The Mandate of Heaven - Chapter 1 - Universal Unrest
The air was ripe with tension, the spines of those involved in this sensitive gathering were tingling as if they were being played like a xylophone. A grand howling wind blew through the gates of the Hall of Heroes as kung-fu masters from temples across the fracturing Song dynasty of China anxiously gathered around a giant round table that easily encompassed half of the hall as all of the artefacts had already been ordered to be transferred within the mountain as they were no longer safe on public display.
The Dragon Warrior had sent a majority of the servants of the Jade Palace back to resume their normal lives, suggesting that they find new places of employment as it was unknown whether or not they would one day return to fulfil their duties. Po and Tigress only entrusted a few of the workers to stay and maintain the Jade Palace alongside all of its hidden possessions as those geese were currently sitting within the mountain positioning everything and ensuring nothing was scratched or missing.
Po spent most of this time welcoming the guests to the Jade Palace as the overcast and hazy day started to turn to dusk as the sun's usually awe-inspiring glow was muffled by the roaring clouds above. Every single guest considered it a miracle that they hadn't been rained down upon by the heavens above for every single master considered this meeting an ominous prophecy declared from those ruling in the Spirit Realm that a terrifying threat would rip through the Valley of Peace and throughout the entirety of what stood of China.
Tigress and Viper were ensuring every single guest was as settled as one could be for much would be addressed and discussed within this final meeting between masters of all backgrounds, ages and significance. They informed every single guest that stepped through the gates of the Jade Palace that anything discussed inside of the Hall of Heroes would not leave the building, their lips and beaks would remain sealed and if they were to even whisper this into the breeze of the night… The entirety of China could rise up in a bout of universal unrest.
Meanwhile, Storming Ox and Ferocious Croc were ensuring the right masters and people were stepping foot inside of the Jade Palace courtyard. It had only been two weeks since Po sent out the initial messages with a wave of messengers carrying these notes of urgency to every single temple that was still standing. Some disciples of the distant temples in the northern provinces of the Song dynasty acknowledged that they would possibly have no home to return to by coming here.
Whilst most masters were respectful and seemingly displaying the right attitude, which was righteously anxious and fearful for the future… Other masters were more or less drooling for the Dragon Warrior and the fact they had received a personal invite from him. Po was never a fan of the whole 'scripted message' protocol the Jade Palace adhered to and would often include personal anecdotes about the things he had read about the masters he was inviting to the Jade Palace. Most masters of kung-fu were disciplined mentally, physically and spiritually… Although some masters of certain temples faltered in regards to mental discipline as Storming Ox had sternly reminded at least one disciple that this was not a 'date' the Dragon Warrior was inviting them to attend.
"Oh! Isn't this terrible!" Master Panther, bearing her pink cherry blossom eyes, stared into the unamused faces of Storming Ox and Ferocious Croc as she and her disciples were the last in line before the courtyard gates would be shut for the meeting to commence. "The Dragon Warrior has requested our presence at a meeting? I will admit, his note was a little touching when it comes to his private anecdotes but it was best for me to arrive as there's bound to be trouble if this somehow blew its way across the desert to make it into my paws!" Master Panther, with her silky smooth voice and her mildly bubbly attitude amid a crisis, coaxed Ferocious Croc and Master Ox into folding their shoulders as the latter spoke up.
"Once you get your tongue unstuck from the roof of your mouth and your attitude in check, you may enter..." Storming Ox grumbled as he cracked his back by merely adjusting his posture. "If you are here to swoon for the Dragon Warrior instead of here to address serious concerns… The exit is right that way," Storming Ox and Ferocious Croc nodded as they pointed past the heads of Master Panther and her posse as they all pouted alongside straightened their postures.
"Who said I was here to swoon for the Dragon Warrior?" Ferocious Croc released a growl of impatience as the black panther's ears fell low and she walked forward. "Very well, I will respect your wishes," She smugly quipped as she started to high-tail it past both decorated masters of Gongmen City as they slammed the gates leading into the Jade Palace courtyard shut behind them as they grunted at the sight of those snooty felines.
"I admire what the Dragon Warrior's going for but I see that he has an extreme amount of fangirls considering his young age and uniqueness to the craft of kung-fu," Ferocious Croc started conversing with his ally as they softly plodded up the stairs. "I wish I could do my job that well whilst attracting the gazes of that many women… Then again, I can't for the life of me see myself acting like a fanboy for kung-fu twenty-four-seven despite holding the noblest kung-fu rank in all of China," Ferocious Croc persisted with his senseless rambling as Storming Ox huffed.
"By the end of this fated war… There may be no Dragon Warrior left behind if what I've heard from the frontlines are true. These barbarians have been waging a consistent push on our borders for two weeks and they have demanded the heads of our generals, not our delegations… Talking to these senseless beings is useless and I am certain peace talks will only result in one thing… War," Storming Ox darkly grinned as a rip of lightning sprinting across the sky matched his sinister tone as he and Ferocious Croc approached the peak of the stairs. "If you're wondering… I don't think the Dragon Warrior will die. I think the entirety of kung-fu will meet its maker."
