And now, it is my pleasure to introduce our next writer. This time, I am very glad to introduce a brand-new writer to this site! When this writer joined this project, I must admit that I didn't know what to expect. But hot damn, did this writer deliver something I never expected! So prepare for something a little different (in a great way, of course), and please welcome-
The one…
The only…
MijumaruFan!
Yo! You guys may not be aware of who I am because I frequent Ao3 (if you frequent Ao3, then I'm quite sure you've already heard of this great writer.) for posting but I'll do my best to explain what I usually write to you real quick! Username is MijumaruFan but you can shorten it to Mijufan, I'm not picky. I guess I'm more of a "slice of life" writer with hints of drama/angst/and if it fits some action because I do want to write more of that in the future! And other rather out there concepts I like to try! So if you're interested in that, well I'm a hop, step and a tap of enter away from here! Anyways, I'd like to thank Starless Echoes for giving me this spot and I'm glad I get to interact with this part of the community! So without further ado, let's get this story started!
We now present to you...
MigumaruFan's...
The Monster Who Wanted A Name
Summary: On their way back to the Valley of Peace from a far away village, The Furious Five and Dragon Warrior are stopped by none other than the nefarious forces of nature: Rain. And thus are forced to find shelter in an old abandoned temple. Who led them there and what secrets does this place hold? Is this place truly haunted by a spirit!? Sounds like quite the hair-raising tale, don't you agree?
Once upon a time, in a land far away, there lived a nameless monster. The monster was dying to have a name.
...
It all started with a smell, a scent of trees and mist that littered the air as they walked forward down this leafy path. And thus the clouds drew in, dark by all means as they engulfed the blue sky above them.
The rain crashed soon after. And the fog followed it without question.
And all our heroes could do was run and try to find shelter in a mountainous area they were not familiar with.
Amber eyes watched the water trickle and stream down the nearby tea leaves that surrounded the tree they stood under in between the droplets that fell from Crane's wing. Tigress felt as Monkey leaned forward on her back, which made her lean forward just that small bit for her sandals to touch upon the surface of the rushing puddles beneath them. "You holding up alright there Crane?"
"Yeah.." Tigress could see the distorted upside-down reflection of his face in the puddle as she looked downward. He looked really down. "Don't worry about me. This is the least I can do after dragging you guys out in this mess."
She tapped her foot against the puddle again, sending ripples across its entirety again.
"Don't blame yourself. We all agreed on this." Viper reassured her friend as she sat upon Po's shoulder, they were the only two with an umbrella whilst Crane covered Monkey and herself with his broad wing.
It wasn't perfect but it was better than being drenched by the forces of nature.
"I don't remember agreeing to this," Mantis interjected, who also hung on Po's shoulder to escape the torrent.
Po turned his head to regard him. "Mantis."
"I clearly remember saying 'It feels like it's going to rain, we should stay in our hotel one more night'." But Mantis kept going as another slosh of water came pouring down after overwhelming the leaves of the tree right near them, making the puddle just that much deeper. "And even Tigress agreed it smelt like it was going to rain!"
"Don't bring me into this."
"Considering she also agreed to go…" Monkey laughed as he moved back, still using his hold on her to avoid getting his feet wet. "You're the only one on the, "I told you so" wagon buddy."
"Alright enough of this, we need to think about what we're going to do next." Viper outstretched her head to get closer to Crane but quickly trailed back under the umbrella when the intensity of the droplets grew.
Her gaze fell back to the puddles as the droplets made more and more ripples as Mantis spoke up once again. "We don't really have a choice here. We gotta push through it!"
"Then that means I have to walk through all these deep puddles!"
"Okay!?" Mantis shrugged. "And you don't see Tigress whining now do you?"
"She has shoes. I don't."
"Neither does Crane and he's fine."
"Mantis…" Monkey sighed tiredly "Crane has webbed feet."
Tigress truth be told zoned and tuned out the rest of that debate, looking out forward into the fog that persisted this place. She looked left and right, only the silhouettes of trees and far-off mountain tops that rise above this place were visible.
The wind picked up, the gust pushing water into all their eyes and she instinctively covered her face with her arm, that was when it appeared.
A small lone figure, with what could only be guessed as horns adorned atop its head. It stood still in the distance as the wind died down, the robes it wore fluttering back to its normal state.
A hoof beckoned her forward.
She blinked but ultimately got up from her spot, dragging poor Monkey along whilst he held onto her neck.
The stranger beckoned them twice more urgently as thunder boomed above without restraint.
She turned a moment as her friends all looked to her for a plan. "Come on! I think someone is offering us shelter!" The tiger gestured in the direction of the figure.
"Ah okay! Let's hope they have some food to-Whoa!" Po stumbled as he stepped into the deep puddles that surrounded them all but caught himself halfway to not get Viper or Mantis drenched in muddy water.
That's how it went for the rest of their path, running and grabbing for large leaves to keep the rain at bay as they ran, Tigress ahead as she followed the figure who seemed to fade in and out of the fog.
Past tall bamboo and the sound of rustling trees hidden under the veil of fog, they stood before a tall gate. You had to truly squint to see the aged tiles and wood upon its surface, and the eroded stone that surrounded it covered in moss and plant life of all kinds.
Drip.
The sound of the droplet fell from the large tea leaf Monkey had plucked on their run here, as they passed under this sturdy structure. Tigress noted how the characters and writing upon its signs and tomes alike faded with time and nature, it was unreadable. Even the light of the day could not save these messages and titles.
Tigress turned her attention away from the structure, still jogging ahead of her team. The pitter-patter of their footsteps in the puddles being drowned out by the rain crashing down on them without mercy. The small figure was still moving forward, looking back under the hood of its cloak, she could now see.
Clack!
The clatter of something heavy spooked quite a few of them. And Tigress could only blink as she slowed down to take in what had fallen, it was a piece of aged tile, mostly brown with hints of red, blue, and a washed-out green of sorts.
They pushed ahead without a sound, their thoughts on this place were clear on the fretful expressions on their faces with this place's condition.
"This way," Tigress spoke up after a moment as they passed a small shrine, the light chime of bells sounding out giving this place an aura of mystery.
"How did you know this place was here?" Crane asked as he trudged close to her heels.
"There's someone leading us up ahead." She was focusing hard on following them in this mistiness.
The forest became clear, as they walked down a slim path, the dirt road was uneven underfoot. Pebbles and small stones scattered underfoot as they moved forward and she could hear an echo of a splash ahead. The heads of stone dragons long lost to time, had fallen one by one as their bodies stood guarding this place.
"Whoa!" Po stopped abruptly, and she couldn't help but come to a stop as well as a grand temple came into view amongst the fog and rain, thunder rolled as the flaps of a lone banner attached to the tip of the building's roof sounded out.
Tigress was the first to step forward as she looked around for the figure she'd followed, a goat she'd assumed from its form. Her ear flickered at the sound of Crane ruffling his wings and shaking water everywhere causing ripples to surround them.
The creak of the stone made all of them hyper-aware of their weight as they crossed the bridge to the building across this pond. They had no clue how wide it was, much less if it was connected to a river. Only two buildings were submerged into it.
"I wonder what happened to this place…" Monkey spoke up, still, piggybacking off her back and holding that tea leaf to keep them relatively dry. His elbow bumped onto one of the tips of the bridge's decorations. And a small piece of it dropped into the water.
