Author's Note: Hoo boy! It's been a while. Again, sorry for taking so long. A lot of stuff's been going on such as vidya game conquests, uni work and the creative spark just being inconsistent. Anyways, I hope this will have been worth the wait people. Oh, btw. About me saying that things get better from here... Well they do... But there's still quite a bit of sadness here... Regardless, do please enjoy.
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KUNG FU PANDA (How many times do I need to say this already?)
Enjoy.
Fallen Heroes
Rain continues pouring over the darkened forest as amethyst orbs stare upon the violent current that had so easily ushered her prey away from their certain death. These angered eyes shift focus towards the unidentifiable creature that had failed to keep hold of the warriors as Nuba mentally berates herself for letting this happen. For letting herself enjoy her sadistic torture too much. At these thoughts, her eyes catch something… Interesting.
A black knife plunged into the ground mere inches away from the river. She heaves herself up onto her worn legs, still breathing heavily from exhaustion, and walks towards this strange utensil. Upon reaching it, she grasps it with her paw and rips it out from the earth to examine it, grimacing at its putrid smell. Her eyes inspect it further with a look of complete confusion until a memory flashes in her mind. A memory of her dying next to the very same river, with a knife lodged in her neck. Nuba's eyes widen slightly at this realisation before gazing upon the weapon again. She notices the amount of rust coating the metal as well as the blackened colour of the knife fading near the bottom of the blade. Though her face doesn't change, she scoffs after understanding exactly what this 'paint' is. Her dried blood from so long ago. That raven must've left it behind when he found my body… Gripping the weapon tightly in her paw, Nuba's eyes focus upon the river again with a poisonous glint entering them. I was so careless… So caught up in my own pleasure that I allowed that fool to best me… Light creaks emanate from the weapon as her grip on the weapon only gets tighter. "I guess some things never change." She growls out with gritted teeth, her paw crushing the knife in its entirety and reducing the tool of her previous demise to microscopic ashes.
Amethyst orbs continue staring at the harsh torrent as the white tiger takes deep breaths to calm herself down. They take in the sheer strength of the current, its merciless depths showing no signs of letting up anytime soon. Her stone-cold face remains intact as several thoughts swim through her head. I doubt this river will be completely clear… Perhaps a few rocks or boulders for those two to bash their heads on… Or maybe I've drained them so much that they'll simply drown in the water… Regardless, they are as good as dead as it is… Nuba's eyes narrow sharply. But I can't take any chances… She turns her head over to Jiangshi as a miniscule frown forms on her face, the whereabouts of the rest of the furious five eluding her until Tigress' lack of a response to her interrogation replays in her mind. They managed to escape Jiangshi… They're most likely going forward with their previous plan… A chuckle escapes her maw as the image of the Jade Palace briefly flashes in her mind. Home sweet home… But that leaves out one… Potential problem.
She looks over to the hideous creature again with a sick grin forming on her face. Though I'd prefer to do it myself… I doubt that anything would hurt more than being killed by your own father… With this conclusion in mind, Nuba quickly calls out, "Jiangshi! To me." She motions it to come towards her as the beast follows her command without hesitation. With her grin disappearing from her face, Nuba commands, "Now listen to me… You are going to follow those two masters down that river, and you are going to continue following that river until you find them. Understand?" Jiangshi nods its head, "If you do find them dead, bring their bodies to me. If you find them alive… Tear them apart. Make them suffer. Understand?" It nods its head again, "I will be coming back here once I've dealt with the Jade Palace, so once you're done come straight back here… Got it?" She demands with narrowed, piercing eyes. Jiangshi nods again, "Well? Go on." She shoos the beast away as it stomps its way down the path of the river, her amethyst orbs watching it briefly before it disappears from her sight. You better not disappoint me… I can't let them get the upper hand now… Not when I'm this close.