"There's that pessimism again, Ox. You seem to forget that this same Dragon Warrior stunted and quelled the operations of a maniacal peacock who was destined to destroy China in a bid of revenge against anyone and anything that had wronged him in the past… We'll live through this-"
"A peacock whose body we never located nor found a trace of. I have heard rumours that Lord Shen could be behind these attacks but… They seem too sophisticated to be of his calibre of work, considering the fact he hasn't made a gigantic push forward whilst glorifying himself on a throne made out of steel whilst screaming 'Lord Shen is back!'. I believe an external threat is behind this, a threat who is taking advantage of the soft underbelly that is the current state of China," Storming Ox retorted, folding up his arms before entering the jade chamber offered by the Hall of Heroes. "For once, I believe the death of kung-fu may revitalise China. We have been hanging in the balance with corrupt rulers for hundreds of years at this point. With our opponents bearing weapons we're barely able to make sense of, we may soon find ourselves picking up the weapons of our enemies and using them against our foe for they will be a more dominant weapon than any fist could dream of being," With that grim statement, Storming Ox entered the darkened room alongside Ferocious Croc as the doors remained open.
The Dragon Warrior bore a gently lit candle inside of his paw as the restless mumbling of the gathering masters fell silent as a variety of gazes fell onto him. Although he wore a face of seriousness, he had to take a moment to fanboy one final time before a pillar whilst Tigress watched on with pride in her lover.
"I'm so excited! I've always wanted to do this and put my spin on it, Ti!" Po whispered behind the pillar, bouncing up and down on his paws as he jogged on the spot in excitement. Tigress placed her paw on his shoulder whilst facing him to comfort him and quell his giddy antics. "Every time Master Shifu did this and I read about it inside of books- I even witnessed it myself… I had to think about how awesome it was!" Po continued to silently gawk as a few masters raised their eyebrows at the muffled mumbling.
"I know you're excited and rightfully so as it's your first time, my Dragon Warrior… But you'll have to save your fanboying for later as you've gathered the entirety of China's remaining masters here and- as much as I know you love being yourself… You need to make a first impression that ensures that you are listened to and you are an authority they can trust," Tigress's pep talk managed to quell Po's excitement as that excitement melted into composure. "I love you, Po… I'm sure you'll make myself, Master Oogway and Master Shifu proud," Tigress planted a soft kiss on Po's forehead before relinquishing her grip, performing a backflip in the air as she appeared as a striped orange blur to everyone else looking on as she calmly landed in her chair.
"Alright, alright… Po, you can do this!" Po whispered to himself, gazed into the shining dragon lining the pillar as his face stiffened up and morphed into a stern expression as his candle peeked out from behind the pillar before the rest of his body. The eyes of possibly a hundred different masters and hundreds of more disciples fell onto him inside of this packed room as the sunrise-yellow glow from the candle lit up half of the room. Po raised his other paw and so, the two servants bearing their instruments started to play a song similar to the one in which Po watches Shifu demonstrate his art of Inner Peace.
A goose bearing a jade robe started to strum their harp as their wing harmonically introduced the sound to the echo chamber that was the Hall of Heroes. Secondly, another goose bearing a blue robe wrapped their beak around their specially crafted flute that sounded more identical to a trombone than a flute as they played the first few notes of their iconic music.
Po focused his Chi into his paws, coaxing an orange glow from his paws into the air as he spread it onto his jade staff, with the golden energy of his paw rippling through the staff until it beamed as bright as the sun on the crispest of mornings. Next, he blew on the flame whilst harnessing more of his Chi, forming the flame in which it started to overtake the candle and stretch high into the sky. Finally, he let out a battle cry as he leapt into the air, waved his staff to generate a golden Chi fireball as he blasted it into the fire. His fireball rippled across the room and ignited the torches lining the pillars of the Hall of Heroes as he masterfully steered the fireball with his mind, bending it so it looped around the room a few times and lit all of the torches before catching it quite like a cannonball fired by one of Lord Shen's devices.
He pressed his burning paws against the fireball and started to squash it down before he blew it into his heart, his body rippling a fiery orange as he let off a relieved sigh before opening his eyes to see the masters of nearby and faraway temples gaping their eyes, jaws and beaks wide open whilst Po finally guided himself back onto the floor. His paws softly pressed up against the marbled floor, the proud orange glow shining in the room offered a warm environment and for a brief moment, the worries of the masters were charmed by Po's mystical act as he beamed a proud yet serious smile whilst offering his palm and his clenched paw before bowing in the presence of hundreds of masters and disciples.
"You're all allowed to applaud the Dragon Warrior for a minute to commemorate that performance but that is all," Storming Ox sat up, addressed the masters and started to slowly clap, which inspired the rest of the masters and disciples to applaud him by clapping their wings, hooves and paws together as Po made his way around the roundtable to take up his seat at the very end of the table alongside Tigress, Viper, Storming Ox and Ferocious croc. "Halt!" Storming Ox raised his hoof and soon thereafter, the claps fell silent.
"Now that we have got the pleasantries out of the way..." Storming Ox's undertone prompted Ferocious Croc's scales to dance across his exterior as it reminded him of the suspected late Lord Shen. "We must address the shadow under the mountain that is the newly discovered missing body of Lord Shen and the fact our extraction teams never located anything after their search of the wreckage. At the time, our extraction teams reportedly located his body and reported it as cremated… However, new information has surfaced from eyewitnesses of the event alongside one of the members of the former excavation team that they were paid an absurd amount of money by an exterior force for them to seize the body of Lord Shen for a privately owned museum. On behalf of Gongmen City, I solemnly offer our apologies on behalf of our city as this type of corruption is absolutely unacceptable but unfortunately has become a more pressing concern as of late throughout the sea of whispers being offered by our people as well as their burning desires for change," Storming Ox's expression remained steadfast as he continued to read the small imperial scroll that he was extracting information from during his speech… Despite the fact he always possessed insider knowledge in regards to the missing body and had to cover it with all of his honour.
