaut was a good opponent. It definitely deserved all the efforts put into bringing it back to good condition.
An idea, a brilliant one in its simplicity, suddenly popped up in Po's mind. As the confusion around the victorious warrior and the machine began lessening, a void of awaiting was gradually taking its place across the Arena. The training still wasn't over; it was the best moment, but he had to hurry.
"HEY! LISTEN UP, EVERYONE!" The panda shouted, running into the middle of the crowd. He wasn't sure what he was doing, but he hoped it looked very natural.
All the pairs of eyes quickly started focusing on him. The bears, of course, got very interested in what the Dragon Warrior had to tell them. Like the Five.
"We're almost all present and correct so it's time for an epic duel! You know, something really big! What would you say to a fight between our two best champions?!"
There was a brief wave of freshly aroused enthusiasm after which a short moment of thick silence rolled through the gathering. The warriors seemed confused as to the choice, though some of them glanced at the others to make sure they weren't alone with it. Mantis, Monkey, Crane, Viper and Tigress also looked like they suspected a stupid idea.
"Yeeah, I seldom see you training. Isn't it strange, Master?" Deshi stroked his chin, turning towards Po's father.
"I'm a grand master. I'm too awesome to train." The teacher stated disarmingly. The wolf knew his sense of humor well enough to expect such a reply.
"You mean..." Monkey spoke, though confused. "Master Heng and Master Shifu?"
Shifu whipped his head towards his own panda student and sent him a look demanding a GOOD explanation. Po suddenly felt all his blood flow down in his body in panic. Everything was going wrong. And everyone was still staring at him, expecting an answer. "No!" He cried before he chuckled nervously. Oh, come on! Get this idea yourself! "Not with Master Shifu.. It wouldn't be a good idea.. no offence, Master."
"Are you thinking of the Dragon Warrior, Master Po?" Deshi threw a suspicion.
"Thanks! But I'm sure there are better warriors than me."
"Yeah." Viper smiled mischievously. "Tigress for instance."
The feline sent a glare down at the grinning snake, wondering why on earth they would want to see her fight with Po's father. Rong and Dazhong, both uncertain, looked around as though they felt expected to do something. Po, though shaking inside, suddenly fell silent, not to attract too much attention. The pandas hesitated, not wanting to say something wrong. Tai almost froze. He didn't want to tell Deshi, but he could guess where this all was going.
"Um.." One of the females took that risk shyly and spoke aloud. "Maybe Master Heng and Master Zhú?.." She shrugged, explaining. "...because she was..."
Yeah! Po thought trying too look at least a little surprised. FINALLY! "Wow, that would be something awesome!.."
But he didn't have to wait for it; the idea immediately kindled a real fire of excitement in the crowd again. Master Heng felt almost an electrical zap in his heart and exchanged with Zhú an accidental glance of bewilderment at the idea. Everything was happening too fast; the pandas quickly started begging and pressing them and insisting over one another that they wanted to see their fight, and WANTED it very much. Mantis, Monkey, Crane and Deshi didn't join them, but judging by their grins, they found that idea interesting.
While Po, grinning and giggling inwardly, was just waiting for the inevitable to happen. At least now they could have no excuses and had to do something together... and, it would show much about the state of their relation now. And maybe would give it a kick forward.
Master Heng lifted his paws. "Forget." He stated firmly, trying to dampen the bears' enthusiasm. "It's not a good moment. And I'm sure Master Zhú doesn't feel up to fighting yet."
Zhú didn't agree either when all the pairs of eyes were simultaneously aimed at her. "Oh no," She shook her head slightly too and folded her arms across her chest with a reluctant chuckle. "No way. I'm not in the mood for such things."
Of course they ended up in the middle of the Arena, preparing for a fight.
Maybe that would have ended differently if it all were happening in the school valley in the Hideout, only among the giant pandas. Even though they seldom gave up their odd ideas. Maybe. But now, when the courtyard was cleaned after the fight with the Juggernaut, the silence that had fallen on the Arena was almost deafening again.
The servants; geese and pigs, gathered on the terraces around or in front of them and were watching the warriors with curiosity and attention since they didn't know what kind of sparring they actually were going to see.
All the panda bears along with Deshi, Grand Master Shifu and the Furious Five formed a loose crescent around the centre again and had to move closer to the main terrace. Just in case.
All these tiny preparations created an extremely tense atmosphere around. Master Heng tried to approach his place on the right side of the yellow circle with dragons as slowly as he could. He asked himself in his thoughts what actually brought him to this point. How the hell had they got him to do this? On the other hand, it was just a training, like many others they had had back in the Hideout. He definitely should stop behaving like this. But still he had some doubts.. was Zhú having them too?...
It was not clear; the other panda seemed fully detached from her emotions and her face barely showed anything more than concentration and her typical seriousness. Heng realised he had gone a step too far from the middle of the circle and stopped automatically. There was no other way out now.
He stopped and turned to his opponent. The female, although slightly surprised by the spot he was standing in, adjusted her position making a small step to her left too. Zhú's eyes eventually slid up and she looked at him.