They watched it sink away to the bottom.
"Well, let's hope she can wait to take a dip before we leave. Ohoho." Mantis joked with a waiver in his voice as they carefully took steps forward, the creak and sway of the wood that stood as pillars to uphold that massive beautifying canopy that covered the temple.
They were quick to duck under the cover of the temple's aged tiles as the rain traveled down the crevices as if it was a small river turning into a small waterfall surrounding them.
Crane shook his entire body and thankfully, Po lifted his umbrella open again for all their sanity.
"Well, at least we can stay dry here."
"Unless we sink." Monkey spoke up after hopping off of Tigress back and tip-toeing around the gates that were shielded from the rain thankfully. "But this is impressive. Buildings floating on the water…"
"I don't think they're floating." Tigress walked around along with Monkey, she only looked back to see Po and Viper were seeing if the door to this temple could be opened. "The pond or lake might just be shallow enough for it."
"Aah." Monkey leaned his head out, braving the downpour to look down and there was in fact an outstretch of stone leading into the water. "You might be right!" The simian shook his head, to dry off quickly.
"Chunhua!"
Tigress turned immediately at the call of her name, it was surprising considering she'd been given it only months ago she hadn't really registered it. It was something for her. And only her. "Yes, Viper?" The tiger jogged back as another piece of chipped stone fell somewhere into the water with a splash.
"We're just heading inside." Viper waved her tail to calm her friend's pace towards her with a smile. Viper abruptly turned to regard the panda. "Po, don't forget to take your shoes off before we enter!"
"Gotcha!"
"Aha...So you can sit out here and rest while we look inside to see if it's.." If she were to be so bold as to say, Viper didn't look very confident in this place and yet another splash did not give any of them any more confidence in this structure.
"Tigress, you just missed a really big tile and a rock fell into the water!" Monkey yelled with excitement from the other side of the building.
"Safe…" Viper squeaked out before slithering behind Po and past his sandals left at the entrance with a respectful bow before entering.
Now that she thought about it she'd never really entered a temple of this kind. Only the Hall of warriors but that wasn't technically a temple now was it? She walked back around watching as the water kept rushing off the roof making it look as if they were underwater.
She'd only seen them from afar, atop the mountains they crossed and the villages they stayed in and the occasional small ones families left out during festivities. They seemed so important but so very far away.
"Monkey," Tigress called out as she rounded around the last spot she'd seen him in. "Monkey!" She repeated.
"Over here!"
She jogged ahead towards Monkey and noted how he was near an opening, why would there be an opening out to the water? "What is this?"
"I don't know." Monkey scratched the top of his head as he stared down at the staircase half emerging in water, dead plants in old pots scattered in a neat line upon each row of stairs. "Looks like a dead garden."
Tigress wasn't sure how to respond to any of this, it just all seemed so ominous. "The others are looking inside the temple. I think it'd be best if we sat at the front and rested."
Her friend could only nod after touching one of the dead plants' stems, or what was left of it. "Yeah, I agree."
Neither of them wanted to overstay their welcome at an unattended garden left to rot.
...
So he decided to set out on a journey to find his name.
But the world was a large place, so the monster split into two on his journey. One monster went to the East. And the other went to the West.
...
Tigress watched as the rain continued to pour on without rest, thunder and lightning she'd counted three times struck and flashed as Monkey leaned into her side, fast asleep as time passed in solitude.
Crane had also fallen asleep rather quickly and the only update she had gotten on Viper's team's progress was Mantis scurrying to the front, yelling more than telling them they were searching in the closets for blankets and other supplies.
They could enter whenever they chose to but, a sigh escaped her as she slid her sandals off her feet. They clattered too close to the step littered in raindrops. She was tired after jogging so quickly. Maybe a nap wouldn't hurt?
Her eyelids didn't immediately close, the noises surrounding her from the creaking of this old place to the splashes echoing in this place didn't make it easy to rest. It was a miracle those two fell asleep at the speed they did.
Tigress groaned after closing her eyes again only wanting to open them again to the nothingness upon that stone bridge.
There was a blob in the middle of it now...
She blinked twice.
She tilted her head again, wondering why this person would stand out there when this shelter, not this place, was most likely their residence. So, Tigress mimicked the hooded being with large curved horns, she beckoned them forward with her paw.
It took a minute for them to register the motion, and the way they hesitated in their movement did not go unnoticed. They moved slowly, not as quickly as they had beforehand. Their heads hung low, similar to how Viper had entered the temple's premises. Were they merely respecting the customs of this place?
The rain continued to pour as amber stared down upon a hunched figure that was no taller than Monkey on all fours, their hood covered the majority of their face, so she couldn't tell what they looked like at all.
Nevertheless, she bowed her head in gratitude for the being who helped them in their time of need. "Thank you for guiding us to a safe place. If there's anything we can do for you. Please don't hesitate to ask." And she'd meant it. This person did not have to toil in the rain for strangers straggling around in the evening. It was a noble and kind endeavor.
"Why don't you come inside?" She offered after looking up to see the figure had not moved an inch as the rain continued to pour and shift off of their form. "You must be cold…"
Tigress even patted the empty space beside her, she remembered when Po had done something similar to invite her to sit once. Sometimes it could be intimidating to invite yourself in.
That thought alone made her softly sigh to herself as she looked down upon her paw. "I should introduce myself…" She tried to divert her attention elsewhere. There really was no point in thinking about such things right now. "I'm Tigre-I mean I'm Chunhua."
She could let the rain wash away all these sad feelings.
Tigress turned back to fully regard the still being, as Monkey mumbled about something unintelligible in his sleep. "What's your name?"
The torrent of rain continued on filling in the silence between them.
And then they finally spoke. "I don't...remember...my name." Its voice was lagging and soft, it was neither high nor deep but its tone, she knew that tone all too well. It was filled with sadness.
Tigress paw reached for her heart.
"What if someone gave you a name?"
She waited on that voice, as her heart twisted in two.
"You cannot give someone a name."
"But…" Tigress hesitated a moment, unsure if she should disclose such a thing to someone she met but still. She understood this person and all their pain and sadness. Maybe that was enough. "Someone gave me a name. And now all my friends call me by it."
Another splash, another broken piece drifting to the bottom.
"And I am happy for it every day."
The being did not respond, they merely lowered their head further as if in disbelief at her statement, she could not blame this being for it. She too had felt a lack of hope at ever achieving such a thing before. It always felt as if you'd devoured a piece of that person onto yourself. Changing into something, someone entirely different with its meaning and the weight it carried.
The growl of her stomach interrupted that train of thought and she hadn't realized how much tension coursed through her body until her right arm went to cover it. Tigress bowed whether it be out of respect or embarrassment, she knew it was the latter.
"Sorry."
A bell rang, making her jump to look up! The wind had rattled the bells that strung across the edges of this temple's canopy. A strange sound, not a splash but a crash.
And right behind her of all things?
Her amber eyes slowly turned to look at what had made that noise, hopefully, the wood had not cracked but no. It wasn't anything wrong or torn from this worn place.
It was a pile of apples...and maybe some grapes here or there.
She felt something nudge her knee and turned once again to see the being had gotten closer, up to three steps, offering her an apple.