"Our people are demanding answers from us and even going as far to sack, loot and destroy our temples in protest of the unreasonable… And that is the epiphany that flooded China that regards the weaponry armed by Lord Shen and the fact it could've benefited China instead of having it be extinguished alongside their blueprints. We believe the ongoing war against the collapsing Song dynasty, the ruined state of Western Xia and the newly lost state of Liao is a contributing factor to these seemingly unavoidable waves of civil unrest and conflict as our people have their ears open to rumours being thrown across the frontlines that sees the true flaws of kung-fu rearing their dishonourable heads," Storming Ox's voice boomed across the Hall of Heroes whilst the patient masters and disciples listened on with intrigue. "Many of these rumours are manufactured, quite like the weapons our newfound northern enemy possesses and it is a blatant misconception that is the root of this unwavering bout of vanishing loyalty from our people. The death of Master Oogway, unfortunately, set us up to confront this day but we never could've predicted the house of cards would collapse so early. We're still trying to learn about the basic origins of this threat that appeared on our borders and how they managed to re-engineer a cannon when the blueprints were burned and Lord Shen was pronounced dead before the body was even exchanged to this foreign source," Storming Ox took note of Master Hawk's raised hand as he pointed and nodded towards him to speak.
"What if… What if Lord Shen's somehow still alive and is bolstering the enemy with the knowledge of his own weaponry? I mean, if we burned all of the blueprints and wrecked all of the weapons, that would be the only logical conclusion, right?" Master Hawk's battle-scarred wing slowly lowered whilst Master Ocelot and her beady blue eyes alongside her spotted yellow paw shot up into the air.
"Don't draw conclusions this quickly, hawk. These reported sightings of elaborately crafted cannons that can be manned by a woman or a man seem like something that's out of a fantasy play. Surely, some things are exaggerated and that could include these rumours that Lord Shen is still alive out there somewhere. We do know for sure that Lord Shen isn't commanding this invasion… The strategies being employed on the frontlines are far too cutting-edge and fast-paced for Lord Shen to have crafted them. That peacock is way too impatient to wait this long between attacks whilst advancing that far and fast at a time… At least from what I've heard," Master Ocelot saw her paw being eclipsed by Master Lioness as she raised her eager paw alongside primed her beady brown eyes to anxiously gaze into Storming Ox's own orbs.
"What about the messages spreading amongst our people?" Master Lioness' more mature and smooth voice drew the attention of a few of those who were already beginning to glance away from the table and towards the flickering flames of the torches above. "They claim we are impatient, corrupt, arrogant and unwilling to help them despite the fact we have been defending them from bandit attacks for years. They are delirious with the beliefs that they can take up arms with weaponry they find inside of their kitchen to fight off these bandits and these extremist claims have led to an uptake in injuries originating from stabbings and beatings from civilians who are turning towards brutal and possibly life-threatening measures to defend themselves as they see us as unfit to do that job on their behalf when it is our responsibility," Master Lioness' eyes turned towards Master Elephant, who was quite an intellectual as his lemon-yellow eyes accompanied the smugness of his grin.
"Perhaps it is not a question of whether or not the master's alongside their disciples are competent enough to defend their respective realms but more of a question that piques the interest of those falling for what all of this is… Deceptive propaganda," Almost everyone sighed at Master Elephant's sophisticated approach but Master Ox quelled their sighs with him raising his hoof to speak.
"Your opinion and more intellectual take on this situation intrigues me, Master Elephant," Storming Ox found himself praising Master Elephant as he scowled at the rest of the meeting's participants other than the Dragon Warrior, Tigress, Viper and Ferocious Croc. "Must I remind everyone that the way these meetings work is if we focus all of our attention towards the opinions shared as we all gather from every single crevice of China to discuss our opinions and ideas together. We may not agree with everything addressed here, but the reason we are here in the first place is to consolidate these thoughts in the hopes we can arm ourselves with an appropriate response to combat the incoming tidal wave of universal unrest if we allow this plague to continue raging throughout our populace. I ask all of you to keep a mindful attitude and to maintain a civil attitude, That is all..." Master Storming Ox calmly pointed back towards Master Elephant, who appeared more serious instead of smug. "Master Elephant… If you may."
"Alright, so… It may sound slightly obscure as a concept but I believe our enemies are using this thing called national propaganda to get into the minds of our people and convince them of possessing a different opinion. Say you are a king inside of Europe, which is where I heard of this 'propaganda' from when trading with one of their lords… You are a very highly respected king but you have done some distasteful things in the past and a few people hate you. To gain leverage over the mass majority of people, those individuals would create this thing called propaganda against the king that glorifies their own movement whilst instilling fear into the people who follow that specific leader. They usually accomplish this by manipulative means, such as blackmail, spreading rumours amongst the people, turning something positive into something negative by nitpicking it… You get the point," Master Elephant pulled a poster from his oversized pockets and placed it on the floor. "I had a merchant bring this back from Europe before. I do not speak the language that is Hungarian but it is a poetic piece of literature that inspires the Hungarian people, otherwise known as Magyars, to continue defending the Carpathian basin as it is the new homeland they fought for after their great march into Europe," Master Elephant held up the poetic piece before rolling it up, sliding it into his pocket and took his seat once again.