Heavy breaths take hold of her again as the aftermath of her battle with the dragon warrior takes its toll on her body. She shakes her head in slight disbelief of the panda's capabilities, "Probably the best fight I've had in a long time… Probably the best fight I'll ever get." A twinge of dismay can be heard in her voice, part of her truly regretting that their fight had been so short and hasty. Amber orbs flash in her mind as the image of the tiger master's bloodied and bruised face is plastered in her subconscious. Nuba clenches her fist, disgusted that she had let her out of her grasp. She calms herself again with a few deep breaths before stumbling over to a tree and resting her back on it, sliding down until she sits down on the muddied floor. I should be able to catch up with the rest of those warriors before they can send the message out… It should take no longer than 1-2 hours maybe… I'll need all my energy back though. She ponders, her eyelids growing heavier. I'll have to set out the second I wake up… Then, the fun will really start. Nuba shuts her eyes as her breaths become calmer and more rhythmic. She pays no mind to the rain's unforgiving barrage as her mind enters the blessed land of sleep.
Half an hour after the white tiger had sent the creature off on its task, it continues to follow the river path near the edge of the forest. Hollow amber eyes scan the surroundings, having found nothing on its quest so far. As each raindrop speeds past the tree's leaves and drops onto the creature, it feels the stitches on several body parts become damper, loosening under nature's ire. It ignores this however, the metal implants making sure that its body's foundations remain strong. Jiangshi continues to survey the forest on each side of the river, its eyes so focused that they do not manage to see the brown puddle hiding within the muddy ground. With one step of its right metallic foot, it slips on the puddle and crashes down onto one knee. Jiangshi grips the muddied grass with its mangled left paw whilst carelessly dipping its right paw into the river. It attempts to rip its paw out of the water, but the strong current overpowers the loosened stitches and tears off the beast's paw. With the rest of its arm no longer submerged, Jiangshi stares upon the stump where its paw used to be before promptly ignoring it and continuing down the river path, with its sights set on completing its master's mission.
Meanwhile, the intense storm begins to reach the valley of peace, blocking out the iridescent glow of the moon as the rain begins to patter on the sleeping citizens below. Or at least, most of them are sleeping. Mr Ping slumps through the vacant spots of his restaurant with exhausted eyes, another night's rest haunted by his paranoia. He enters the kitchen and tiredly prepares himself some tea, hoping that maybe the beverage will calm him enough. "Bad dream, again?" Brown eyes look towards the stairs leading up to the bedrooms, already expecting Li-Shan to be right at the bottom, and nods before looking back to his brewing tea. Jade orbs look to the goose in sorrow, his anxiousness for his son still swelling in his heart. This had been their routine for the past few days. Mr Ping would be shaken from some nightmare involving Po and Li-Shan would help comfort him. Granted the goose is nowhere near as worried as he was when their son went to Gongmen, but the potentiality of their son really dying could never truly escape his mind and neither could it escape Li-Shan's, regardless of their confidence in their son. Forcing a small smile on his face, Li-Shan points at the teapot and quips, "You might wanna make enough for two." Resulting in a slight huff from the goose.
As Mr Ping brews up their beverage, Li-Shan walks over to the archway leading to the restaurant tables and stares at the weeping, grey clouds shrouding the valley's skies. He shakes his head at the dreadful night as he leans on the archway with folded arms, "Weather's looking real bad. I'd be surprised if anyone can get some sleep." The panda chief dismally comments, resulting in an agreeing hum from the goose chef. Li-Shan continues staring at the dreadful weather until his eyes spot something moving across the sky. He narrows his eyes to focus on what could possibly be flying by at this hour, only to have his eyes widen in utter disbelief. "Ping!" He calls out, "Ping, look outside!"
Hearing the growing panic in the panda chief's voice, the goose shifts his focus to the outside of the restaurant with concerned brown orbs. He gasps as his eyes identify something moving in the clouds. No. Someone.