She took it, not wanting to disrespect their kind offer. "Thank you. This will be enough for all of my friends. I appreciate this." Despite the strange and creepy way it appeared, why would she complain about free food?
The being picked another apple from its robes and handed it to her.
"Thank you."
Another apple was brought.
"Thank you." She repeated.
And another.
"Thank you but I don't need more."
And yet another apple was set in her lap with the rest.
"You don't have to keep giving me more. You've given me more than enough." Tigress stated, trying to appease this strange little being without seeming rude or worse mean. "Why don't you take one for yourself?"
She remembered how Po had offered her food, how that had led to a friendship she would never trade for anything in the world.
So she handed the being an apple before it could hand her another.
"It's better to eat things you like with others." She watched as the being took the apple, it quickly was drenched in the rain. So, she took her own apple from the pile in her lap, taking the initiative. "I don't know if it's true but it tends to taste better that way."
She bit into it.
It was so fresh! She couldn't help but continue to eat it whilst she waited for the horned being to try it too. Maybe they were like her? Once upon a time, she did not remember her name either and it made her feel separate from this world.
"Stay…"
"I have to go home one day but for now I can stay."
The bell rang again and she didn't have to look away to know the being was gone as soon as it did. She should have felt scared at such an event but all she felt was the weight of the apples in her lap and the steady breathing of her friend on her side.
And felt a sympathetic sadness.
...
And once again he was a monster without a name.
...
Tigress watched where her sandals laid, beside Po's near the door as she ate another apple.
It never dawned on her now how lucky she was to witness that every day. What if you came home alone every day? In a way, she had, in the beginning within that orphanage and the barracks when she first arrived.
"So what you're saying is these apples just appeared out of thin air!?" Mantis raised a brow her way as he reached for an apple slice. Monkey had been cutting them up, placing them on the wooden plates they'd found inside this place.
"Yes." She nodded as she stared into the glow of the lantern between them.
He spoke in between chewing as he looked out the open terrace that Po was cooking out on. "That didn't unsettle you at all?"
"You're still eating them despite this fact."
Mantis couldn't help but shrug as he continued to eat. "Well if I turn into a ghost I'll blame you first."
Tigress smiled, her shoulders shaking in quiet laughter. "I'll do my best to take responsibility then."
Mantis laughed while pointing his half-eaten slice her way. "You'll let me haunt and talk to you all day, huh?"
"That's what you do every day," Tigress smirked.
"Auh."
They could hear the rattle and shift of the pot of soup outside, mixing with the rain.
"Did you learn anything else about them?" Crane plucked at some grapes, throwing them in his mouth casually with his talons. "I was curious as to who you were following earlier since I couldn't see them…"
Monkey waved his knife the avian's way. "Good eye Crane. I couldn't see a darn thing under that leaf I plucked."
"I-It's nothing really.." Crane's head lowered and the shadow of his hat hid his expression. She was glad his hat had dried and looked as if it went undamaged from the storm's torrent.
Tigress scraped her claw against the skin of the apple. In a similar manner as Monkey's knife. "They don't remember their name. And they keep their face hidden."
The clatter of more plates sounded near, liquid swirled as rain fell. They knew the sounds of Po's steps and small hums was an indication their dinner was ready.
Mantis finally finished his slice, at that point Monkey had already started working on the next one, leaving the pieces on one of the many old plates they'd found inside this building. "Who just forgets their name? That's weird."
That familiar hum went silent, replaced by the song of the storm and loud claps of thunder stopped and noticed Po standing still beside a turned over bench.
"You okay buddy?" Monkey asked.
"Yeah...I'm fine." Po shook his head and smiled wryly. No one wanted to say it but they could all hear the rattling of the dishes on his shaky arms. "Thunder just spooked me."
That and the thunder started after he stopped in his tracks. The skin of the apple hung low. "I don't think it's weird. There's a name out there I don't remember or know about for myself."
But again there was no need to focus on small things such as that now, if Po wanted to talk about it he would at his own pace.
"Maybe they're the same as me." She quietly pondered on that statement. And Mantis was not far from her coattails in adding to that.
"I don't know, it sounds like something a spirit would do to trick someone. Relatability can be a dangerous thing."
Crane's claws came up to scratch his shoulder and a last-minute stretch of his muscles. "I have to agree with Mantis on this one."
"But it didn't do anything to hurt Chu, it just gave her food and shelter when we needed it," Viper added after being silent for so long. Tigress had figured out quickly that the snake preferred to hear different insights first before adding her own. It was a smart tactic. Still, sometimes her casualness caught her off guard.
That nickname...
"I want to thank them for their kindness." But she didn't know how.
Po carefully set down bowls for each of them, with a lack of a table he couldn't slide them across the floor and if she didn't know any better. He was being careful with these dishes since they weren't their own.
"Hmmm." Viper wafted the scent of her soup with her tail. "How about we clean up this place a little bit before we leave and place an offering at the shrine we passed?" Viper offered.
Tigress stared into her soup bowl, ear flickering at the sound of a leak somewhere in this building. "I can do that on my own, since this is something I want to do." There was no point dragging her friends down further, they'd given her so much already…
There had to be things she could do on her own?
"Chu," Po said, the nickname feeling unnatural and unbefitting yet it made her happy. The casualness was something she desired from them all. "If it's something you want to do, we'll always want to help. This spirit helped us too. Plus,"
Po placed his paws together, his chopsticks in between them.
"I want to thank them too. If we hadn't found that clean pot and all these dishes I wouldn't have been able to make any of this for you all. We all have something to thank them for."
...
One day, the boy came upon the monster who had gone west.
...
The morning sun cleared away the storm, leaving only the dew and stray raindrops held up by leaves and trees. Even the statues in their dire state shone under its shine.
...
One by one, they took all the dishes they borrowed from the closet inside the temple outside. She could hear Monkey and Mantis being loud as they explored the premises they could sparsely see last night in their hurry.
"Po?"
"Hmm?"
Tigress held onto the bucket he'd handed her as he picked up a few pieces of wood for the fire they needed for hot water down at the edge of the lake. She was always thankful Mr. Ping always seemed to fill his backpack with everything they needed.
"Do you have any ink or scrolls?"
"Yeah, I do actually. Crane brought some ink before we left the city. I forgot mine at home…" Po sighed as he stood up with a bundle of wood in his arms. "I'll give it to you after I start on the hot water."
"That's fine." Tigress nodded in silent thanks as they walked out of the building, slipping their sandals on. She tapped her foot twice on the concrete before following behind Po. "Why did you need the ink? I already sent a report to Master Shifu about our mission? Was there something I missed?"
Po shook his head and looked over to Monkey running along the sides of the building railings. "It's nothing too important. I just wanted to write my dad a letter…" Po spoke rather absentmindedly. "We'd been gone for a while, you know how he is, he worries a lot…"
"Because he loves you."
Crane's flying shadow passed over them and Po could do nothing but smile.
"Yes, because he loves me."
They moved from the bridge and onto the muddy road, it was early so it still hasn't dried yet. They veered from the path to the right, and onto a downward path to the edge of the lake in damp fresh grass.
"I'm still surprised we found all these well-kept dishes and that Lantern. I expected them to be broken or in worse condition." Po randomly prompted as they both watched Crane land in the water.
"It is rather strange considering the condition of the building as a whole." She couldn't help but agree with his assessment, as much as Po wasn't the best at stealth. He was receptive to the small things in life they all took advantage of or merely did not notice after a decade of solitude.
