I'm so excited to get this chapter out to you guys! This one was pretty fun to write.
phetiamwantip: Thank you! I really appreciate your support :)
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One week has passed since Leo first started walking again. Leo wasn't back to training, yet. Shifu, despite being impatient by nature, gave him time to heal. Although, Shifu had said, I won't be mad if I catch you in the Training Hall without Milu's permission.
Everyday Leo would slowly walk around the palace. Milu would be a few paces behind him, ready to catch him if he stumbled. Personally, Leo hated having an escort, but he knew it was for the best. Milu offered having a cane made for him to steady his balance, but just the idea of walking around with a cane made Leo gag. He didn't tell Shifu that.
While Leo was outside in the courtyard one day, Po approached him, his breath shallow from a recent training exercise. "Hey..Master Leo.." He panted.
"Hello, Po." Leo said, "How's training?"
"Good.." Po nodded absentmindedly, "I wanted to talk to you about something. It's um..private." Po looked nervously at Milu. The wapiti, taking the hint, nodded and approached Leo,
"If you are in pain, just call for me." Leo nodded, and Milu walked away, probably to write in his doctor's journal. Leo led Po to a bench underneath a cherry tree.
"Let's sit."
"So..um. It's actually about something that happened in Gongmen Tower. With Lord Shen." Po said, sitting down heavily next to Leo.
Leo nodded, "Continue."
"You said that..Lord Shen destroyed a panda village? I never knew there was a village. Can you..tell me about it?" Po asked nervously, as if just the mention of his kind would set something off in Leo.
"Yes," Leo hummed quietly, "I had only heard about it in tales from Master Oogway, but I heard it was a peaceful village. The villagers were incredibly content with their lifestyle. They hardly left, not even for trade. They farmed and grew their own food. It was several days walk from Gongmen. "
"I wish I could see it." Po sighed sadly. Leo nodded in agreement,
"If I remember right, it would only be a day's journey by boat from here." Leo acknowledged.
"Really?!" Po perked up eagerly, "Do you think I could go?" He then added quickly, "Well, you could come to, since you know the way."
"I've never been there..but I know where we can find it." Leo said, getting up, "In the ancient scroll archives there should be a map of China. It might have the panda village on it."
"Ok! Let's go find that map!" Po shouted, "Woo hoo!" He dashed ahead.
"Wait, Po!" Leo said, jogging after him, "Milu will surely kill me if I overexert myself."
"Oh, sorry." Po giggled sheepishly.
…
The map of China wasn't hard to find. Most of the scrolls in the archives were Kung Fu Fighting techniques, including the 1,000 Scroll of Kung Fu. Leo sighed sadly as he passed them. Only two animals have mastered those scrolls. Him and Tai Lung. How he missed his brother.
But Leo shook the sadness from his head. He had work to do. Leo spotted the map, identifiable by the red and yellow ribbons tying it closed. "Po, I found the map. Come here."
Po, who was busy ogling at one of the many scrolls of Kung Fu, hurried over, "Where is the village?"
"Here." Leo pointed to a dot on the parchment, "One day by river. We will be there and back before the week is out." He smiled at Po.
"Yeah! I can't wait!"
"What are you two planning?" A sudden voice called from the entrance of the archives. Leo looked up and spotted Master Shifu. Po eagerly beckoned Master Shifu over,
"We're going to the panda village! The one that Shen.." Po's voice grew quieter, "destroyed. I..want to see where I came from."
"And what do you have to do in all of this, Master Leo?" Shifu turned his gaze towards the lion. Leo chuckled, almost nervously,
"I will be accompanying Po." Before Shifu could say no, Leo hastily continued, "I won't over exert myself, and it will only be for a few days max."
Shifu stared at him for a while, then spoke, "You don't need to convince me. It is Milu that you will have to talk to."
Leo rolled his eyes and chuckled. Shifu sent for the elk and moved in closer to look at the map. Leo gave the map to his Master and looked at Po, who was smiling, eager for the journey.
