Hello there!
First of all, a note for a certain somebody...
Thank you, Frozen Wolf heart 22, for absolutely everything you've done for me. From giving countless ideas for this story, to listening (well, reading I guess) to every single rambling session I've ever gone on, to simply asking me about my day at school at exactly the minute (5:00, on the dot) that I told you I would read your PM, it all really means so much. Seriously, thank you.
(And a note for everybody, I don't know how to word this correctly, but I believe Frozen Wolf heart 22 counts as a "Major Contributor" to this story, which means many ideas and tons of suggestions, a lot of which I will be using, were given to me by the writer. I'll be sure to add that somewhere).
Oh, and a second note for Mr. Footrod Flats...
Thank you for the tip about separations on your last review. I'll do that.
On with the show!
In Gongmen City
Shao walked along, following the servant goat from a distance. The servant didn't notice, and kept on dutifully pushing his empty cart along the road on his way to the soon-to-be-closed markets.
It was simple, Shao had thought to himself. All he had to do was wait for the goat to be in an empty area, run up behind him, put the cloth over his muzzle, and drag the limp body into some dark alley. Then, he could take his outfit and leave the body in a safe place, tied up and gagged. Then he could return to the Tower and enter. Hopefully, no one would inspect the person who delivered the product too carefully.
"Oh my," Shao thought to himself. "This is a terrible plan. It hangs on so many possibilities and slim chances." However, Shao needed to do it now, otherwise he would never do it.
Once in the Tower, it was a matter of finding Master Croc. Once he found him, it would be a simple matter of pulling out his new weapon and pulling the trigger.
It was so strange, the goat thought. Bandits had spent years trying to kill the kung-fu master, yet Shao, someone with little-to-no fighting skill, was now able to kill him single-handenly.
The future was just too much for him to handle.
Meanwhile, while he was thinking, the servant arrived at the market. Shao slid back into a dark corner, letting the shadows of the twilight envelop him. He watched as the goat kindly interacted with the merchants as they loaded his cart with goods. He waited as they finished, and then the servant soon turned back around to head back to the Tower. Shao hid in his corner until he passed.
When there was enough distance between them, Shao followed him once again.
The stretch of street they were on was empty. The night was almost upon them.
"It's now or never," he thought to himself.
He began to quicken his pace. There was about ten meters in between him and the servant.
Nine.
Eight.
Seven. At this point, the servant turned his head to see who was making the noise. Immediately, Shao slowed his pace and let his gaze wander on the buildings on his right, trying his best to look calm. The servant turned his head back forward.
Fear gripped Shao's stomach. "Does he suspect me?" he wondered.
After waiting a few seconds, he soon quickened his pace again.
Seven meters.
Six.
Five. Then, the servant cocked his head to the side again to see Shao out of the corner of his eye. Then the servant did the one thing he didn't want him to do.
He quickened his pace. The wheels on the cart squealed a little faster.
"Oh, shit," Shao thought. "He knows."
Shao sped up even more. But so did the servant. Tired of playing games, Shao ended it by breaking into a full-on sprint. The servant abandoned his cart and bolted towards the Tower.
"I can't let him get to the Tower!" Shao frantically thought to himself. "If he tells people what I look like, everyone will be suspicious of me!"
Driven by the necessity to save himself and the determination to complete his mission, Shao was just a little faster than the servant, who wasn't used to strenuous exercise.
Four meters.
Three. The Tower was in sight.
Two.
One.
When he got close enough, Shao put all his strength in his legs to leap forward on the servants shoulders, bringing them both down on the stones beneath them.
The two rolled a few feet. The fall had knocked the wind out the servant, costing him a second as he lay on the ground, trying to regain his breath. Shao scrambled up and jumped on top of him. He needed to put him to sleep with the cloth. If he shot him, he would risk damaging the clothes he needed to get in the Tower or getting them bloody.
Shao tried to put the cloth over his mouth, but as he reached for it, the servant bit his finger, eliciting a scream from his attacker. The servant used the opportunity to violently twist his hips and send Shao rolling off. As the servant got up, he sent Shao a swift kick in the side, which he fruitlessly tried to block with his forearms.
"Oof!" came the groan from the goat. Meanwhile, the servant figured that he couldn't outrun Shao, so he decided to run into a nearby alley, thinking he could lose him there. Of course, he could have simply called out for help and stirred up a crowd, but his panicked mind was unable to come to that conclusion.
No sooner did the servant duck into the alley did Shao scramble up and follow him in. The servant twisted and turned, but Shao was always right on his heels. The servant passed an empty cart stuffed in the alley, presumably for later use, but the servant found another use for it as he threw it down as he passed by. Shao saw it coming just in time, jumping over the obstacle and continued the pursuit of his victim.