"Because if Mantis is right about them being a spirit…" Po stopped a few feet away from the edge and tapped his foot around the soil as he thought. "It wouldn't make sense for them to keep these. They don't eat and they don't need light. At least I think they do?"
"Sentimentality maybe?" Tigress guessed as she turned her head to follow his movements before placing the bucket under her left arm. "Or someone else was here and cleaned it?"
"That doesn't explain who owned these though."
He placed the pieces of wood down.
"You're right. Should I go get the water now?" Tigress leaned her head in the direction of the lake just in case he had more to say on the matter.
Po gazed out into the lake, sight going to the other building that sat beside the one they rested in. "I think someone, not many people lived here before. It feels like they just disappeared doesn't it?"
Tigress did not answer.
"But we all know that's not true."
...
He went back to being a monster without a name.
...
The smell of smoke disappeared as she dipped underwater.
The sensation of swimming made her feel light and free, she went deeper and deeper past algae, broken tiles that may have fallen the night before or years ago, and stray statues.
She wasn't really looking for anything down here, but it was interesting to see just how much history this lake held.
Tigress let her body swirl around slowly to take in the area before she saw something shine at the bottom.
...
Monkey sat peacefully at the edge of the lake, resting his feet in the cold water as he leaned on his hands, allowing his head to lazily lean back. "Hey, Mantis."
"What?" He replied lazily as he allowed himself to float in the shallow waters near his friends,
"You think we should I don't know check on Tigress, she's been under for a while now…" Even Viper had slithered her way back to the coast out of the water and headed towards Po.
"She's a tiger, she can breathe under there longer than we can."
"Oh." Monkey lifted his head up and put his elbows on his knees. "So now you remember the differences between us, Doc."
Somehow the splash sounded just as annoyed as its maker. "Look! Even a doctor can forget things sometimes!"
Monkey can't help but laugh out loud at the absurdity of it all. "Oh! I could use this for a joke. Listen." The simian cleared his throat as a splash of water sounded in the distance.
"Doctor, I'm starting to forget things." He pointed at Mantis. "Then you say: When did you start forgetting things?"
He paused as Mantis looked at him whilst he placed a single finger on the side of his head.
"Forget what, Doctor?"
"That wasn't too bad." Mantis chuckled to himself as he came back from the shore. Monkey beamed at the light praise and almost thanked him before Crane's small sound of laughter distracted them both.
"What's got your attention man?" Mantis as per usual did not hesitate to yell at.
"She's swimming around like one of those otters." Crane pointed his wing in the direction of Tigress who was casually swimming and if he squinted enough he could very well see she was inspecting something in her paws whilst she floated along.
"Hey, Chu! What do you got there!?" Seemed as if this place was a treasure trove of some kind.
She gave them an upside-down look before swimming back to shore beside them.
Clack.
When she opened her paws, the clatter of rocks made themselves known to them. Even Crane had gathered ashore to see them.
They all picked up one. Crane couldn't help but take a closer look at it. "It's so smooth and clear. There are so many different colors."
He threw it up every now and again in his talons marveling at its shine.
Tigress pushed herself back to the water away from the coast as they all picked out a river rock to take. "You can have some of them. I'm getting more."
Monkey spoke up. "What?"
She was gone underwater without another word.
...
As they had all accepted there wasn't much they could do in the way of cleaning this place, some things were just beyond repair. Crane and Mantis could only tie back one banner that had survived and stayed connected to the roof; they had no idea where the others had flown off too.
Luckily there was a broom left intact in the closet along with the dishes and bucket they had cleaned.
It didn't take long to move back the disturbed row of seats cast aside back to where they belonged neatly but ultimately without the grand colors and lights along with the shiny statues that usually gave these places an air of fanciness, it still felt rather empty.
It was missing something.
The only thing left that Viper had truly wanted to do after all that was replace the dead rows of flowers they had found. And then they had to get going before evening struck. As beautiful as this place was, they didn't want to stay another night sleeping on the floor.
So they split up near the first small shrine they had passed near the entrance to look around the forest for flowers, dig them up, and bring them back. Simple enough.
Right?
...
"I have a name. It's a wonderful name," said the boy.
...
Po and Mantis had decided to pair up, heading northeast of the shrine. The forest was dense, with little room for a clear path. Mantis could navigate it pretty easily but Po was left lifting tree branches and trying not to trip over bushes.
"Any sights on a clear path?" Po couldn't help but whine a little. They'd been at this for a while and Mantis was trying his best to find it but…
Everything was green.
"Heh." Po laughed to himself as he leaned under a low branch which shook what water was left on them from last night onto him. "I guess you could say this place is as green as you."
He wished Monkey was here to hear that one!
"I might just let you suffer down there for that bad joke."
Po all but jumped out of his fur with how close Mantis' voice sounded! He ended up only bumping into the base of a tree nearby. Which only resulted in fresh leaves and dew drops being disturbed to fall and sway to the ground.
"I take it back…" Po sighed tiredly as he felt Mantis on his shoulder, he must have hopped down at some point.
"As for your first question," Mantis said in his more 'professional' voice then shrugged. "Nope, I haven't found a single clear path. Nature took this one for herself." The panda turned his head to see Mantis was back to looking around, up north. "Maybe we should go back. No point trying too hard for some flowers."
"No way!" Po interrupted his friend. "I choose this way and there's no way we're going back empty-handed! Do you really want to lose to everybody else?"
Po took a few steps forward. He never minded giving his friends a lift when he could.
Mantis merely shook his head as Po eyed him from the side. "Contrary to popular belief. I'm not competitive in everything I do."
"Really?" Po's eyes couldn't help but widen at that. "With all the times you bet on things I-Oh?"
The panda stopped at the feeling of the dirt, it felt like a small hole of sorts. He looked down to find small footprints, multiple of the same from what he could tell.
"What'd you find?"
Po squatted in front of it, leaning his head left and right. "Looks like someone walks through here often."
Mantis patted the side of his head which shocked him for a moment. "Good eye."
"It's nothing, I just know what it looks like since I made something similar on my mushroom route." If someone was walking through here, there had to be some sort of a path or they were just too familiar with the brush to care. "Let's follow them."
CLANK!
The loud noise had made them both pause, Po jumped but Mantis thankfully held him back from making any unnecessary noise. He thought for a moment that maybe that was one of their friends but…
None of them carried anything heavy enough to make that noise.
'And along with that no one but them came this way, so it wouldn't make sense any of them would be up here. Unless Monkey roped Tigress into pranking them-' Po's mind raced with the obvious and outrageous outcomes and possibilities! So much so he almost did not notice the touch of something cool and…
"Metal?" Po scooted around, rustling a few bushes in the process which made Mantis shush him louder!
It was a watering pot, an old one by the looks of it. He picked it up and found it was empty. What was a watering pot doing out here?
The bushes rustled again.
"It wasn't me!" Po whispered!
A small figure exited the right side of the brush, and Po stayed still as the figure Tigress had described to them last night appeared before them. He'd been in the back of the group so he didn't get the chance to see their hero much. But now he understood what she meant by them having a mysterious yet open aura about them.
They walked up to the duo without a sound, as its hood covered its face, its only defining features it's large horns that twisted much like the Soothsayer's.
