GO BACK HOME?
Shutting yourself up in a dark room and staying upside down, hanging from a beam, trying with all your might to imagine being in a cave, could have worked ... if it hadn't been for a continuous rolling that made it look like a pendulum!
Bo was absolutely convinced that if they didn't spot the land in the next seven days, he would turn into a migratory bird, to exploit his instinct and find a goddamn island by himself.
They had been at sea for two months now!
And they didn't know if they were sailing in enemy waters or if they got lost in their world.
The indication to "always go straight" keeping the sun rising to your right, was lost after the first two weeks, when a violent storm made them completely lose their orientation and the clouds made it impossible to understand where the sun was.
At the moment the rough sea made it difficult even to stay afloat. It wasn't raining, but the wind was having a terrible effect on the ocean.
"What if someone goes upstairs to help them?" A certain panda asked "Are you volunteering?" Cong asked provocatively "Not at all! You all know that I would destroy everything in half a second!" The panda answered satisfied.
"Already! We are dealing with a violent storm, let's not let another of the same power fall upon us!" Deshi said with a grin.
Bao looked at him confused "Two storms that come together don't form a tornado?" He asked puzzled "No, it doesn't work that way!" Jiao, the mandarin duck answered.
"Food supplies won't last forever!" Jun complained "It's true!" Ling argued.
"We can't risk condemning one of us to death and flying him out to sea!" Cheng decided to clear things up right away.
Young people never get to see and understand the seriousness of a situation until they are in trouble! Kueng watched as his grandchildren questioned each other in an attempt to find a solution while waiting for the storm to pass.
It was in those moments of danger that the tension skyrocketed!
The peacock decided to go to Kang and his other brothers, confident that once the storm passed, the situation would turn in their favor.
They had managed to escape, why would fate turn its back on them now?
A wave broke against the side of the ship, wetting those on the deck from head to toe.
Xu growled, not for the annoyance caused by the wet clothes adhering to his fur but for the simple fact that the water was freezing!
"Don't let go!" He screamed as they tried to fix the rope of a sail that the wind was making wildly tossing. Mei cursed when she slipped on the wood of the aft deck, due to the rain that had made it extremely slippery.
He struggled to his feet, trying not to overturn the rudder to one side, otherwise they would have changed course for the tenth time in a row.
Shen was holding firmly to the wooden handrail that overlooked the main deck.
He knew full well that the ship was designed to withstand worse conditions, but he couldn't be sure they were completely out of harm's way.
It was the third storm that hit them and even if it wasn't raining the sea was so violent and agitated that it could very well be classified as a storm!
Thanks to their elevated position, the water had not reached them, but the cold and humidity present that night were so severe that the peacock was aware that he would soon have to hide under deck!
It was summer, but the storms always made you forget this tiny detail!
The galleon had been their salvation. A Chinese junk wouldn't be enough to carry them all, and it would sink in the first storm.
While the size of the galleon made it suitable for their number and the elongated hull brought greater stability in the water and decreased its resistance to wind.
"Mei! All to starboard!" Shen screamed realizing that a huge wave was forming on their right.
He absolutely had to break it with the bow, otherwise they would overturn!
"I'm trying!" She replied as she tried to resist the currents pushing the rudder in the opposite direction. Shen ran to give her a hand, as soon as she realized that time was running out!
They turned a little and the boat leaned a little too far to the side, sending everyone on the deck upside down.
On the other hand, this sharp wobble and the angle in which they found themselves helped Mei and Shen to fully turn the rudder, allowing the boat to stabilize.
On the bridge of the aft castle a third person was added "If we survive I will never set foot on a boat again!" Xu said after just putting back everything in his body.
The general hopes and expectations were heard.
After a few days they sighted land and to everyone's relief, Hua had informed them that he had only seen animals like them, no bipeds!
They had rested for a few days on the coast and due to running out of supplies, they had not been able to sit still in one place for very long.
Shen knew well that such a boat could be useful in the future, so he sent the birds on a swift and efficient patrol, which in a few days found a perfect hiding place for the huge galleon: a cave with a large opening on the sea, but deep enough to be sheltered from any storm.
Thus began the journey.
The peacock decided to go to the city of Dayong but headed for the mountains where they would find a new place to call home.
Zhan had left some wolves to guard the boat, while others had gone looking for the rest of the pack.