It was an extremely weird feeling when he gazed at her face and into her moss green eyes so directly again; so they finally confronted each other. Not in a conversation, but in a fight? Face to face, though not alone. But the male felt exactly like they were all alone in the Arena in that moment anyway. Inwardly, he was surprised by the absolute calm she kept. Was she able to bring back stillness to her mind after all she had had to go through over the last weeks? The blood circulating in the older master's body made him hear an unpleasant noise in his head. He tried to concentrate.
They couldn't wait forever. The two warriors bowed to each other respectfully and entered their fighting stances.
Po fixed his eyes on the two pandas and held his breath. His heart was hammering so fast that he couldn't stand it. He could sense all the tension the people around were feeling too as everyone was watching the masters and waiting. The panda didn't even realise that his paws had curled up into fists from his impatience.
Lihua stood among the other pandas quietly like they did, but she looked at the two masters skeptically; she had a bad feeling. The girl didn't exactly understand the idea of that sparring. How were they going to fight with someone they would rather embrace and kiss? At least for Master Zhú, she could be almost sure of it.
"It's not a good idea, Panda..." Tigress muttered to Po so quietly that he almost failed to hear her voice. The Dragon Warrior flicked his head to her in confusion only for a second, not wanting to miss anything.
Shifu though, however the feline words were surprising, heard her perfectly, but he couldn't agree with her statement. Whatever Po's intentions in the beginning were, that fight could be very revealing. So he looked at Master Zhú and watched her very carefully.
Master Heng had spread his fingers and brought his arms forward, getting into a dragon stance. Zhú assumed a suspiciously calm position with her right leg back and her paws open and lowered. That was a little confusing; it could mean she was either absolutely certain of winning, or... on the contrary, she wasn't even going to try to do her best. The male went back in his memory and remembered her depositing the knife in Master Monkey's hands before coming to the circle.
His stance determined the priority of his move, so she was waiting, ready and fully focused. The warriors and servants around were absolutely silent, gazing at the two great giant panda masters dressed in their green robes. Something told them that in a moment they would see something absolutely amazing. Po looked alternately at his father and Zhú and couldn't stand this tense waiting, which seemed literally like eternity.
"Erm, Mrs...! Hello, you there!..."
Someone's shouts emerged from the complete silence like voices from reality sneaking into a sleeper's dream. They confused Zhú; her eyes abandoned her opponent and she looked around, wondering what could be so important. One of the servants, having approached the wall by the main gate was looking up at something on the top of the wall.
"You're not allowed to sit there!"
She turned away from the master and looked in that direction too. There was a heron. A white heron sitting on the top of the wall calmly. The bird threw a careless, almost disdainful glance at the goose calling her from below, but she assumed a proud position, not paying more attention to him.
Master Heng and Master Zhú dropped their stances when they noticed the peculiar and very familiar apparition, not entirely believing their eyes. The rest of the servants and the audience aimed their questioning looks at the bird and understood there would be no fight. Master Shifu frowned as though he could read Tigress's mind, and he came out of the crowd. Po followed the red panda immediately, and the Five followed the Dragon Warrior.
Something was wrong; another white bird appeared, this time to the right from the gate and after a few majestic flaps of her wings, she landed softly on the top of the wall. Another two females joined her and soon, the first heron was surrounded by two more, too.
The pandas didn't say anything coming closer to their masters and the Dragon Warrior, but the Jade Palace's servants backed to the terraces; they had bad feelings, looking at the six birds, who appeared to be waiting for something.
Another sounds of flapping, less rapid, but louder and louder started coming from beyond the wall. Tigress, Viper and the rest of the Five started entering their fighting stances automatically as some of the pandas instinctively looked at Crane, who wasn't even moving his wings now. The avian warrior looked like he was sensing a bigger bird's appearance. Indeed, he was having a disturbing déjà vu when his mind recalled that sound.
Another loud flap of the wings swooshed through the air and suddenly, a great dark figure with spread wings emerged from behind the top of the gate. Everyone backed in awe, seeing a magnificent golden bird hovering over the Jade Palace's Arena. Was it the legendary Phoenix in person?
The great bird flapped his wings several times and landed in front of the warriors, sending a soft wave of air around as its train fell down on the stone. The landing itself wasn't very graceful, but the 'phoenix' finally straightened up with dignity and opened his eyes, giving the gathered warriors a strange, stone look with his almost white eyes.
Then another shadow on spread wings appeared in the sky behind the herons' backs and slid down through the air like a large leaf or a feather, landing skillfully next to the first guest.
The first bird wore a long, richly decorated yellow robe with the silhouette of a dragon embroidered on the back with a gold thread. He had brightly orange feathers that glittered in the sunlight like a divine flame, and a train of long feathers that flowed down from his back to the ground behind him.
The other bird though, seemed a little younger. He had feathers shiny and green like a bamboo tree, a long train with familiar jade 'eyes' and a green flowing robe with long, wide sleeves.
Po, petrified in shock, stood and stared at the two birds in utter horror, not able to believe that it all was really happening. And actually.. what was going on?
...Peacocks?!
(A.N.) Ooh, it's getting serious. Who are the guys and what's happening in the village? What will become of Po's dad's relation with Zhú? What about the younger characters? The next chapters will be quite complicated and probably appear after the KFP 3 movie, so I don't take responsibility for any possible similarities (though I'd rather not see many;). Maybe I'll add something to the one-shots of this story in the meantime, but I'm not sure yet. Thanks for staying with the Army of Black and White and Happy New Year!