"Oh!" Po popped up as he noticed they were trying to walk past him and moved back stiffly, making sure they had enough distance between them. "S-Sorry, sorry about that. I-I was just looking for a path for...uh flowers. Yes, Flowers. Didn't mean to get in your way..."
He bowed and felt Mantis clinging onto dear life on his shoulder at the abrupt movement. He'd moved in a panic, operating purely off his instincts and hoping he wouldn't do anything stupid.
He chanced a look up at the spirit, hoping it'd disappeared into dust or flew into the wind all mystical like.
Instead, he found a hoof insistently pointing at something. Po tilted his head until it hit him! "You're watering pot, sorry again!" And some of his nerves had melted away with that small interaction. It seemed so normal in a way. He presented the metal can with open palms and a smile.
The small being spun its hoof twice and then tapped the air twice. A small whirr of a sound made itself known beside the breeze.
A small hole appeared before him and Po blinked at it. A small black hand shot out of it and grabbed the watering can which made him pull back in surprise.
No, he did not shriek a little. Neither of them did!
And then another floating hole with a hand floated on by behind the horned being with a small bucket!
Po stayed completely still with his hands up at his shoulders, to the point he couldn't look at how Mantis was managing. He'd seen some strange things but this was up there.
Once again, the small being drew closer, urging him forward. Just as they'd done with Tigress. But this time they were a bit more patient waiting on his response, which he was thankful for.
Po stepped forward. "Yes?"
The small being handed him a small flower, dirt and its roots still connected to its stem as if it was freshly taken out of the ground with care. "Thank you! This was just what we needed! And it's so pretty."
And then he got another one.
"Thank you!"
And another.
"Um, thanks but you don't need to give me all this."
And one after another, the being gave him flowers to the point it'd look as if he was delivering a flower bouquet to someone.
Mantis gasped at the amount of flowers they'd gotten. "We'll surely beat everyone with all this, keep going!"
"I thought you didn't care about that!?" Po glared down at his small friend before putting his hand up and carefully cradling the flowers in his left arm. He handed the small being one flower, it was a yellow flower, a chrysanthemum.
The being took it quietly, staring at it or he assumed it was, couldn't really tell with that hood. Actually, now that he looked a little closer near the bottom…
The spirit moved forward, right over the footprints he'd found as if that was its daily route along with its dangling band of hands floating behind it.
They both blinked as the being disappeared into the brush.
They blinked twice.
"Mantis."
After a moment's pause Mantis replied. "...Yeah?"
"It didn't have a face…" Po admitted.
They both starred in the direction the spirit walked off to. "You're joking right?"
"I wish." Despite himself, Po followed the spirit and its tracks.
Past the brush, they'd gone through and down a small steep hill, they'd found a clear path near a river. And to no one's surprise, the spirit was there, sitting upon the ground as its right-hand men filled the buckets and cans with water. They slipped by it so as to not disturb its peace.
They followed the river, the path they walked on was worn and in silent agreement they both guessed the spirit must have walked these paths too once upon a time.
"Wonder why it's all the way out here?" Mantis broke the quiet between themselves and the forest.
There was a small opening at the end of the path.
Po hummed lightly to himself in thought as he turned into that path and noted small petals flying in the breeze. "Ti said something that means nostalgia I think?"
"That's a good guess but what could it be attached to here? It's just an abandoned temple, the people left behind..." Mantis looked left and right at the open area they had entered.
Flowers of all kinds and colors littered the area, patches of them separated by small square spaces surrounded by uneven pieces of stone covered in moss and lithops grew high all over the place.
"I..don't think they left this place behind," Po spoke up after they both took in the scenery. Neither of them moved forward into this torn village, standing upon its last legs. No one would have noticed this was a village had it not been for the lone table set with chairs near the right. Unlike the rest of this place, it was cleared away with grass, weeds, and other plant life. The only thing that sat on it was picked flowers and an old blue tea set that resembled the dishes they'd gotten from the closet.
Mantis watched as Po's head lowered, the tremble in his shoulders did not go unnoticed to him. "Po," He gulped, hoping it wasn't audible. "C'mon let's go we got the flowers and-"
Mantis stopped himself as Po continued to be silent and lowered his head with him in respect.
The breeze was kind to them under the blue sky, keeping at a steady pace while carrying the soft petals with care.
"This..is too much like my home...my old home." The dragon warrior lifted his head and wiped his eyes. "Just forgotten by the world."
Mantis kept his head lowered, allowing his friend the patience he deserved.
"I couldn't help but wonder... after Tigress said it forgot its name that...maybe I was like that spirit too." Po continued to cover his face as if his hands were his own hood. "I'm lost and can't remember my name either…"
The flowers dropped from Po's arms as he cried and Mantis stood by his side.
"I'm sorry Po, I shouldn't have said that…"
"I shouldn't have said anything…"
...
The monster who went west replied, "You don't need a name. You can be happy without a name. Because we are nameless monsters."
...
The afternoon had passed them all by in a flash.
The clouds and wind worked together to keep them all cooled off from the beaming sun above, as they laid flowers and other offerings down on the shrine. It was a moderately sized shrine that you would usually see in front of a home. The color just as in the larger shrine they had stayed in had faded away with only small bits of the red paint surviving on random spots on the tiny steps leading within its hollow structure. The only thing left inside was small cracked red cups and holders of thin candlesticks. The sticks have long since burned out with time.
Po was the one to leave a bowl of warm noodles in one of the soft blue bowls they'd found among the sets inside. The others placed the flowers they'd found, different colors brightening the shaded area the shrine was under as the tree's shadows swayed.
They all bowed in silence towards the shrine, all but one.
Tigress placed one river rock after another near the bottom of the shrine's small steps with a small slip of paper in between them, closely resembling a zen rock garden.
After that, they really did have to leave this place. With one last glance and a few double-checks to make sure no one forgot another they were off down the road they had entered in.
Under the large gates once again, now that it was daytime she could see it was in far worse shape than she'd previously thought it was in. 'One of the signs is missing!'
But despite that, the old place had a unique charm to it in the daylight, everything seemed to shimmer and glitter despite its torn outlook, even if something was missing. Even if the people here vanished or merely had to move on, it still held bits and pieces of them from the past.
Out of the glimpse of her eye, Tigress saw a lone black hand appear out of thin air, taking the piece of paper.
And that was the last thing she saw of the small shrine before they made it down to the main road.
...
The monster went to a castle to find a nice name. Inside the castle lived a sick boy.
...
The gang didn't have to go far to find shelter, past the tree they'd first sat under, past a streaming river and wooden bridge that felt as old if not more than the Valley's rickety bridge creaked under their weight.
Thankfully, they weren't as high up either.
The sound of the river kept them company as they continued south and soon rice fields came into view along with houses scattered around the area, even when you looked up upon the tall hills that connected to the tall mountains that surrounded this place, if you looked close enough you could spot a tiny house hiding behind the trees.
Crane and Tigress both slowed down to look at the sign, a sign lazily nailed to a tree's base, the words "Wúmíng Village" carved into its center.
"A nameless village. How fitting." Crane dryly said as they continued forward through the town with a single dirt path, littered with flowers on each side.
After walking aimlessly for a while, Viper was the one to stop and ask for directions. A gruff farmer who held a basket of rice above their head with one hand on its side pointed them to the right to an old-looking building with two stories. Lanterns hung around its sides that lead down the red balcony, with steps that lead downward to an open terrace with tables.