The peace between the two groups of canids seemed to diminish with time, heralding an impending confrontation!
They had been walking for days, but the enthusiasm of finally being on a non-mobile surface like that of the boat allowed the group to maintain a brisk pace.
One morning Shen, Xu, Mei and Hua were scouring the woods when the sudden stop of the advance made them retrace their steps.
"Thanks Hua!" Mei said to the raptor who had warned them. Xu suddenly froze as did Shen, while Mei approached the pair of peacocks who seemed to be in trouble.
Lu-Chu was complaining and seemed to be in great pain. Kang held it with his wings, while Shu tried to understand what was happening.
Suddenly the peafowl sighed and the she-wolf was stunned to see an egg slip out of her clothes.
He stopped it and examined it. It was the first time she had seen one and instinct told her that she had to clean it and deliver it to her mother.
"Who would have thought!" Mao, the albino dog whispered to Liang, the koala.
"They enjoyed the trip more than anyone!" He mocked Luan, an albino raccoon. Kang looked in shock, not as much as his wife, but he was shocked.
Shen also didn't seem thrilled with this news!
This would have slowed them down considerably and endangered even that little life.
The only enthusiasts were the future brothers of the unborn child "We will become older brothers!" The twins shouted in chorus.
"The family becomes even bigger!" Xian said "One day you will help to expand it!" Xiao told him, a peafowl he was clearly in love with.
"Who knows if it will be male or female?" Chong wondered. After the first moment of surprise, Kang and Lu-Chu also laughed happily and hugged.
"I didn't notice anything!" Admitted the peafowl "This makes the surprise even more special!" Said the peacock holding her tightly to himself.
"As if there weren't enough peacocks already!" Xu complained, finding nothing better to say.
"Would you like to team up to beat these birds with more felines?" The panther asked the leopard.
Mei laughed heartily "Don't you ever give up when you're about to lose miserably?" She asked amused. Shen smiled at her friend's naivety.
Xu was strange in dealing with people, perhaps it was due to the fact that he had lived for a long time alone, but it was not impossible to understand what he was doing.
"Why are you laughing?" Asked the panther "My proposal was serious!" He admitted.
This time it was Shen who laughed, in front of Mei's stunned expression who seemed not to want to believe it, or who feared that Xu was still joking so as to make her look bad for any answer she gave!
Having with them an egg to hatch, the animals slowed down considerably.
Lu-Chu was placed on a stolen cart for the occasion. Even though Hua kept repeating that they had "borrowed" it, Shen knew that this was not the case, but he didn't care as their goal was to reach the mountains as soon as possible.
It was decided to stay near the coast where the road would be less impervious for the peahen.
They would have pushed towards the hinterland and into the forests where the bandits represented a serious danger, only once they reached their target.
The white wolves howled madly as they saw the spring that gushed from a rock and began its path towards the valley.
The canids greedily drank the water and the heat was such that someone fell into the stream. The others waited for the wolves to finish approaching.
There was no good blood between cats and dogs, but the battle had transformed their rivalry into complicity and they had gone from hating to putting up with each other.
The real problem was the two full packs that were always facing each other.
The solution came on a hot summer afternoon, during a short break taken to allow the birds of prey to identify a road that would have been possible to travel safely and with the cart.
"She's a cheeky puppy!" Zhan yelled as he slammed his hammer to the ground in frustration.
"Maybe you should have made the proposal! Instead, she had the great idea...what a figure..." "... I didn't ask for opinions!" The wolf growled at Mei. She lay down on her back, snorting, on the branch she was sitting on.
"Since you are whining like a puppy, it was easy to tell otherwise!" Xu pointed out, lying comfortably on the grass.
"I don't care what you decide," Shen said coming down from the tree he had climbed to check the situation.
"The important thing is that this situation does not persist! The clash must be avoided! " Zhan lowered his ears as soon as the peacock appeared in front of him.
"Okay! I will take the alpha of the other pack as my wife, but I cannot promise to be able to feel anything other than hatred towards him!" The wolf replied immediately regretting it because of the cold look that Shen gave him.
The peacock slowly brought its beak to his friend's ear "Make her suffer and you will regret it!" He whispered before disappearing into the bush.