The servant continued to run, but he could see in his constant glances backwards that Shao was still gaining. Trying to take him by surprise, he stopped in his tracks and tried to swing the back of his hoof right in his attacker's face. Shao saw it coming just in time, and he ducked his head so that the hoof bounced off of his horns.
Crack! The servant snatched his arm back as the pain of the impact shot through his hoof. Shao tried to tackle the servant to the ground, but he instead pinned him against the wall of the alley. The servant brought his hooves together and brought them down on Shao's exposed back with all of his might. The blow caused Shao to lose his grip, and the servant slipped away.
The chase continued again, with the servant turned across the complex spaces between the buildings of Gongmen, but with Shao right on his heels. As they ran, they passed by a small basket of melons. The owner had put them there so he could sell them the next day, but he wouldn't get the chance, as Shao snatched one of the melons, knocking over the whole basket and spilling all the melons in the process.
In full-stride, he reared back his hoof and threw the melon with all of his might. It fell a little short, hitting the servant's legs instead of his head, but it still had the same effect, as it tripped him. Shao used the extra second as the servant tried to get up to jump on his back, pinning him to the ground face-down.
The servant struggled and squirmed, but Shao was simply pushing down on him too hard. He reached in his own clothes to get the cloth, which he gripped with his right hoof. But he had to split his focus between grabbing the cloth and holding the servant down, and the servant was able to shake Shao loose.
Determined to not let him get away again, Shao wrapped his left arm around the servant's torso and clung for dear life. The servant managed to roll over face-up, putting his back on top of Shao, who was still holding on. With the cloth securely in his hoof, he shoved it in the servant's nose and mouth area.
It only took a few seconds for the servant to stop struggling.
Panting heavily, Shao rolled the limp body off of him. He slowly stood up, letting the reality of the situation sit in.
He had done it. He had started down his new path.
"I'm a criminal," he thought to himself with some horror. He looked down upon the sleeping body of the servant. His fur may have stuck to his skin with sweat, and his silk outfit may have been wrinkled, but he looked so peaceful in his induced sleep.
"So unlike me right now," Shao bitterly thought. He stood panting for a few more seconds, taking in his actions. Well, there was no turning back now, he thought.
He reached into his clothes once again to bring out a length of coiled rope and another piece of cloth. The first order of business was to remove the clothes off of the servant. So he carefully removed each piece of clothing, starting with his main robe, and then moving on to his belt, pants, shoes, and gloves. It was a little difficult for him, as he had to support the body and take off his clothes without damaging them at the same time. He left only the undergarments on the servant.
Shao took a few minutes to remove his own clothes and put the servants' soft silk clothes on himself. He patted and beat the clothes with his hooves the best he could to remove all the wrinkles their fight had caused. He then picked up the servant's leg and dragged him back to the empty cart they had passed and knocked over. Shao pushed the servant's legs so that they were crouching, and he then tied his legs together, locking them in the fetal position, ensuring that he couldn't walk even if he did wake up before the Shao was finished in the Tower. He then tied up his hands behind his back and tied those to a spoke on the wheel of the cart.
Shao finished giving his new clothes a patting to get as many wrinkles out as he could, and then headed back the way he came. It only took a few turns to realize that he had no idea which way he came from. The servant had taken so many turns, trying to shake him off, that he hadn't realized that he wouldn't be able to find his way back.
Beginning to panic, Shao's heart started beating faster and his breath became quicker. The twilight was becoming night, and it was getting harder and harder to see. On top of that, there were no lights inside the alleys. No one really went in them often, and they really didn't go in them at night.
"Oh, how do I get out of here!?" Shao thought with frustration. He had to get back to the cart with produce if he was going to be accepted in the Tower. He would have to pose as the servant, who was- fortunately, a goat with similar-colored fur.
It was then, in the ever-darkening alleys of Gongmen, did he have a better idea.
"What if I waited until tomorrow morning?" he wondered. "Surely they have two shifts of servants: one for the daytime and one for the night. That tower's too huge to not be managed at all times. Maybe I could wait until morning, and pose as a new servant instead of posing as an existing one. Pretending to be a new servant would be much more believable."
Satisfied with the new plan, Shao felt himself begin to relax. He slowed his pace and took his time. He patted the walls on his right and began to follow them. If he could always stay on the right wall, he would eventually find his way out.
In The Jade Palace
Po stood outside of the door.
It was the middle of the night in the barracks, and everybody was asleep. Everyone except for Po, of course. He was debating on whether he should have this conversation or not. If he did, he didn't know how his friend would see him from that point on.
"What if he tells her behind my back?" Po wondered.