"I honestly think the giant nerd with the oversized trunk has a point," Master Rooster stood up and drove his metal claws into the jade-draped wooden roundtable, accidentally ripping the tablecloth as he looked microscopic compared to some masters. "I mean… Hear me out here. We've done a lot for our people, in the past and in the present. I mean, damn, I got turned into a jade medallion when Kai attacked and the people of my valley celebrated my return! I simply refuse to understand that a year has passed by and everyone's attitudes have suddenly turned against us… Then again, the teaching of Chi inside of the Jade Palace may have amplified the spreading of these rumours as it may have made some masters look useless or powerless but Chi can only truly be mastered by someone who trains in the art of kung-fu and 'civilian Chi' can only be harnessed during those monthly peace festivals you host," Master Rooster clucked a few times as he continued his ramble.
"And by no means am I trying to point my talons towards anyone or to pin a blame on them! If anything, we should be blaming the enemy for creating internal turmoil inside of China and then taking advantage of that weakened state!" Master Rooster let out a few excited clucks before jumping back into his seat. "Then again… I do question how the internal affairs of China became so fragile in the first place-"
"The emperor! That's how!" Master Bear's voice ripped across the room as his dual-wield axes shook in the holsters attached to his back and his brown suspenders that held up his silver-plated armour. "That bumbling idiot has sent his only two heirs to the throne to war! Generation after generation of idiocy and his power has been under scrutiny ever since Tai Lung's rampage considering they're both snow leopards! - Not to mention the fact the only princess and backup heir to the throne has already been injured whilst fighting against the incoming tidal wave up north! We're still trying to figure out why they're attacking and what they want and the emperor himself couldn't hold onto the chance of his honour further being disrespected and so he left Kaifeng in a desperate attempt to gain some prestige on the battlefield… HE HAS A COUNTRY TO RUN AND HE LEFT THE IMPERIAL PALACE TO FIGHT A WAR THAT'S DESTINED TO SEE HIM BE BEHEADED!"
"MASTER BEAR! I do not want to have to warn you again, please, contain your emotions," Master Storming Ox sternly issued his words of caution to Master Bear as the brown bear merely grunted. "However, like Master Elephant, Master Lioness and Master Hawk… Your take on this situation is just as important your opinion is valued so long as you do not taint the value of your opinion by allowing your emotions to pour over your words," Master Storming Ox gestured for the seething bear to take a seat as he turned his attention towards the Dragon Warrior. "Dragon Warrior… What do you make of the things you have heard so far?" Storming Ox inquired, raising his eyebrow as the Dragon Warrior nervously rose up from his seat.
"I see that all of you have your own awesome points to make about the potential of-" The Dragon Warrior shuddered, amusing a few of the disciples in the crowd as he continued to speak. "Lord Shen being alive, the weaponry in the paws of this mysterious force, this spooky thing known as propaganda and the emperor's dismissive attitude… However, I've been thinking about something else- it's slightly pessimistic but I can see us working around it," The Dragon Warrior peered into Tigress's eyes, then Viper's before switching his glare back to Ferocious Master Croc.
"And what are you thinking about, Dragon Warrior?" Ferocious Croc held up his claws and started spinning them around as if to coax the Dragon Warrior into persisting with listing his theory.
"I believe the main problem people are targeting is the fact we all have our weaknesses and strengths as masters… However, all of these issues you have highlighted hasn't brought a flame over to the colossal and consistent problem that happens to be the fact that many of our villagers think we are 'too distant' to interact with them as individuals. As if we are too 'high and mighty' for them to ask about serious issues, thus why they are turning to their own creative and sometimes icky solutions to fix their problems," The Dragon Warrior's noble statement humbled the minds of some whilst I spited the minds of others. "When I first became the Dragon Warrior, I will admit… I was an idiot and some would say I still am. I had no idea what to do and as a commoner, someone who had come from the valley and my father's humble noodle shop, I was looked down upon," Tigress' face scrunched up as she felt herself instinctively pinching the bridge of her nose with the sharp claws of her paw, treating Po like a peasant during her earlier interactions with her was her biggest regret yet.
"The most disciplined people I had ever met, the noblest and those I idolized… They still treated their own people as if they were constantly under them. Of course, we have worked to reduce the size of that problem ever since I became the Dragon Warrior as I was one of them now. Yet, I made it my promise when I became the Grandmaster of the Jade Palace that I would patch up the hole that is the attitude of the masters of the Jade Palace compared to the rest of the people. We have made a tremendous amount of progress, but it seems one of the huge complaints our people have is the fact that it seems like we're not listening to their wants and not their needs. They want us to be closer to them, to participate in more of their traditions and quite honestly, I feel like that's the massive underbelly this ooky spooky northern horde is stroking… The fact that we, as masters, sit inside of our fancy palaces and only come along when bandits attack the valley," Po leaned back in his seat whilst wearing an optimistic smile. "We should be more than that. We should be more than some fancy figurehead people look up to. We should be bonding with our people whenever we can. Sure, I have learned about the stresses of being a master ever since I got up here but it truly isn't as hard as people say it is. That might be my enthusiasm and the fact I am living my dream but looking down on our own people and being surprised when they start pushing our buttons to get our attention? Part of me feels like the people targeting us were aware of this and their plans aren't as complex as we think," In a speech that shocked everyone except Tigress, the Dragon Warrior had managed to address one of the largest issues plaguing all of the kung-fu temples across China whilst using all of the knowledge he had picked up from Master Oogway's scrolls in regards to vocabulary so he could sound sincere whilst doing so.