Zhan sat on the ground nervous "Lately Shen is...different? Don't you find?" Mei asked "I haven't noticed anything new! He has always been short-tempered!" Xu answered.
"It's not that!" The feline insisted "We will soon pass by Gong Men.
It is the only viable road where we could find additional supplies for the journey "confessed the wolf.
"Are you crazy ?!" Mei screamed as she fell from the tree but landed on her feet thanks to her wondrous reflections "We have too many white peacocks with us! We risk chasing us or catching some of us to get even the smallest information!" Xu said more agitated than her friend "No..." she whispered as soon as a realization hit her full "Yes, instead!" Ringed the feline who didn't like being contradicted at all "No ..." Mei repeated at a slightly louder volume "Shut it!" Xu yelled, irritated to the core.
"Shan!" The feline said looking at her friend as if he were able to read her mind.
"Who?" Zhan asked as he tried to understand something in that strange speech. "Thing?" Asked the confused feline. What did the eagle have to do with...! "Oh..." he observed as his memory alerted him. "You could articulate your thoughts!" Cried the wolf whose curiosity was devouring her.
"That bloody bird wants to give Shen back to the rulers of that filthy city!" Xu explained "The reward!" Zhan said as soon as he understood.
"Already!" Mei said.
"He didn't seem worried about that at all!" Xu pointed out as she tried to relax.
It was impossible for the eagle to succeed because it should have meant going against everyone!
"He is never worried!" Mei said before retrieving her whip to be able to go and monitor the situation "Maybe it is and it's good at hiding it!" Xu said following her along with the wolf.
"Or maybe he didn't understand what danger he was in!" The feline corrected himself.
Mei burst out laughing, glaring at her friend. Sometimes he could be a big pain in the ass!
"However! It's a great city! " Guo said as he watched the houses peeking out from a bush.
"Piao, Genji and Zhong went yesterday to buy new stock! What happened to them?" Jie asked nervously.
"I remind you that Zhong brought us some of the purchases last night. They will still be looking for more opportunities today!" Deshi guessed.
"Call it loot and not purchase! Stealing with stolen money is cheating!" Liang said as he pulled the hood over his big ears.
The cloaks and hoods were essential to hide their singular color and try not to attract too much attention from the merchants who, from time to time, crossed paths.
In the late afternoon they all gathered in a part of the wood.
"I didn't think you could do it without being chased by the royal guard!" Fa said looking astonished at Piao who was helping to distribute the freshly bought vegetables.
"Bird of little faith!" The leopard mocked him.
A grunt made everyone turn to a large tree and they saw a warthog watching them.
"What do you want? Know that we are not willing to sell anything you see!" Tai-Yang said with a growl. Other warthogs joined his companion as they emerged from the surrounding bushes.
Xu was alarmed when he realized one thing: they were staring too hard at the peacocks!
The stalemate lasted about five seconds before the intruders left to attack.
The peacocks retreated, careful to protect Lu-Chu, closely followed by the wolves, while the felines and large animals like Ning, Deshi and Wing joined the fray.
"Wow! I didn't realize how much I missed fighting!" Mei said as she ran alongside Shen and Xu away from the fight after knocking down numerous enemies.
"Hua, Fa, Piao, tell the others to stick together and get over the city! Send someone to take back those left behind!" Shen yelled at the owl flying above the trees. "Received!" The birds of prey answered in chorus before parting.
After a few minutes of running the peacock stopped and the two cats with him.
Shen saw the rest of the group continuing to their next destination, but he had to be sure no one was following them.
A sound of pain preceded Xu's flight as he crashed into a tree.
The peacock did not have time to think of anything that he felt grabbed from behind and lifted.
"Leave him!" Mei screamed before ending up in the mud, hit full face by a powerful punch.
Warthogs started running around the forest in an attempt to outrun the furious cats chasing them.
Shen tried to free himself, but the opponent held him firmly by the torso, locking his wings and with the other hand he had grabbed him by the neck.
"I have the Prince! The reward will be ours!" Screamed that filthy animal.
Shen calmed down realizing that they didn't want to kill him, but he became even more agitated when he realized where they were taking him.
The wolves, both black and white, intercepted and jumped at the running bandits, but those suids managed to get themselves captured to allow their mate with the loot to escape.
Shen could hear Mei and Xu chasing them, both from their growls and from the breathlessness that the running had made him come.