They both see Master Crane tiredly panting as he soars through the blackened skies, his clothes muddied and ripped with his hat nowhere to be seen. They are able to pick out a small green dot on top of the avian's head, most likely Mantis, and identify two people being carried by the drained bird. Masters Monkey and Viper. Both Mr. Ping and Li-Shan identify their limp forms, their closed eyes, as they silently pray that the two are only unconscious. As they look on further however, they notice how two of their members aren't there, and one horrified thought sinks into their heads.
Where's my son?
Li-Shan runs out onto the raining streets of the valley and looks around with the hope that maybe Po is just trying to catch up or that he had possibly sped past them as they were distracted with Crane. His aged jade orbs only see the darkened haze of the night swarming the streets. No monochromatic figure. No gentle jade orbs to greet him. No beaming smile to pierce through the darkness. Nothing. His bottom lip quivers as his breaths begin to shake. "Do you see him?" Mr. Ping's desperate question rings out from the noodle shop archway, but Li-shan is unable to answer as his mind tries to comprehend what is happening.
He's… He's not here… She's not here either… The others are… Knocked out… W-why… Did they… Leave him?... Is he…? The panda chief doesn't dare finish the thought as he forces his lips shut, already realising the dreaded truth.
"Li?... Li… Do you…" The goose sharply breathes in, the panda chief's silence unnerving him to the very core of his soul. "I-is… Is he there? Do you see him!?" Mr. Ping pleads out to his panda friend, paranoia soaking his voice. Brown orbs focus on the back of the panda chief, seeing his paws trembling frantically. Pain soon takes him like a knife twisting into his heart, as he sees the panda chief lower his head and slowly, hopelessly, shake it. Mr. Ping puts his wing over his heart and exhales out loudly, finding it hard to breath. A look of pure despair deforms his features as tears well up his eyes. Memories of the baby boy he had raised for so long flash within his mind. Memories of the very first day he had found him. Memories of the child playing superhero. Memories of every single one of his sweet, adorable smiles that had melted the goose's heart. Tears roll down Mr. Pings cheeks as he shakes his head, "No. No. No… No… P-please…" He chokes out, his voice breaking as he stumbles back into the establishment. "P-please… Oh dear Gods have mercy… Please… Not my son… Please… Not Po…" He pitifully pleads as he begins to sob. With his nightmare now coming true, he gives way to his overpowering grief as he weeps uncontrollably within the restaurant.
Whereas Li-Shan is paralysed in the middle of the street, his eyes looking down upon the road. Grief that had plagued him for decades infect his mind once again. After all these years of believing he was gone… Now, it has become a reality. So soon. Such little time he could spend with his son. One memory swells in his mind. One that he had cherished his whole life.
The day when he had commissioned a painting of his wife and child. They stood there for a while, Lotus not wanting to sit still. She kept her smile though, not at all getting irritated with the boy. Instead, she laughed at his cute display whilst Li-Shan watched on with loving eyes. Once the painter had finished, the panda chief shared a loving kiss with his wife that was abruptly interrupted by their baby's fidgeting. With big smiles on their faces, they brought the baby in between their faces and kissed him on each cheek. Lotus cutely giggled in response as the two parents cherished their gift from the Gods.
Jade orbs close as the poor father remembers all of the hope he had for his family, their bright future. All taken away. Tears drip out of his eyes and onto the already damp ground, the rain becoming much heavier. He quietly admits to himself, his voice broken and hopeless, "My boy is gone."