The sign on the front of the building is painted in rich brown and colored in gold edges, it's writing slightly scratched out from a clear mistake in the Chinese characters used in it.
The Hotel's name was Catnap, and they were greeted by a young tiger. She was clad in a white and blue hanfu dress as she sat aside her broom.
Crane looked back to check on Tigress who was lagging behind, staring at the young woman, she was probably only a few years older than her.
Everyone else had already gone inside, exchanging their friendly pleasantries. She seemed nice enough and welcomed them in with a bow and even an offer of clean robes which they declined-
A pat on his side interrupted his thoughts, running away nowhere in particular.
"Hmm?" Crane looked to his side to see Tigress, pointing at Ning he recalled Monkey calling her before he disappeared inside.
She was pointing at the woman, still patting his side.
"Yeah, I see her." He nodded with a soft smile, knowing this was a rarity. At least someone was happy this evening. "We should go introduce ourselves, and maybe you two can talk more."
Ning lit the last lantern of the evening before dinner was ready.
...
Tigress watched as Po quickly power-walked down the steps, slipping his sandals off before stepping on the terrace, and joining them for dinner.
"My, we have some lively guests tonight." A soft voice sounded from the left, and many eyes turned to see Ning aiding an old goat down the steps from inside. She held on tightly to Ning's arm as she shakingly sat down right beside Monkey at the top of the table. "Thank you, Ning."
"No problem at all, Miss Lin." Ning bowed while kneeling before standing back up and giving them all a soft smile and a deeper bow to the point her forehead touched the floor before them. "The noodles will be ready soon, Masters of the Jade Palace."
Ning picked herself and tried to silently open the paper doors, but it got stuck and clattered loudly as it was forcibly closed.
"She's making noodles too!?" Po picked another piece of his chili potato from his plate, they'd been offered a variety of dishes after they'd settled in upstairs. "This is really a high-grade hotel you have all the way out here!"
"Aha. No, she doesn't usually cook this much." Miss Lin laughed good-naturedly as she split her chopsticks. "She's just trying a little harder than usual." The older goat inclined her head in thanks as Monkey pushed the tofu plate closer to her. "If you don't mind a little prying, could I ask where you all walked from? It's not easy walking around here." She blew on the piece of tofu softly. "Everything's so far out."
"You're not wrong there Granny," Mantis said. "We learned that first hand out there. It was pouring on us out there to the point we had to make a pit stop!"
"And where did you stop?" Miss Lin's face scrunched up at the thought."I hope you didn't camp out there or worse stayed in a cave."
Mantis was caught with his mouth full at the question. So Tigress decided to answer for him. "No, we stayed at an old shrine across from a large tree on the main road."
It grew quiet, the back and forth of their casual conversation coming to a halt as Lin tapped absentmindedly at her plate. "I know where that is, yes."
"Oh, so you're talking about that haunted temple upstream huh!?" A gruff voice sounded from the entrance of the patio, it was the farmer they had asked for directions from earlier, he tipped his straw hat off. He was a tall grey wolf.
"Guowei? Is that you?" A voice called from the back.
"Yes, it's me, Ning. I got your share of the rice today!" Sliding the basket of rice near the table and kicking his sandals off. "Glad you folks made it here alright."
"We only made it here due to your directions. So again thank you." Crane was the one to speak up to the wolf as Ning moved around on her knees to grab and pull the basket of rice away behind the paper screen. And out of sight!
Guowei looked confused by her behavior and looked to Miss Lin for answers.
Lin merely gestured around the table as the five and Po ate away at the wide variety of food on the table. "We have important company as you can see."
Guowei blinked before turning to see the Master Tigress taking more fried rice, she only gave him a short glance and sat beside him when it finally hit him. "Ah. I see."
"What about that shrine being haunted?" Viper inquired politely.
"Oh, that. Everyone here knows it's haunted by some faceless demon who tries to trick people in there with things they want." Guowei stopped talking for a moment as Po handed him an empty plate from the side and thanked him. "You're lucky you got out of there."
"I knew it!" Mantis muttered loudly to the point even Tigress had to join in on Crane and Viper glaring at him. "What? It was obvious it was just trying to tempt us."
Crane shrugged as he set aside his chopsticks. "Yeah, Yeah we all know you're always right. Where would we be without your watchful eyes?"
Mantis, missing how Crane's voice was drowning in sarcasm pushed on. "See? Crane gets me?"
The door slid open again, and Ning bowed again as she exited the building while holding a large bowl of steaming noodles in one paw. It shook lightly. It was so obvious. "You shouldn't scare tourists with stories such as that." The young tiger quickly fixed her manner of speech.
"Do you need any help with that?" Po asked, obviously feeling sympathy for the woman's paw as a waiter himself.
"No! This is nothing!" Thankfully she placed the bowl cleanly on the table with no issues. "Please enjoy yourselves."
And Po and Monkey did just that.
"You can't say it doesn't exist forever when all we ever hear from travelers are weird incidents about it." Guowei placed his plate down loudly and raised his brow at the kung fu masters around them. "I bet you they saw something strange up there too?"
"Don't be ridiculous! People will always come up with some imaginary enemy so they won't be held responsible!" Ning shrugged, letting her professional mannerisms slip until she straightened up after her last sentence. "It's just common folklore."
"I saw it."
All eyes at the table turned to Tigress, who had also retired her chopsticks upon her plate. She looked down at it until she spoke up again. "I don't believe it was tricking anyone. I think it just wanted to give us what we needed."
"So did I." Po spoke up next, pointing his chopsticks up to make his point. "Mantis was with me when it happened and all those arms popped out!" He lowered them with a sigh. "I think it was just lonely."
The table was once again quiet, a tension of differing opinions filling the air on a topic none of them could readily disapprove or approve.
Tigress picked up her chopsticks hoping it might stay this way until she noticed the color of the bowl, blue.
"Miss Lin, what do you think of all this?" She asked the old woman who seemed to be stuck in a loop of her own thoughts.
Lin's eyes closed and she sat her chopsticks aside and reached for a cup of tea as a source of comfort. "I'm not sure what to believe anymore. None of us have the time to believe in things such as spirits or at least that's how I thought in the beginning but sometimes…"
Guowei stepped in when she couldn't go on. "Miss Lin you know you don't have to speak on that-"
"Thank you dear but it's fine. It makes me a little sad that what used to be my home has turned into a haunted attraction. It makes me wonder if the ghosts of the dead are merely waiting." Miss Lin quietly responded as the tip of her hoove tapped the blue cup she held. "That place you see used to be a small village just like this." She gestured widely to the area around and ahead of them.
"But a storm raked it from its roots. The waters tore away our resources and homes. I was just a baby when it happened but I still feel its loss."
The weight of the truth on what laid in the ruins of that abandoned shrine was far too heavy for even the noise of eating to push away. Every small detail they'd come across and seen at that place had led to this.
What was missing was the people.
"Did..you ever want to go back?" Po was the first to boldly ask the old woman.
"Yes, every day. My mother would speak so highly of all her flowers and fruits near our little house near the shrine she served." A soft smile returned to Lin's face at the mention of her mother and her stories. A small sip of tea seemed to calm her nerves. "She wanted to go back more than anyone here but she just couldn't, none of us could."