Soon, Milu stepped into the archives, guided by an attendant. Milu looked over Leo, and sighed in relief when he saw that Leo wasn't hurt or anything.
"What is the matter?" He asked, stepping over.
"I'll let Master Leo explain." Shifu smiled. Leo flicked the red panda with his tail, then spoke,
"I will be escorting Po on a journey to the panda village. I have already decided to go, since I know that I can walk now."
"You won't be fighting." Milu warned, "And how long is this journey?"
"One day there by boat. We shall be gone for three days or so. Maybe less." Leo said.
"Then I am going with you. If you hurt yourself then you will need a doctor there. I will pack a travelling bag." With that, the wapiti turned and walked out of the archives. Leo cast a quick glance to Po,
"I guess that went well."
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The next morning, Leo, Po, and Milu met each other at the docks on the river near the edge of the town. Milu brought a travelling pack along, which held several medicinal supplies and equipment, whereas Po's travel pack consisted of food, food, and food. Leo decided to bring sleeping mats.
Leo rented a boat from the boat master and they set off. Once the three animals were out of sight from the Valley, Leo unraveled the scroll. He looked at the map. They should make it in a day.
When Leo was finished examining the map, he unravelled the three sleeping mats and begun to meditate. Po, on the other hand, began talking excitedly to Milu, who was polishing his medical equipment with the cold river water and a soft towel:
"-I mean, I thought I was the only panda in the Valley of Peace! It's just really cool that there could be more out there. But, I guess since Shen killed them there aren't any more left."
Milu, who had experience dealing with and treating almost every species from the Northern Chinese border all the way to Moscow and about every personality in between, simply nodded in agreement, "I predict this is very big news to you, Po. Discovering one's past is an adventure in itself."
…
Po was the first to wake the next morning. He nudged Leo awake, who was gently purring in his sleep, and whispered excitedly,
"Master Leo! We're close to the village! I can feel it!" Leo blinked his eyes open and nodded.
"Go wake up Milu. I'll guide the boat ashore."
Po hurried over to the wapiti, who was sleeping on his stomach, while Leo rose from the sleeping mat and headed outside. The sun was just beginning to crest the horizon. As Leo stared off into the distance, he realized Po was right; in the distance, he could see the faint outlines of what looked like ruins.
As the boat drew nearer to the abandoned village, Po was gazing with wonder. The minute they hit land, Po eagerly scrambled up the banks and towards the village.
"Po!" Leo called, "Be careful. Those ruins could be dangerous." Leo gently stepped onto the ground and Milu followed.
Leo looked around cautiously. The atmosphere was gloomy. Despite dawn approaching, a somber feeling hung in the air. Old farmhouses and shops stood, the entire structure burnt; they looked like a single sneeze would crumble them to dust.
Milu, despite being accustomed to visiting poor and even dilapidated villages, was glancing around nervously. He had never visited a ghost town such as this. He warily approached some remains of a house. Only the foundation remained, leaving the wapiti to guess where the walls were and what used to be in the house.
He stepped over the foundation and, his ears swivelling for sounds of danger, glanced about for anything Po might want to see. All he found, however, was just rotting wood and mossy stone. Nothing that Po- or anything of the trio, for that matter- would find interesting.
Po was slowly looking around. He wasn't afraid. In fact, he was filled with wonder and excitement. He didn't touch anything, because even he knew that this place, while abandoned, was still dangerous.
Leo saw the remnants of a campfire. The embers weren't hot, but the wood wasn't rotted and he could see someone trying to shelter here.
"Someone's been here before us." He whispered to himself.
"This..this is where it all started.." Po mumbled, "I was born here. Wow." The panda was breathless. He could see it now: happy pandas running and playing. The sun would be shining. Po frowned. How he would have loved to see this place.
Leo and Milu stepped cautiously out of the makeshift camp and glanced around. Po suddenly tripped over a piece of wood. He looked down and saw that the plank he tripped was covering something.
Po nudged aside the wood planks and saw a little stuffed panda. He picked it up and examined it.