As the two fathers mourn the loss of their only son, another father anxiously waits on the top of the thousand steps with an umbrella in hand. Master Shifu's gaze lingers on the black, cloudy horizon with eyes that attempt to hold its usual sternness but is overwhelmed by fear. He had noticed the grey skies and horrible weather earlier today, part of him almost certain that it was a bad omen. His suspicions were confirmed when not too long ago he had felt something stab his soul, a flash of indescribable pain covering his whole being. Something he hadn't experienced since… Gongmen. He had managed to piece together that he had felt that pain after Po's near fatal blow from Shen's cannon, something that had only intensified his paranoia of Nuba facing his students. If he has felt it again now, then something truly horrible must have happened. May the Gods have mercy on them… On her. The aged master is cast out of his thoughts as his ears twitch at the sound of flapping wings. He looks up to identify Master Crane and Mantis flying towards him with an unconscious Monkey and Viper in tow. His eyes now widened; he briefly looks down the thousand steps but cannot see a single sign of neither Po nor Tigress. Dread takes his heart captive as Crane descends towards Shifu's spot on the steps. The red panda throws his umbrella away and helps the avian carefully place his downed comrades on the ground before he slumps onto the ground himself, heavily panting. "What happened?" Shifu inquires, his gravelly voice maintaining its steely timbre in spite of his momentous panic.
Mantis hops off Crane, his energy somewhat recovered from their journey back. "It was bad, Master. We found out that Nuba was behind the kidnappings. We tried to fight her off but… She was too strong." He explains, wholly ashamed by their complete and utter failure.
Shifu glances upon his beaten students, a disturbing resemblance to when they were brutally outmatched against Tai Lung. However, there is one key difference. "Where is Tigress?... Where is Po?" He implores to his two conscious students, his terror breaking through his stern façade.
To the grandmaster's despair, both students' faces wilt in guilt. A horrific silence permeates the three warriors, with neither Crane nor Mantis able to admit to their master how they have failed their friends. Finally, the avian master breaks this silence by taking a deep breath and then whimpering, "We… We were no match *pant* for them."
"Them?" Shifu asks, bewildered by the fact that Nuba might be working with someone else.
"Her henchman. He cornered us and allowed Nuba to fight Po on her own." Crane takes a deep breath again, his fatigue settling in. "He knocked out Viper and Monkey. It was only us and Tigress left… And then…" He cringes as tears seep from his eyes. "We heard Po scream in pain… I dunno what she did to him… But…" The bird lets out a shudder as Shifu stares at the floor in thought. He shifts his gaze back to the bird, motioning for him to continue. "Tigress told us to retreat… And then she distracted the henchman… And went off to save Po…" Yellow orbs look to the mortified eyes of his former master. "I'm sorry, master… We… We had no choice… I-I'm so sorry." He whimpers out with rivers of tears rolling down his face as Mantis' eyes gain a newfound fury for the maniac who has no doubt killed his friends.
Master Shifu looks out towards the darkened horizon, turning his back on the two conscious warriors. He takes several deep breaths in an attempt to calm his aching heart, pursing his lips and gritting his teeth to keep himself from breaking down in front of his students. Po… Tigress… He closes his eyes briefly as tears threaten to escape them. You deserved so much more than this… He opens his eyes and takes one final breath before stating in a sombre voice, "You don't need to apologise. You did everything you could." Though he knows these platitudes may seem empty, it's better than nothing. "I'll get Zeng to send a message to the other temples to warn them of Nuba. You take Monkey, Viper and yourselves to the infirmary."
Crane and Mantis give each other puzzled looks as the green insect asks, "To warn them? Master, aren't we getting backup?"
Shifu shakes his head before explaining, "Oogway had told me sparingly of Nuba's ruthless nature in combat… She will not stop chasing you and by the time reinforcements arrive, she will have already gotten to us. The best I can do is give them a warning of what is to come." He turns to look at his two students who already know what their former master is going to say, "We will have to defend the valley ourselves, and you will need all the energy you can get."
Downtrodden and hopeless, Mantis carefully picks up Viper and manages to drag her along towards the infirmary whilst Crane picks up Monkey by his waistband before looking back towards Shifu. "What if we can't beat her?" The avian asks with yellow orbs consumed by guilt and pain.