But what if he didn't say anything. He needed some advice, that was for sure. He just couldn't stay silent anymore. So, with a shaking paw, Po lifted up his paw and slid the door open.
Inside, he could make out the dim outline of Crane in his sleeping position, with his hat lowered over his eyes and standing on one leg.
"Psst," Po whispered, no more audible than a gnat. Crane didn't stir.
"Psst." This time slightly louder. Still no reply.
Po tip-toed to Crane as softly as was humanly possible for someone of his size. He gently tapped Crane on the shoulder.
Immediately, Crane's head shot up and he got in a fighting stance. When he only saw Po, wearing an apologetic look, he resumed his normal position.
"Oh, it's only you," he whispered, the irritation of being awakened quite evident in his voice. "What do you want, Po?"
"I just want to talk," Po whispered back.
Crane cocked his head to the side. "About what?"
Po assumed a desperate look, but the look didn't accurately reflect what he was going through at the moment.
"Please."
Taken aback by Po's genuine desperation, Crane sighed and silently walked out of the door, heading for the kitchen with Po close behind. They travelled along the barracks until they came to the kitchen. They lit a few candles to see, and then sat down at the table.
"Okay," Crane started, trying to blink the sleepiness out of his eyes. "What was so important that you couldn't wait until morning?"
"Well, you see…" Po paused as he carefully thought about how he was going to choose his words so that they really described what he was feeling.
"I think, I think…" Po's voice drifted off and Crane's brow raised in curiosity as he waited for Po's answer.
"I think I'm in love," Po managed to spit out.
Crane's reaction was not one that Po expected. Po thought that his eyes would go wide, that his beak would drop open, that his brain might explode from the sheer shock of it all. But that was not what happened.
Crane just blinked a few times, and then a small corner of his beak raised in a somewhat cheeky smile.
"Yeah, I know," was all he had to say.
The effect that Po thought he was going to have on Crane with his declaration of undying love was actually reflected back onto himself. His own eyes went wide, his mouth dropped open, and his brain almost exploded from the sheer shock of it all.
"What do you mean?" Po asked. "What have I done to make it obvious?"
At least, that was what Po had wanted to say. His actual reply was something more like-
"Whaaa…" It was a really educated-sounding response.
Crane continued before Po had a chance to start drooling. "Oh, come on, Po. Everybody and their grandmother knows that you and Tigress are in love with each other."
"But… but, how did you know?" Po asked, truly mystified as to the answer.
Crane rolled his eyes. "Po, your eyes get shiny just by glancing at the space where Tigress walked. She's literally your idol. As for Tigress, she may not wear her heart on her sleeve like you do, but it's easy to see that she acts differently around you. I mean, she actually opened up to you like no one else, not even Shifu."
Po's shock turned into confusion, as Crane was a step ahead of the bear.
"Wait, wait, wait. You're saying that Tigress likes… me?"
Crane cocked his head to the side and gave Po a look that answered his question. In sheer joy, Po shot up from his seat, shoving the chair backwards and forcing his feet on the floor with a thump!
"Whoo!" Po tried his best to whisper-shout. "I mean, you really think so!? It's not just some kind of joke?"
Crane nodded.
Meanwhile, the thump made by Po shooting up out of his seat was a rather large vibration. It traveled down into the wooden floor, out of the kitchen, through the halls, into the barracks, and into the floors of the individual rooms.
When it reached the jaw of Master Viper, who had her head on the floor as she slept, it woke her up. She raised her head and blinked a few times to get the sleepiness out of them. She then remembered the sound.
"Sounds like someone's walking around," Viper thought suspiciously. "Ah, it's probably nothing, but I should probably check anyway."
With that, Viper silently slithered toward the door, slid it partially open with her tail, and headed toward the source of the noise. She kept moving forward, keeping her hearing sharp for any more sounds. When she neared the kitchen, she could hear whispers coming from inside. It sounded like Po and Crane.
At first. Viper was going to turn back, not wanting to eavesdrop, until she heart Po say-
"But if you guys all knew, then why didn't you say anything!" was Po's whispered shout. "I've been beating myself up about it for months, and you're telling me that you knew all along!?"
"What are they talking about?" Viper wondered. "What did we "know" that he didn't?"
Wanting to know the answer to her question, she decided to listen to the next sentence.
"Well," Crane started. "We thought the two of you would reach that point yourselves. We didn't want to spoil anything for the two of you."
"Wait," Viper thought. "Are they talking about-" When Viper realized the only person they could be talking about, she no longer wanted to eavesdrop.
She had to eavesdrop.
She slithered back right next to the door so she could hear.
"But what am I supposed to do?" she heard Po whisper. "I have to say it perfectly, otherwise it'll just come out weird."
"You just have to be honest," came Crane's reply. "It's worked this long. I don't really see any reason to change tactics now."