Crane looked as if he was going to speak up but Tigress picked up the slack with her curiosity. "You had to rebuild from the ground up?"
"You'd be right. And it's not as if the harvests here are that great either." Another sip and a small taste of tofu reminded everyone there was still food left and that there was a story ready for them here. "She wanted to go back and see if her friend had survived but with a small child and injuries from that storm that left her bedridden well...there wasn't much we could do." Miss Lin laughed bitterly. "Now I'm too old to live alone. Age isn't kind to everyone, remember that."
"While I empathize with Miss Lin, I don't think that excuses the spirits playing tricks on people," Guowei commented as the noise of casual chatter returned. "None of us wanted that storm tearing our river in two."
"Yes, I wish things didn't work this way." Miss Lin nodded her head as she sat the teacup aside. "There's nothing left to hold on there, they should just move on as we have."
Tigress couldn't help but look down at her lap at that, she could see the perspectives of them both but still. 'Did they really see nothing left of that place?'
The sensation of Monkey's tail twitching beside her caught her attention, and she could tell by the way he pouted he was frustrated. "Sometimes people use tricks to communicate. It's easy to say move on. But no one ever tells you how. It's easier to not reach out to others isn't it?" The simian huffed and turned around with his plate towards the front of the terrace and its starry night sky.
Tigress turned around with him and placed her paw on his shoulder as they ate in comfortable silence as the bells tolled against the winds.
...
The monster liked the boy's name. He liked living in the castle. So even when he was hungry, he stayed put.
...
"Thank you for staying at Cat nap! Don't forget you're always welcome back!" Ning had personally gotten up before dawn to not only make them breakfast but watch them take off down the road back home as well. "Also…"
She not so shyly handed Po a rolled up paper.
"What's this?" Po couldn't help but ask as he opened it up.
The tiger lightly scratched at her face while avoiding eye contact for a moment."It's a poster for my business. Just something I give my customers every now and then that's all. Just light promotion."
Mantis chuckled as he took a look at the poster, it was a small simple drawing of the inn itself with a small napping tiger at the side. Truly worthy of its name. "I have to give her credit for the lack of shame in self promotion."
Ning held back a noise none of them could properly articulate.
"Heh, It's pretty cute." Po rolled it back up as neatly as he could and even went so far as to take off his backpack to put it away. "I'll hang it up in my dad's restaurant for sure!"
"Oh thank you Dragon warrior! You are so very kind." She shook his paws as soon as they were no longer preoccupied with his bag. Her glare towards Mantis was very clear and deliberate. "Unlike certain people."
Mantis merely groaned at the bluntness of the country.
And so they were off! With all their goodbye's out of the way it was only themselves and the road to keep them company from here on out. Tigress watched as Miss Lin waved them off as she ate her breakfast on the terrace. She waved back, debating on saying one last thing to the older woman. But she didn't want to cause her any more pain than they'd already reopened for her.
Her gaze fell to the ground, as her friend's conversation fell on deaf ears. She could feel herself slowly lagging behind to the back as they all picked up their pace. She pulled a river rock from her pocket, she'd kept quite a few after picking up so many and giving some of them to her friends. This one was special though.
She'd debated long and hard after getting it but ultimately she couldn't find a suitable name to write on it until last night. Ever since that night the spirit had gifted her apples, she'd thought about proving them wrong. That you can give someone a name. She wasn't sure if she was exactly fit to give one to them but…
The wind blew, carrying the petals of deeply cared for flowers away as Tigress ran back down to the inn.
"Chunhua!?"
She blazed that small distance between where her friends had been right back to the inn's front, she came to a halt and walked up to the terrace before taking her sandals off and approaching Miss Lin. Who rightfully looked surprised at her abrupt return.
Tigress sat on her knees right beside the elder goat. "Miss Lin."
"You didn't forget anything did you?"
"No." Tigress shook her head, the impulsiveness of her decision catching up with her mind. "I wanted to ask a favor before I leave but I hesitated."
Miss Lin blinked whilst she poured her tea. "Oh. Well, I'll try my best for whatever you need, Master Tigress."
"That's all I ask for." She closed her eyes and nodded in gratitude at Lin's kindness. "I want you to take this back to the temple."
Tigress opened her palm to show Lin the river rock. "There is something left there to hold onto there and I think you should see it for yourself so you don't have to live with any regrets."
She watched as Lin merely looked down at the river rock in silence, her brown eyes averting it for a moment before returning back to it.
"I don't think I can," Lin spoke up softly, merely staring at the blue cup filled with tea. "What if I don't have a liking for what I find?"
"You won't know until you try." Tigress placed the river rock beside that blue teacup, allowing the side with its message to face upward. "And her friend deserves to know what happened to her. I believe this land is still mourning for the past and...just hasn't healed yet."
They both sat in silence as Lin stared at the rock, the wind, and the sounds of Ning moving around and cleaning up the only noise filling the void between them. Tigress decided right then and there to get up and leave the old goat with her thoughts.
She slipped her sandals back on, and tapped the heel on the ground with her foot twice. "Just think about it please."
"I'll try."
Tigress didn't look back at Lin as she walked away.
...
Every day he was so hungry, but he stayed put.
...
Many months had passed since that trip, autumn and winter had passed them by in a blur of colors and commotion.
And then spring graced them again, the flowers bloomed from the ground to the peach tree's blossoms painting the landscape in pink petals as they opened themselves to the sun.
Tigress watched as Po and Monkey practiced in the front of the courtyard. She bit into her apple as she watched Monkey show Po the footwork in order to hold his staff steady.
He took a simple step back with his left and moved his right leg forward, his bamboo staff stayed straight and still in his hands.
"It's all about your footwork, if you hesitate anyone can take advantage of you after that."
Po mimicked his friend, left leaning back, his right going ahead as he stared straight forward.
She leaned back on the steps she was sitting on, only looking away as she heard familiar small steps pass by behind her.
Master Shifu bowed his head in greeting as he walked by with his flute, no doubt heading to the peach tree of heavenly wisdom on this warm afternoon. "Good afternoon, Chunhua."
"Good afternoon, Master Shifu." Tigress blinked while nodding her head his way, his pace was so quick yet leisurely at the same time. He was out of sight before she knew it. 'He used my name.' Even after so many months, it still didn't feel real to her at all. She was about to bite into her apple again until.
"Master Tigress!"
She turned her head abruptly towards the entrance to see Zeng had landed and was running towards her. She got up to meet him halfway since he seemed more worn out than usual.
She tilted her head after jogging toward the messenger. "Good Afternoon Zeng, is there an emergency?"
"Oh no!" Zeng went so far as to shake his head and a wing her way while going through his bag. "Here it is!" There was a tied up scroll and a small scrunched up object? Had the sender covered it in paper?
"Thank you…" It was rare she'd receive personal mail so she wasn't sure how to respond but when she felt the weight of what the thin paper covered, she had an inkling of what it was.
"You're very welcome Master Tigress." The goose gave her a small wave before walking back to the Jade palace's gate. "I hope you enjoy whatever they sent you."
Tigress jogged back to where she was sitting on the steps of the training hall and picked up a fresh apple she'd been saving and made a break for it back before calling out to the messenger.
"Here Zeng, catch!"
She waited for him to turn around fully before giving him a gentle underhand throw, thankfully he caught it!