Steely blue orbs continue to stare intensely at the weeping clouds, silently vowing to avenge his daughter and the dragon warrior. "Then we die trying." He replies without hesitation, his attempts at keeping his cold exterior reaching its end as the thought of his daughter's death clouds his mind. His ears twitch at the sound of Mantis and Crane heading towards the infirmary with their comrades in tow until they fade into the Jade Palace halls, replaced by the harsh, never-ending rainfall. An image flashes through his head, a memory. A warm feeling swarms around his heart as he remembers Tigress' smiling the face the day he had adopted her from the orphanage. This warmth is soon corrupted by the thought that he will never get the chance to see her smile like that again. That he had been so neglectful to a girl who deserved nothing more than love. He sniffles as tears leave his eyes, giving in to the despair that clutches at his heart so tightly. Before he breaks completely however, he senses a presence behind him. A wise, comforting presence that he could recognise within an instant.
"I was her father… For 25 years…" Shifu states as tears that had been sealed away for decades roll down his face and join the tumultuous rain. "And I only acted like one for six months." His voice struggles through his confession, his hardened shell beginning to break under the vicious pain of battered heart. He does not feel ashamed of being so vulnerable however, not in front of his master.
Wise jade orbs look upon the red panda in complete sorrow, understanding the weight of his student's guilt. Oogway's ethereal figure takes a step closer to the grieving grandmaster. Though he wants to comfort him, time is of the essence. If Jingxi hasn't changed her fighting style, then there's no doubt that she will be on her way here soon. "My friend." He calls out to Shifu in his perpetually calming voice, already beginning to soothe the red panda's aching heart. "Darkness might surround us now, but we cannot let it blind us… We cannot lose hope." At his master's words, Shifu's left ear begins to twitch. "You must believe."
"How!?" Shifu yells as he sharply turns around and stares upon the turtle with eyes no longer bothering to hold back their pain. Oogway doesn't react, already expecting the red panda's outburst. "How can I believe, master!? How can I, when I put all of my faith in my students, my daughter, and it's done nothing!" He exclaims with waterfalls of tears pouring from his eyes and sniffling in a futile attempt to restrain himself. Blue eyes regain their reason as the grandmaster realises just who he has shouted at, "I-I'm sorry, master." He gravely apologises, horrified that he had lost himself for that mere moment and shown such disrespect to master Oogway. "I, Oh Gods… I don't know what came over me." He puts his hand upon his head, his momentary anger bringing him a slight migraine until he looks upon the ancient eyes of his master.
"There is no need to apologise, my friend." Oogway takes another step towards the red panda who tries to regain his steely mask, "It is better to make your grief known than to suffer in silence." Shifu merely looks down at the ground with ears folded, still ashamed that he let himself snap like that. Oogway furrows his brows in pity before slowly dropping himself to one knee, "I not only ask for you to have faith in your students." He gently places one of his claws directly over Shifu's heart, which causes the red panda to look up towards the turtle master. "But to have faith in yourself as well… Your students need you now more than ever… The citizens of the valley are counting on you to defend them from Nuba." Blue orbs look to elderly jade eyes in hopeless understanding before Shifu only slightly nods his head.
Oogway stands back up, offering his student a tender but sad smile. As Shifu's features begin to regain their usual sternness, he gravely asks, "You do understand what we'll need to do, don't you?" Though he'd prefer not to ask his master such a question, he cannot ignore the fact that Oogway had once seen Nuba as a daughter. Regardless of how sadistic or insane she would ever become; it will never change the fact that he had practically raised her, something that Shifu has had experience in too. Regardless of these feelings however, she is simply too dangerous to be kept alive.