The room fell to the plague of silence in an instant.
The Dragon Warrior had somehow managed to brush on a problem that a good one hundred and something masters and hundreds more of their disciples couldn't even consider thinking about. Throughout all of their discussions, Po had made the connection that all of the concerns hosted by the masters had something to do with their honour and he had successfully broken through and provided the room with his unwavering mindset… A young mindset that would see even the mightiest of masters tremble in fear at the fact such an issue had been overlooked whilst it hadn't even been considered as such.
"If I may speak to alleviate the silence," Master Tigress jumped to her feet as Storming Ox gave her a nod of approval. "The first thing I thought when I met the Dragon Warrior, and I speak from personal experience here as he was initially the one who I selfishly assumed to have 'usurped' my rightful destiny as the Dragon Warrior… The first thing I thought was about how he deserved no place at the Jade Palace despite being picked by Master Oogway, the very inventor of kung-fu. A martial art that would teach us about the true meaning of enlightenment, discipline, dignity and honour. I thought he was an idiot capable of nothing. I judged him for his weight, his intelligence and his personality… I even showed off in front of him by performing a move in front of him that I thought was physically impossible for a panda to pull off whilst teasing his fanboying heart with a sight he could only dream of having as I landed my split… And what exactly did I learn?" Master Tigress leaned over to the Dragon Warrior's seat, placed a paw on his shoulder and beamed a prideful smile across the room. "I was wrong," She softly let go of Po's shoulder and went back to her own seat to continue her speech.
"I was wrong about so much. The way I had been disciplined told me that my only concerns were with myself. My feelings. My thoughts. My destiny. My body. My personality. I was taught from a very young age that nothing else mattered besides kung-fu. I was mentally and physically abused inside of an orphanage before my 'father', Master Shifu, adopted me and trained me in the art of kung-fu… Something I have mixed opinions on to this day despite kung-fu being one of the things that binds me together. I was disciplined in such a way that I naturally developed an attitude that, because I was able to execute all of these moves and defend myself, that I was somehow put above others more than I already was by sitting inside of my fancy palace," Master Tigress could feel a singular tear beginning to well up inside of her eyes as she passionately took a stand on her chair. "We are not above the people we protect. We are the people we protect. At the end of the day, I have learned through an overpowering friendship and relationship that a lot of people tend to come together to share moments of unity regardless of background, beliefs or culture on a daily basis. So what if we happen to be disciplined warriors who were trained to protect them? That doesn't mean we should allow ourselves to be alienated, nor should we alienate them. 'Propaganda' or not, I hold a firm belief that the Dragon Warrior holds a clue that will lead us to unravelling the mystery behind all of this civil unrest… And that clue would be highlighting the tremendous thorn in our sides that happen to be the stuck-up and entitled attitudes many of us possess back at home simply because we defend the defenceless," Master Tigress, after her emotional speech, finally sat down inside of her chair as the room was reduced to yet another bout of silence that was about to border the amount of time the Dragon Warrior's speech had quelled the noise in the Hall of Heroes for.
"So… You're saying the fancy palaces and the fact we don't go out much could be a massive problem?" Master Panther and her posse spoke up as the black-furred panther rose to her feet and stared down Master Tigress with a merciless and cold expression filling her eyes and tense face. "Master Tigress, have you perhaps forgotten the lessons your faithful Master Shifu had passed down to you in your pursuit to sleep with the Dragon Warrior?" The entire room scowled at her and gasped. "I'm sure if my memory serves me right, you loathed the thought of interacting with other people until he came along and his arrival in your life has surely knocked some screws in your head loose as social isolation and forgetting the burdens that come from others was a prominent lesson taught inside of my temple," Master Panther slowly but surely folded her shoulders alongside her entire posse as they shot smug daggers into the souls of anyone who tried to oppose their glances.
"Master Panther!" Storming Ox raised his voice and the snooty feline instinctively let out a loud and entitled "WHAT?" before she gulped and realised she was either about to meet her maker or she would be stripped of her dignity. "Your behaviour at this meeting is unacceptable and if I am to hear another slip like that exit your lips, you will be ejected from this meeting and you will have your temple closed down- Do not test me as I have the authority to do that," Storming Ox's steely stare was enough for the problematic panthers to submit by sitting down in their seats. "Disrespecting any master, no matter their background nor your justification will see disciplinary action taken against you. We are not children fighting on the playgrounds of school over who told what tale and whether or not it is true or false. I expect you to support one another, not despise one another as I'm sure we can all act under professional boundaries whilst this meeting commences… Unlike Master Panther," Storming Ox exhaled a cold chuckle before glancing at Master Viper.