The entire village was on fire. A little panda cub was huddled to himself, crying, as he watched the onslaught of wolves killing pandas. He clutched a stuffed panda to his chest.
Screams of agony and fear pounded his ears.
Po recoiled, holding a hand his head and gasping. Milu, noticing his sudden change in demeanor, advanced towards him in concern. However, Leo, simply held out his paw to stop the wapiti,
"Don't disrupt him. He is discovering his past."
Milu's eyes widened as he watched Po go through another vision:
A white peacock, his tail feathers unfurled in a scary display of red and white, shouted and pointed at the baby panda. Two wolves leapt at the cub, but a large male panda intercepted them, hitting one of them in the chest with a large hammer. The wolf collided with his comrade and flew back towards the peacock, who was astonished.
"Take our son! Run away, go!" The male panda shouted.
A mother panda grabbing her son and hurrying towards the woods. Her breath was labored and her baby cried as he left the stuffed panda, which was buried by a pile of wood.
Father? Po thought to himself. His parents had fought to protect him. Him.
Several drops of rain began to fall, hitting Leo and Milu in the head as they witnessed Po's revelations.
Po was gasping as he tried to process all of these emotions. It was like his mind was at war with itself and all he could do was try not to drown in the waves.
"You are alright, Po, we are here." Milu tried to encourage the panda.
Po tried to calm down. He tried to make peace with the memories, but the shrieks of his dying kin, the harsh barks of the wolves, and the irritating clang of metal still rang in his ears.
Mother was trudging through the snow, her feet crunching with every step. She held onto the baby like it was the one thing keeping her alive.
Po held a paw up to his head and tried to steady his breathing. But his mind still raced, trying to block out the memories and let him live in blissful ignorance.
"Don't fight the current, Po." Leo purred, "Let the waves guide you."
Hearing this, the panda's mind stilled. A fat raindrop hit the center of his head. Po slowly looked up at the grey clouds that dominated the sky. Thunder rumbled in the distance. More rain started to fall.
Po felt another vision flash in his mind.
Wolves on either side of Mother, snapping and lunging. Mother narrowly dodges and runs towards the horizon, her footsteps heavy as she weaves between the trees.
Po, with his eyes closed, lifted his paw up to the sky, waiting. A raindrop fell towards his palm, and it landed gently, very gently, like a feather landing on still water.
With his eyes still closed, Po twirled the water droplet in his hand, almost as if he were afraid to break it. He began performing a tai chi ritual. His mind stilled and he let the memories, once terrifying tempests and surges, calm down into gentle waves.
Mother had outrun the wolves. For now. She slid down a hillslope and landed next to a delivery cart full of lettuce, celery, and radishes. Realizing what must be done to save her baby, the mother gently placed him into the radish crate.
The baby giggled softly, nibbling on a large radish and staring at his mother lovingly. Po's mother softly kissed the baby and turned to leave. The young panda wailed for his mother, and she turned around, trying to hush him.
She began humming a soft tune. It was a lullaby. A lullaby that would always put the baby panda to sleep. She tried to draw out the moment as long as she could. The baby, hearing the familiar tune, began to grow drowsy. He yawned and the mother giggled.
She kissed her child lovingly on the head, and, taking in a shaky breath, hummed the last few notes of the lullaby. With the little baby too sleepy to make noise, the mother turned and clambered up the hill.
She made it to the top. In the distance, sniffing on the ground, she saw the wolves. Behind them was a young white peacock.
Casting one last sorrowful glance to her sleeping babe in the radish crate, the mother waved her arms, catching the attention of her assassins.
The wolves charged at her with angry snarls, with the white peacock in close pursuit. The mother ran as far and as fast as she could away from her child.
Po, his eyes still closed, placed the rain droplet on top of a leaf, and he opened his eyes calmly,
"My mother..she.." Then, although he had reconciled with his memories, Po felt the realization of all of this come flooding in. His mother had not abandoned him out of spite, but out of love, "She loved me." His voice was thick as his throat tightened. He felt his eyes water.