Suddenly the bandit stopped abruptly "Let go of my son!" That voice was familiar.
Shen opened his eyes and saw Kang towering in front of the enemy with his tail open to intimidate the opponent.
"Come closer and he's dead!" Said the warthog putting pressure on the peacock's neck, which fidgeted feeling that deadly grip increase more and more.
The bandit's current distraction and his looser grip on the torso allowed Shen to slide the wing towards the secret pocket from which he took some blades.
As soon as he had one of his knives in his hand, the peacock stuck it in the pig's arm, freeing himself from that death grip.
The warthog screamed in pain, but was sent to the world of dreams by Mei who wasted no time as soon as she saw that there was a chance to act.
"Shen, are you okay?" Kang said as he held up the younger one.
"Y-yes!" The peacock replied, massaging the injured part of his neck.
"What did he want?" Kang asked the two cats.
He seemed not only scared, but also angry that his son had been put in danger!
"I do not know!" Mei mumbled, hoping she would drink her lie.
"Do not lie to me!" The peacock screamed leaving his son in Xu's arms and approaching the cat threateningly.
Vain hope ... as always!
"It's because of the reward placed on me!" Shen said he had recovered.
"Thing? Reward?" The father asked suspiciously "Are you an outlaw?" He asked terrified.
After giving his friend a quick glance, sure he could reveal the truth, Xu replied with all the calmness of the world "No, only the Prince of that city!" He said pointing to the houses that could be seen among the trees. "A Prince?" Kang asked incredulously.
Mei laughed heartily "Oh, how much fun I'll have when the others find out too!" She said already savoring that moment.
"Here because!" Including the peacock "Why ... what?" Xu asked not understanding what he meant. "Why did we go this way!" Explained the peacock "Did you want to leave without saying goodbye?" He asked irritably in the direction of his son.
"You're joking, right?" Shen asked back "I don't want to go back there!" He said pointing to the city.
Kang sighed. He closed his eyes and seemed to gather, then opened them again, ready to speak "You must. Duty is ahead of our desires. Those people need guidance, despite all the things they will say about you!" said the peacock.
"They always considered me a bad omen, a ruin for their city, they must have been happy when I was captured by Derek" Mei and Xu growled at the name "And my parents were of the same idea since they didn't do anything about it. stop it " Shen concluded.
"The reward!" Kang said.
The young man looked at him confused.
"They put a reward for whoever brought you home! Doesn't that tell you anything?" Kang asked, placing a wing on his son's shoulder.
"It does not change anything! They did not move to defend me when there was a need! And putting a size on me makes me feel more like an object than a person!" Shen yelled in anger.
A few minutes passed before the peacock was able to calm down.
Mei didn't know what to say, while Xu wasn't sure he got the right sentence. He had never met his own!
"I can't force you to do anything I want to do it! But know that I have loved the children that humans have taken from me, and I will continue to do so forever! I also didn't object when they took them..." admitted the distraught peacock.
"Thanks!" Shen said but he refused to cry.
He couldn't be so weak for just one sentence.
What would he have done if one day he met his parents again ?!
"Won't you go home?" Kang asked "I'm going there!" Shen answered.
"Good! I'm just curious to see the face those farmers will make when they see you..." Xu paused when he saw the peacock shake his head.
"I'm on my way to a place to call home with my family" Shen said "I can't forgive mine, not yet!" he confess. "Perfect! Now let's go and see if the others have given them or have just taken them!" Mei said referring to the fight that started a short time before.
Shen turned to the houses he could see in the distance "My city will be the most prosperous in all of China! You will see and fully understand the mistake you made in sacrificing me!" Promised the peacock feeling a deep anger stir in his bowels.
He would bring his family to greatness.
As outcasts they would have risen like never before.
There was a possibility that they would remain hidden from the world to protect their offspring, but that would only increase their power.
Because the greatest danger is what you don't see!
No, I have not abandoned this story!
I had a block and I didn't know if the written part was fine, I was not convinced!
I started writing again but stopped again!
And the university didn't help at all!
I don't know how many follow the story, but I hope that some good soul can give me advice, suggestions or share ideas!
In the meantime, after the previous deadlock I have moved on, so for the moment I can update for a while by publishing the chapters I have written!
See you soon,
X-98