"Now… Should we discuss the matter of how to deal with these problematic uprisings and rebellions?" Storming Ox was met with a sea of stiffly nodding heads. "Excellent. Dragon Warrior, Master Tigress and Master Viper… You shall take charge of how to proceed on this matter whilst the masters of Gongmen City round up the best ideas and we shall then agree on how to move forth," With that, Storming Ox had used all of the authority he had as one of the two co-masters of China's most prosperous city other than the capital, Kaifeng, to declare the beginning of the second part of the meeting… A second part that would most likely see much more personally driven conflict until a creative resolution is found.
Sunset - Guang City - Crane and Mei Ling
Overlooking a beautiful set of ripe cabbages, carrots and grains of wheat stood Crane and Mei Ling. They had been settling into their new life wonderfully down near one of China's prosperous rivers whilst keeping to themselves in the countryside. This was their first year of harvest together, as farming was a guilty pleasure for both of them to enjoy outside of their usual occupations.
Whilst Mei Ling danced for a local dance troop, Crane sought to use his lingering glory from the times he was still a master of the Jade Palace to teach the civilian population of the city how to defend themselves with their bare wings, hooves and paws. Crane had never truly been released from the Jade Palace and up until a month ago, he had been intermittently visiting the palace until he decided to tie the knot that connected his new and old life together permanently.
The Dragon Warrior never found it in his heart to fully discharge Crane. Out of all of the paths the Furious Five had taken ever since the defeat of Kai and his banishment back to the Spirit Realm, he admired Crane's decision to throw his pursuit of glory out of the window in return for true happiness… As the Dragon Warrior believed everyone was entitled to their own path to happiness so long as it didn't involve harming others.
Po never sought to discharge Crane fully as a master from the Jade Palace as Crane still had fighting potential within him and Po had made it perfectly clear that the door was open if he wished to return… And those fateful gates may be calling him sooner than he expected. Mei Ling's ears rustled as the mailman knocked on their letterbox after delivering their monthly mail. Living outside of the city, miles away from it to be exact whilst inside of a vast plain, proved to be a logistical challenge for the messengers of China as they would often find themselves hiking far into the countryside just to deliver a few messages to a bird and his feline… An extremely unlikely pairing but a pairing that was never impossible.
"Crane! Crane! The mail is here!" Mei Ling beamed whilst overlooking her glowing farm. She tossed off her straw hat and threw it inside of their homemade jungle-themed cabin as she bolted around the side entrance whilst shoving her paws against the stone bricks in an excited chase for the mail. However, Crane yearned to tease her and her lack of ability to fly as he leapt into the air, flapped his wings and barreled past the roof of their cabin to land with one of his wings pressing onto the roof of the mailbox. "You tease! I swear, Crane! I will one day find a way to sprout wings and fly just like you so I can reach the mail faster!" The mystified golden mountain cat playfully jested as she watched Crane let go of the letterbox. She then slid the key belonging to the mailbox from underneath the woollen royal blue rug and into her paws as she went to unlock the mailbox.
"I'd love to see the day where you sprout wings and fly… That way, I wouldn't have to haul you everywhere with my talons if you ever wanted to go to the big city of Guang!" Crane's lack of confidence at the Jade Palace had completely faded away ever since he attained Inner Peace by attending Po's teachings as well as writing more frequent letters to the girl of his dreams, Mei Ling. "However, I do not consider that a downside as having you occasionally freak out whilst you berate me about the fact not all cats can land on all fours if they fall from too extreme of a height is extremely funny… And you say I'm the one lacking any confidence, miss ballerina," Crane swung his wing around Mei Ling as she chuckled in response to his comedic toying with her mental state as they opened up the front door to their candle-lit cabin and slammed it shut behind them.
"I'd say today has been quite a successful day, wouldn't you say? We've cultivated the land we purchased with our savings in preparation for expanding on next year's harvest whilst I've also been able to put in orders for new silky travelling robes for us both!" Mei Ling cheerily quipped whilst flipping through the mail. "Bill, advertisement, another advertisement… Ooh!~ My order for a wind machine was finally approved by Tei's Mechanical Marvels!" Mei Ling cooed as she finally landed on the final message, a jade scroll with a golden dragon imprinted on the back which had already become dusty from the weeks it had spent in the bags of various messengers. "Uhm… Darling?"
"Yes, sweetheart?~ - Woah..." Crane instinctively went from demonstrating his newfound confident and enthusiastic side to appearing concerned as his eyes feasted upon the glowing seal of the scroll. "Something tells me this is from the Jade Palace and that it's something important… Probably not important enough to call me back but important enough for the Dragon Warrior to want to notify me about it," Crane pulled open the Jade Scroll's hull as it released a satisfying pop, quite like the cork of a wine bottle would as it's pulled off the top as he pulled out the smaller scroll from within.
"What does it say? I will admit… I've always been curious about the affairs of the Jade Palace and how official and kung-fuey everything is!"
"By the heavens, it's like I'm in love with a golden female mountain cat who coincidentally acts like a dulled down Dragon Warrior when it comes to this stuff," Crane let off his last joke as he slid open the scroll whilst Mei Ling comforted him by placing her paw on his shoulder. "Perhaps it might be a little more important than one could've guessed..." Crane immediately saw the characters belonging to the words 'war, terror, unrest and humiliation' call out to him as his anxious eyes skimmed the message before he coughed and started to read the message out to himself and to his curious lover.