Immediately Oogway's almost unbreakable smile is wiped off his face, his morbid understanding of just what Shifu is implying sends shivers through his spiritual being. "Unfortunately, I do." Though his calm timbre remains, it is tainted by remnants of his heart that was withered from so long ago. "It will hurt… I cannot deny that it will hurt seeing her go… But nothing will hurt more than seeing how…" Oogway lets out a shaky breath, his eyes plagued by Nuba's merciless beating of Tigress and the dragon warrior. "Cruel she has become." Steely blue eyes widen in pity as they see a single tear roll down Oogway's cheek. Jade orbs close for a brief moment as the founder of kung fu takes a deep breath. He opens his eyes back up, his face reverting to his usual serene smile though it is unable to hide the despair within his soul. "Remember, Shifu." He takes several steps back with his staff held vertically in both hands. "Though the darkness of the night may be daunting, it will always be washed away by the brightness of the day." Shifu ponders the wise master's statement for a moment before gazing upon the ethereal turtle with thankful eyes. Oogway's smile widens slightly as he lightly taps the ground beneath him with his staff. The raindrops continue their unending descent as Oogway's form gives out a golden glow. Each droplet passes through him and reflects his body as if they were broken fragments of a mirror brought together to create an image once more. Before long, the wise turtle master dissolves within the rain, leaving the heavy-hearted grandmaster alone in the seemingly endless storm.
Shifu turns around and stares at the darkened horizon as his posture gradually reverts to its usually stern nature. For a brief second, he swears that he can see the amber orbs of his daughter within the grey clouds, but he quickly identifies his mind's desperate mirage. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, his mind racing between a myriad of memories for not just Tigress, but Po as well. He had not only lost his daughter, but he had lost the man who had helped bring peace to his old, hardened heart. He slowly exhales and opens his eyes which brim with an unwilling acceptance before making way to a new, steely determination. A brief image of a younger nuba fills his mind, the little naïve girl who has now become the bearer of this greatest tragedy. I will not let anyone else suffer at your hands. Not while I can still breathe.With this thought in mind, the grandmaster rushes towards his office whilst calling out for Zeng. If all else fails, then at the very least the other kung fu masters will be ready for her impending rampage. We can't let it come to that. We can't.
As this happens, yellow orbs apologetically gaze upon the unconscious forms of Monkey and Viper. Crane looks on to one medical cot further to find Mantis sleeping, tuckered out from using his chi on their unconscious comrades in case they have suffered any internal injuries. As the avian keeps hi eyes on his friends, a familiar feeling wells up within him again. Once again, he has managed to be completely useless, only able to run whilst his friends gave their life for him. His eyes narrow in disgust at himself before he walks outside into the pouring rain. He looks up to the sky, part of him wanting to dash back to the forest and find his two friends, maybe there is still time. But upon thinking that he reminds himself that it was his daring attempt to save Viper that had gotten themselves into this mess. If he hadn't gone, then Monkey would still be conscious and maybe they could've held up a better fight. These are only guesses though, there's no guarantee that they would've lived anyway. How could I be so stupid? I shouldn't have gone on my own like that… I should've waited…
"Crane!"
He blinks rapidly, the voice echoing in his head being the all too familiar call of his mama bird. As her voice becomes more audible to him, a memory plays out before him. "Crane! You get down here this instant!" Yan Fan shouted at the irritated teenager. Crane begrudgingly stomped down the steps in response and glared at her from the bottom of the stairs.
"What? Are you gonna tell me I'm not allowed to go!?" He implored, his voice retaining a lot of venom.
Shaking her head, Crane's mother attempted to reason with him, "No, sweetie, that's not what I want to sa-
"C'mon, mum! It's the Lee-Dong academy! I could learn to fight! I could become a great warrior! Oh wait, never mind, I forget that I'm too weak and fragile for that!" He interrupted her, already knowing where this conversation was headed. Granted he had never dared to butt heads with her before, but this time it was too far.
"Crane, that is not what I meant." Yan Fan attempted to reason with him again, somewhat flustered that her son was so adamant about this.
"Right, right. It's definitely not like you to keep me from doing the stuff I want to do! No, definitely not!" He spat out sarcastically, "You definitely trust me, that's why you never let me go out with friends without freaking out about it first!" Through his shouting, the young avian had barely noticed the tears that were welling up in his eyes, something that Yan Fan noticed instantly. "Not like you'd ever believe in me… No…" He began to choke up on his words, "Not like you'd ever think I'd be a cool warrior or… or… anything." He finished with tears rolling down his cheeks, his spirit crushed by his insecurities.