"Tactics?" Viper thought. "What does Crane think this is, a battle-plan?"
Well, they did say "all's fair in love and war" for a reason, right?
"But what if she doesn't like me back?" Even though it was a stupid question, Viper could hear the sincerity behind it.
"Po, trust me. She does."
Po must have still not been convinced, because he took a few seconds to think about it.
"Okay, okay, but still, how do I tell her? I feel like I need to do something special, but I don't really know what would be perfect for the moment."
"Po." Viper could practically hear the slight frustration in Crane's voice. "It doesn't have to be perfect. That's the whole point. You just need to do… you. That will be more than enough for Tigress. I guarantee it."
There was a slight shuffle in the kitchen, and Viper could hear Crane grunt.
"Thanks, Crane," she heard Po say. "You're the best."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Based on Crane's effort to speak, Viper realized that Po had trapped him in one of his bear hugs.
"But can I go back to sleep now?" he finished.
"Oh, yeah." He gave a small chuckle. "Sorry." With that, there was a sound coming to the door, but by the time they got there, Viper had slithered back to her room before you had time to say "sell Po's secret to Tigress."
Well, Viper still wasn't sure if she should tell Tigress. She only knew how much she was suffering, wondering if Po loved her back. She would definitely have to think about it…
Back in Gongmen City
Shao laid on his bed. But he didn't sleep.
He ate his lunch. But he wasn't hungry.
He thought about what he was going to do. But it didn't make it easier.
By the time he had found his way out of the maze that was the alleyways of the city, it had been about midnight. He headed back to his inn and locked himself back in his room. He had tried to prepare himself, more mentally than physically, for the task ahead of him. After he ate, he tried to use the remainder of the night to sleep, but the butterflies in his stomach and the fear in his heart didn't let him.
So many what-if's flew through his brain, passing by faster than he could think of them.
"What if they catch me?"
"What if I can't do it?"
"What if he's not even there?"
But there was one that hung over him worst of all. It followed him like a storm cloud, bringing unwanted cold and rain with it. It had been following him ever since he had started on his mission to help the world, or at least his little corner of it.
"What if I'm wrong?"
There was a part of him that was talking. It told him things. It had been whispering to him. Telling him that he was on the wrong path. By now, that whisper had turned into a deafening shout. It told him that this couldn't be the right way. It wasn't possible to fix issues like this. It was just common sense.
It was so counter-intuitive, he thought. His feelings told him one thing, but his head told him another. His heart told him to go home, but his head told him to push on. Which one should he listen to? He believed he should listen to his head.
After all, he thought, you just had to start with a fact. A single, simple, fact. That was the basis for every argument.
"Predators have natural abilities that give them a physical advantage over prey animals." Fact.
"Most predators have an aggressive and violent nature, inherited to them by their ancestors." Fact.
"Most predators turn to crime to get what they need easily." Fact.
"Given these facts, we can come to the conclusion that, overall, predators are a threat to the vast majority of people, who are all prey animals." That conclusion made sense to the goat.
"Since they are dangerous, they should be placed apart from the rest of society." That also made sense.
"Of course, by myself, I can't do much. But, with this new technology, I can remove certain predators from positions of power where they are liable to hurt innocent people and let their aggressive nature take hold of them as they make rash decisions that could endanger us all."
The thought process seemed full-proof. So why did it simply feel wrong? He was doing what was best for people; he thought it would have been a lot easier.
As his thoughts raced through his head, something came through his window.
Sunlight.
It was only a tiny sliver of gray light, but it told Shao all he needed to know. It was time.
With a stomach that he left on the bed, he slowly got up, changed his sleeping robe for the silk robe of the servant (who he could only hope hadn't gotten loose yet), brushed it off once more, and headed for his bag. He opened it up and pulled out the object.
The object that made all of this possible. The "future," as Qian had called it. But did this really need to be the "future," Shao wondered? Nothing good could possibly come of it spreading throughout the world. It could only damage the world, with its already fragile relationships.
Shao shook his head. He wasn't here to contemplate the consequences of things that were out of his control. He was here to perform the things that were in his control. He stuffed the object carefully within his robe and headed for the door. He opened it, but, before he left, he took one look back at the room.
"When I come back here-" he thought to himself. "-Nothing will be the same."
With that, the goat turned back around and closed the door behind him.
Come on, you guys know the drill. If you liked it, feel free to leave a comment. If you didn't like it, feel free to leave a comment. If you find anything that you suggest can be fixed, feel free to leave a comment.
Well, I guess that concludes today's show, so I hope you'll be around next time I come around. Until then, keep being your awesome selves! (And you are awesome. I may not know you, oh reader who reads these words, but I do know that much.)