"Greetings, Crane! I hope your wonderful new life with Mei Ling is going fantastically well, I can only wish the best upon you considering the crisis that is currently developing and overrunning most of China as I write this message out. I have received word from Master Storming Ox alongside the villagers of our valley that a great terror is consuming the people of the northern borders. War is being raged by an unknown warlord that usually would be sitting beyond the Manchu Mountains and Gobi Desert as they seek to wield humiliation and unrest as a vicious weapon! I understand that the Furious Five is unfortunately slowly but surely crumbling and I respect your wishes if you decide to throw this message away in pursuit of your new life… After all, we all have our own candle that illuminates our path to happiness and you've certainly found yours. However, what do you think about giving it one more shot? I know Mei Ling has an amateur background in martial arts. I can see you two being an awesome fighting force on the frontlines with us! I know this message may not find you for a while so you do not need to worry about attending the meeting I have invited the other masters to… I am more concerned with whether or not you would be willing to rally alongside my fathers and panda brethren at the Panda Village as we prepare to fight this threat. If you decide to go down the honourable path of nurturing your life with Mei Ling, I respect that and you do not need to show up… On the contrary, if you do decide to show up with Mei Ling to inspire us all with your awesomeness and your presence! I would love to see you on the day following the first crescent moon of this month! Thank you for your time and your patience… Sincerely, Po Ping, the dumpling kicker!" Crane peered into the page in awe and disbelief, then glanced towards Mei Ling's golden fur and beady eyes before peering back at the page.
"I believe I have one more great fight inside of me. Po may have taught me that honour can come in different forms… But I believe, with you by my side, we can truly restore peace to China amidst the chaos," Crane confidently gazed into Mei Ling's warming orbs as a warm smile slipped across her muzzle. "That's if you're in, of course..."
"If I'm in? Of course! Yes! I would love to fight alongside you! Just like I complimented your graceful movements at the Lee Da academy back when we first met… I still to this day will complement your movements and your inspiring form, courage and nobility to this day. As I compliment your existence, I shall always compliment you in battle," Mei Ling's expression went from joyous to more determined as her pose reached a steadfast position. "Let's bring peace to China, together..." Mei Ling jumped up into Crane's chest as she hugged onto him as tight as she could, with him wrapping his wings around her to show his appreciation of her support and bravery.
Midnight - Western Xia - Xingqing City
There his intimidating form stood, proudly overlooking the burning city of Xingqing whilst clutching the paw of his faithful lover, Fara.
Xiuru had sent his forces into the city approximately two hours later after laying siege to the city for three days. It was unknown whether or not the emperor escaped, however… The opportunistic arctic fox smelled royal blood and ordered the siege of the city to be lifted early. He was not fully hellbent on destroying the emperor straight away, instead, he was primed to make a statement by humiliating two out of three of the emperor's heirs as it was believed Princess Yuxi and Prince Zihao were stranded inside.
"This is the one time where I ask of you to politely remove your paw from my own as I bless you with a kiss on the cheek, my faithful Fara," Xiuru softly yet confidently spoke as Fara removed her white paw from Xiuru's presence as he planted a soft kiss on her soft cheeks, prompting her to blush as her amethyst eyes soaked in the burning flames of the struggling city alongside my own. "We have been campaigning for two weeks, my love… And in that time, we have made gains together that no other warlord could dream of. My predecessor was too slow whilst on horseback, he is responsible for the humiliation of the Xiongnu all of those centuries ago. However, soon enough, there will no longer be any segregation between Mongol and Chinese… For we will soon become one united force that rules over Asia once I claim the Mandate of Heaven and you, my faithful empress, rule alongside me," Xiuru swung his paw around the waist of his lover as she softly made sure her steel armour was primed and ready for a fight. Her angled sword rested inside of a slot on the back of her armour as did Xiuru's.
"I look forward to campaigning by your side for the very first time during this war instead of having to deal with the perpetual insubordination of the Eastern divisions, my love. It's adorable to see those peasants scurry and rescue their only possessions as our weapons unload into them whilst we slam our paws into their throats," Fara spoke with a sick and twisted grin on her face as she leaned down and picked up her long-barreled weapon alongside Xiuru's. She handed it to him alongside the pouch the microscopic cannonballs were carried in as Xiuru removed his paw from around Fara's waist. "This 'Qiang' as you call it… It is a marvel of your genius and I never thought the noble and brave man I had married all of those years ago would end up campaigning across China whilst manipulating the very will of their own people. However, I will say… Purchasing the body of that disgraced warlord was possibly one of the best things you had ever done, considering the fact he wasn't as deceased as one thought," Fara hinted as Xiuru let off one singular cackle.
"It turns out that maniacal warlord had a serum that allowed him to resist a majority of the damage that would be dealt to his body as he knew he was going to lose that faithful battle. He cut down the ropes holding up his burning creation as it crashed down on him for one giant finale, little did those innocent fools in Gongmen City know that his heart was still beating at a very slow rate thanks to the hypothermia and his serum," Xiuru gazed up towards the full moon above, patted his shoulder against his one and only soon-to-be empress as they charged forward from the hill and into the city. "I usually don't give other people credit for my righteously earned glory but I will confidently say that his crazed invention and his memory of how to create it proved helpful for my ambitions… It was just a matter of me bending the steel and experimenting to eclipse his engineering prowess," Carrying the weight of his solemn statement, Xiuru and Fara leapt over the city walls alongside a small division of private bodyguards as their Qiang's fired into the night, lighting up the sky as they stunned the remaining amount of resistance that were insane enough to walk the streets of the war-torn city.