Yan Fan laid her right wing onto his cheek and wiped away his tears before embracing the young bird. "That's not true." She softly cooed to her sobbing son, "Of course I believe in you… I… I'm just… Afraid…" Through tearful eyes, Crane listened to his mother, "I'm… afraid that I could lose you… I… Being a warrior is… It's dangerous… You never know what could happen… And I know that I would never be able to live with myself if I lost my only son." She tightened her embrace, the sheer thought of the boy she had raised being taken away from her being too much to bear. "I won't stop you from going to Lee-Dong. I know you want that. I just… Please be careful… Okay?" Yellow orbs were widened in shock that he had misunderstood her intentions, that he had been so caught up in his own issues that he never even gave a thought as to why she had been so protective all these years. "Okay?" She asked again, somewhat distressed by her son's lack of an answer.
"Okay, mum." He answered with a hoarse voice, completely ashamed that he let his mother's worries slip his mind completely. "I promise." He tightly hugged her back and felt the tears welling up in his eyes again. "I'm sorry for yelling, mama… I'm sorry."
She tenderly rubbed his head with her beak before softly saying, "It's okay."
"I love you, mum." He whimpered out, more thankful than ever that he had a mother who cared so much for him.
"I love you too, son."
As this memory fades, Crane finds it impossible to keep the tears from coming. That was the first and last time he had ever had such a heated argument with his mother. Until that day he had thought her overprotectiveness was due to him being weak, due to her lack of trust and faith in him. He couldn't have been more wrong. He can barely think of what he would've done without her. Yellow orbs widen in realisation of something. As this epiphany begins to form in his head, a brief image of a good friend pops into his head. Mei Ling, the mountain lion, the one student in Lee-Dong who gave him a chance, who believed in him. He grins slightly at this memory, the day he had gained his confidence, the day he had found who he was. Images of the furious five and dragon warrior swarm his mind. Their many adventures and escapades. All that time they were together, and he had felt brighter than ever before. Now, without them, he couldn't feel any weaker.
One last memory enters his mind. When he had flown with Viper several weeks ago, when they confided in each other about their struggles. What she had said that day rings through his mind. "You did hear what Po said, right? You don't need to be alone. If anything, we could all help you with this."
Yellow orbs widen completely as Crane realises. She's right. If it weren't for my mum, Mei Ling, or anyone else, then I wouldn't be here now… I wouldn't be who I am now. With this epiphany comes a new feeling that washes away the insecurities lying within. Something he can barely describe as happy nor sad. Something in complete balance. He looks towards the skies again, focusing on the rain in particular. This feeling… Something tells him that he knows exactly what it is… I better make sure. He mulls over for a mere moment before shooting off into the sky. He ignores the aching in his muscles as he ascends higher and higher. Before he can go any further up, he looks upon his flapping wings and can only open his beak in awe. Several of the raindrops that had clipped his wings remain completely intact. It truly is no doubt now, he has gained inner peace. At confirming this, he gives out a short, mirthful laugh before descending back towards the palace. He lands perfectly in spite of his worn-out limbs, he finds a smile growing on his face, in disbelief that through all of this hopelessness there can still be something to be happy about. That is, until their situation registers into his head again. However, his eyes narrow not in shame nor despair. Instead, they roar with an unwavering resolve. He gazes upon the horizon for a brief moment as the rain begins to soften its descent. No matter what happens, we'll be ready for you, Nuba. With this thought, he turns back and heads towards the infirmary once more to get some rest. For tomorrow, they will have to fight for their lives.
Trust me, things are gonna get crazy soon. Just want to say a quick thank you to everyone who has been supporting this story, you lot are fantastic honestly. I never would've expected that this would get so much traction, so once again, thank you! :)
As for the next chapter... Well... Let's just say if you were looking forward to this one... Then you are going to love what happens next ;) All I can say for now. Thanks for reading, See ya next time!