Leo placed a gentle paw on Po's shoulder, "Imagine how proud she would be if she could see you now. The Dragon Warrior.." Leo breathed.
Po nodded sadly. He was the Dragon Warrior. The Dragon Warrior! He felt a smile crease his muzzle as he remembered first coming to the Jade Palace. Shifu and the Five may not have been so welcoming of him then, but now they would die for him! And he would die for them. They were his family. His home.
Po grabbed Leo and gave him a great big hug. Leo smiled and returned the hug. Milu, who normally would have told Po off for possibly harming Leo's healing progress with hugs like that, simply watched and let the panda have his moment.
When Po let Leo go, the lion spoke softly, "Would you like to head home now?"
"Yeah. Let's go home."
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In the Mountains
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Dawn light filtered into the factory as Alpha and Shen stared at the creation before them. Shen in maniacal glee and Alpha in well-concealed and well-deserved fear.
This one was bigger than ever before. The entire stock of remaining metal had been used in the creation of this monster. It was so big that, after running out of metal, Shen insisted that the wolves begin taking metal from the factory structure itself. By the time the weapon was finished, Alpha was surprised that the building didn't collapse.
Even though they had no previous weapons to compare it to, this one was at least three times the size. The dragon's mouth on the front was painted red and white, signifying the beginning of Shen's reign and the destruction of Kung Fu.
"The Valley of Peace Destroyer is too long." Shen hummed to himself.
"What was that, my Lord?" Alpha turned to look at Shen with his good eye.
"I need a name for this one. I was thinking The Valley of Peace Destroyer, but it is too wordy. Ah! I know. Peace Destroyer." Shen's pupils shrank in mania, and a crazed grin creased his beak.
"Peace Destroyer? Seems a little harsh." Alpha mumbled. But after taking a glance at it, he decided not to question it. Shen could probably fit inside the mouth of this Peace Destroyer, and there would be room to spare. If Shen heard his comment, he ignored it.
"We move out." Shen, with a small limp, went to gather his lance and throwing knives. Every wolf armed themself with a bow, a quiver full of arrows, and a sword. Each wolf also had to pull a cart full of boxes, barrels and bags full of gunpowder and ammunition.
When all of the wolves were ready, Shen took the helm. The Peace Destroyer towered behind him as the wolves hauled it through the snow. Wheels on the bottom allowed for it to be easily transported by the wolves.
Alpha, who was walking just behind Shen, sent a scout to find the most isolated path. If Shen's militia was to get to the Valley of Peace unnoticed with that huge weapon in tow, they would need to pull out all the stops and not be noticed by anyone, he reasoned.
"You know the way to the Valley of Peace, my Lord?" Alpha asked Shen.
"Of course I do." Shen hissed, "We should arrive tomorrow at noon if we keep this pace." He said quietly. His red eyes were fixed forward.
"What is your plan, my Lord? What happens when we get there?" Alpha asked curiously.
Shen gave Alpha a look and thought for a moment. Alpha saw a puff a breath in the cold air, and then the peacock answered, "First we will destroy the Jade Palace. Then the Valley of Peace. Then.." The peacock went quiet for a moment while he thought, "we shall march straight to Bei Jing."
Alpha's mind instantly returned to the journal that he read. After Shen crowned himself emperor after conquering the Capital City, he was going to kill Alpha in front of all of his wolves. Alpha looked behind him and saw Shui, carrying two bags full of gunpowder and walking beside the Peace Destroyer. What would she do if she saw Alpha, her love, killed in front of her?
So the wolf began coming up with a plan. He had to figure out how to get him and Shui away from Shen. He had until noon tomorrow.
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Authors Note: Will Leo, Po, and Milu make it back to the Valley in time? What's going to happen to Alpha and Shui? All will be revealed in the upcoming chapters! If you aren't already, be sure to follow so you know exactly when the next chapter comes out! Favorite the chapter if you liked it! If you want to answer the questions above, give constructive criticism, or just give some praise, leave a review! I will always appreciate positive feedback :)