Xiuru and Fara would march unopposed through the streets as they rushed forward with their Qiang's in their arms. It truly was a wonder being able to wield a weapon that was comparable to a long cannon but could be loaded with small steel balls propelled by gunpowder instead of something that took five men to carry just for one shot… Not to mention how you could carry this weapon alongside you as if it were a sword thanks to how light it was.
The psychotic warlords took note of the fact the gates of the city were abnormally shut… Usually, the gates of the city would just be shut from the inside… But through the bars of the gates, Xiuru and Fara could see that the gates had been bolted shut using a heavy steel chain. They peered into one another's eyes and briefly split up as the soldiers of Xiuru's army started to round up and jail all of the civilians they could find.
"Long live the emperor-" Prince Zihao attempted to fight against Xiuru with his curved sword. Unfortunately, Xiuru had a different plan as he deployed a rope that would be thrown at Prince Zihao to render him unable to fight and have him be disarmed by default as Xiuru kicked him to the ground, forcing the jade-eyed snow leopard into the floor as he rolled over the struggling feline as his jaw was pressed into the filth-ridden trail the prince lay on as his royal red battle armour was coated by a thick layer of mud.
"We don't live in the second century, anymore. Screaming 'long live the emperor!' will only lead to your fate coming sooner rather than later. Now, be a good little prince and keep still as I haul you to the centre of the city… It's not like you have a choice, anyways," Xiuru tortured Zihao with his impending defeat as Xiuru removed the sword from his possession, wrapped his paws around the rope that bound him and tied him with another as Xiuru started kicking Zihao across the floor to roll him into the city square, where every other civilian was being rounded up and imprisoned.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Fara had caught sight of someone attempting to retreat whilst they bore an amethyst dress. Fara pursued the shadow bearing pink eyes for some time until that shadow ended up trapped in between the chained up city gates and the might of Fara. Princess Yuxi revealed herself as she swung her mightiest shot at Fara, who merely caught her paw and redirected it towards her face whilst toying with her.
"Why are you hitting yourself, why are you hitting yourself?" Fara toyed with the snow leopard a few times as she delivered a blow to the calf of the snow leopard, bringing her onto her knees as Fara delivered a strike to the back of her neck. After bringing Princess Yuxi down with a mere redirection move, Fara tied up the disobedient snow leopard's paws as she would go on to spit on the royal. "Agh, you royals… Always so entitled to everything whilst disrespecting the very people you rule," Fara started dragging Yuxi through the streets as Yuxi looked on in shame to see yet another city filled with her very own people with their hands behind their backs and their eyes streaming with tears of melancholy.
"Don't worry, princess… You'll soon be meeting the warmth of the Spirit Realm. However, I believe I should introduce you to the rightful claimant to the throne of China and my brilliant boyfriend before you're rewarded with the sweet release that is death," Fara whispered into Yuxi's ears as the arctic fox picked up the snow leopard and tossed her against the statue of her father as her brother, Prince Zihao, rested to her left. "Now, I wonder where your father could be?" Fara tormented both of them by bashing their heads together whilst Xiuru keenly aimed his Qiang at the pair.
"I highly recommend you die with some dignity and answer my gorgeous girlfriend… Where on earth is your father?" Xiuru pressed the barrel of his Qiang up against the chest of Prince Zihao whilst Fara followed suit, pressing the barrel of her Qiang into the chest of Princess Yuxi. "Do we have any takers?" Xiuru pressed his Qiang so hard into the prince's chest that he started to audibly scream in pain as his back fell into the statue of his own father.
"I- I don't know- okay!" Princess Yuxi opened up as both Xiuru and Fara deeply stared into her glistening pink eyes. "He heard of the attack that was impending and he asked us to stay put and he promised he would come back! By the time we realised he wouldn't be arriving, it was too late… Your forces had already started moving in on the city as you razed it to the ground," Princess Yuxi informed them both as they connected the dots that their father was truly the ignorant and selfish jerk they thought he was.
"Our father… He has barely paid any attention to us- we are not his direct heir… His son, Prince Jeiru, is… We have always been an expendable resource and always will be so long as Prince Jeiru lives on," Prince Zihao spoke through his gasps as he gazed into Xiuru's glacier-blue eyes. "I assume he… Left the city and used us as pawns… Either that or he genuinely wished to save us but it was too late. We tried to… Escape using the lever but we were forced back because… Of your forces and the fact the gate wouldn't open!" Prince Zihao was struggling to breathe as Xiuru could feel the barrel of his Qiang starting to crack the sternum of the snow leopard.
"That selfish bastard… He left you here to die," Xiuru spat as he tapped Fara's leg with his paw. "Take aim and begin the countdown," He instructed as his paw slipped around the trigger of his weapon.
"Five, four, three, two, one..." Fara counted as her own paw slipped onto the trigger as she alongside her loyal lover scowled into the eyes belonging to the heirs of the Chinese throne.
"FIRE!"
*BOOM*
[Context]
"Qiang" translates to "Gun" in Chinese and is Xiuru's rendition of what a musket would look like if it was invented inside of Wuxia (the fantasy genre in which Kung Fu Panda is based upon) China.