Tigress waved at him whilst he smiled at his catch. "Make sure you take a break when you can!"
"I will thank you so much!"
She watched him fly off before turning around and walking back to her spot to the steps and shuffles of two warriors sounded out.
She decided to leave the object she'd been sent for last after opening the letter. The name "Wúmíng Village" was written on the outside which immediately caught her attention. 'Could it be?'
Dear, Chunhua
I've sent you this letter to inform you I did as you wished. I told the spirit, how my mother passed of old age and could not return to see them. At first, I thought it was a silly thing to assume when they had appeared before me with the rock you had handed me but.
Even without a face, they wept. And I couldn't help but weep with them over the person we both loved.
I think you were right, that this land had not recovered from its loss of my mother's home so long ago, even the soil grew weary with time. But as they healed so did the earth.
The spirit places river rocks in the dead of night around our crops and gardens with a blessing of bountiful harvests. More than I'd ever seen in my life.
So for that, I must thank you for your kindness and patience. I don't think I would have ever had the courage to reach out to them without you.
They left a rock at my door at the crack of dawn which confused me greatly because they do not usually enter the village during the day. But when I read the name it was addressed to, I knew who it was for.
Only flowers bloom at dawn.
P.s. I also have to thank you for giving the spirit that paper smile, they seem to really love it so much. How do I put this? It's practically a part of its face now. And it's easier to talk to them with it. Well, that's all I have for now. I hope the months have treated you as well as they have for us.
- Miss Lin and the faceless spirit
...
Tigress reached for the small object peeling away the paper and ripping small bits of it by accident to reveal a smooth brown river rock. In the same way, she'd scratched the surface with a message, here laid one for her and only her.
"Thank you for giving me a name, Chunhua."
...
The boy ate the monster who went west. Even though he had finally found a name, there was-
...
The rain came down in a sudden crash. It came from the north, covering all in its wake as it spread across this side of the country.
And two stray travelers were stuck in the middle of it, hoping and praying their straw hats would be enough to protect them, well one of them was.
The tiger who had an umbrella keyword: had, the winds had blown his poor umbrella back beyond use and repair. He quietly sobbed about it as they ran for shelter.
"I should have never listened to you!"
The monkey who was ahead of him came to a stop under a nearby tree, breathing heavily as more and more water built up in the leaves to the point it tipped over and allowed the water to gush at his side. "Fine. I'll take the blame for taking this gamble. But it's just a little rain."
The thunder clapped as if in response to his comment.
"Yeah, a little…" The tiger deadpanned as he had to move to the side again to avoid another tree's leaves from bursting with a small waterfall that was too close to drenching his backpack. "I don't even want to think about how our wares are fairing…"
"Hey wait." The Monkey spoke up as he looked across the way, at a large tree. "Isn't that the tree those kids were talking about with the tea leaves surrounding it…"
"No." The tiger stated.
The Monkey shrugged after fixing his hat and starting to piece together the routes of this crossway. "C'mon we got no other place to go."
"Yeah and I don't wanna room with a ghost." Despite himself, the tiger still followed his friend down the path that led to the now renowned temple they'd heard stories of at the last town they'd resided in.
"It's a spirit not a ghost, two different things my friend." He held his hand up with two fingers for emphasis on his point. His smile grew wide at the path he'd heard countless stories about that led to a tattered gate as old as the Great Master Oogway, that could take you to a world with all your needs met. And thus he started singing and softly clapping as the rain drenched them onward.
Guiding Heng, Guiding Heng
Please light my way
I need a place to rest
"C'mon man sing along!" The Monkey nudged his frightened friend with a small laugh.
Guiding Heng Guiding Heng
Please lend me a hand!
The short song had ended and yet the music of the forest and rain continued on in their duet, droplets making loud sounds and large ripples as they dropped and bounced from the sky, nourishing this land.
Both the travelers look left and right for a sign of anything of the spirit. But nothing happened. "See? It's not real! Let's go!" The tiger shook his arms but to no avail, they were still drenched and would stay that way until they made it to his hometown. "My sister Ning always told me that stuff wasn't real!"
He was ready to leave his friend behind as he stood there, looking defeated and deflated before the monkey relented in following behind him.
Clack.
"Huh?" They both jumped, making the puddles splash about and sending ripples all around them.
It was the young tiger who dared to step forward at what had made that noise behind them. His reflection was clear in the murky puddle that held a river rock that was not there before. Once again, he looked left and right, trying to figure out where it came from. He knew the river was about a mile away, it didn't make sense.
He picked up the rock, as water trickled off of it, raindrops bounced and clung to its surface alike.
Clack! Clack! Clack!
One by one the travelers watched as river rocks fell in succession in a straight line down the very road that led to the abandoned temple. The young tiger had to blink twice as he saw they weren't simply being dropped out of thin air. Small black hands came from a hole of some sort dropping them.
"That's it!" His friend screamed as he rushed, almost slipping and tripping over himself and the puddles that surrounded them. "We're saved~! The spirit heard me!" The Monkey was picking up each and every rock the hands dropped.
And before the young tiger knew it his friend had wandered off ahead of him and with a gulp of courage. "Hey wait up!" He ran to catch up with him, hoping they would find shelter and food up ahead.
Amongst the rain was happy cries breaking the sound of rain crashing upon this land, the thunder rumbling in the distance as a lone figure stepped out from the bushes near the tall tree with a smile upon their face.
They walked towards the path of the temple with a sway in their steps at the song the children had made for them.
For there were guests to welcome this evening with a polite grin.
...
What a wonderful name it was, Heng
Okay this is the last thing again sorry this got so long but that's just how my stories tend to get. This is my last author's note. Thanks again.
AN: Hello again, good job for making it to the end! I hope you had a good time with this piece because I sure did write it as you can see. This one shot came from pure care and love for the mediums I love and just the beauty of Chinese architecture and its food I'll try to make this quick but in my Author's notes for my other stores I usually leave links and fun facts so people know where I find and use the things I do, So without further ado here's that list:
- The passages in between each segment came from a short story called "Obluda '' which I found through Naoki Urasawa's Monster anime. It's what ultimately helped and inspired me to make this character and link them to our main characters. I edited it near the end as you can tell but I suggest you give it a read. It's a favorite of mine.
- The abandoned temple/shrine you read here is based on a real one, it's called Yuantong Temple. I highly suggest you look up the name. It's a beautiful place, that my words could not do it proper justice. This includes the gate as well which is also a beautiful piece of art that really captured my heart and imagination!
- The spirit or Heng was heavily inspired by No Face from spirited away. I wonder if you caught that? They're a type of tragic youkai and I wanted to take that and up that tragic feeling to a new level for a character who can absorb the feelings/personality traits of others. Basically, what would happen if a spirit only got attached to one person and their home?
- If you want to see the hotel/inn that inspired Cat nap, there's actually a video I took inspiration from. Here's its title: Let's build an Ancient Traditional Kung Fu Movie Style Chinese Hotel with details DIY. It's a cute video that really pops with style and cuteness!
- Last thing! The Guiding Heng song is heavily inspired by the Pom Poko, Mr. Raccoon song. Just another small movie rec from me!
Okay, now I'll let you go for real, have a nice day, and thank you for taking the time out of your day to read something I made and please support the other writers! Until we meet again on this long road.