THE COLLECTOR
The winter festival was almost imminent.
Lord Enlai and Lady Yi were in the throne room with their son to decide the final preparations for the big event. An explosion caused the young man to crash into the columns of the hall, while the sovereigns crouched beside the throne in an attempt to shelter from the debris that spurted everywhere.
A strange cloaked figure made his way into the throne room. He had entered through the window, as if she could fly even though she didn't seem to have feathers!
The intruder took off the hood that covered his face, but Shen didn't take too much notice noticing with fear that he wasn't alone!
Nine other impostors entered the room, staying behind and at a considerable distance from the one who, without a doubt, was the leader.
"Good morning to all present! I am Derek, sovereign of the solitary islands, come here with a dream ..." but the speaker found himself remaining open-mouthed while someone interrupted his sentence of effect, long prepared and studied because he created a chilling atmosphere "How dare you go into my house like this!" shouted Lord Enlai furiously and then stared at the intruder with an open bill: he was a human! Impossible!
Human beings were only myths, the result of imagination! Yet this strange creature fully corresponded to the description: it stood on two legs, had no feathers or a thick fur to cover its body, devoid of claws or natural weapons and possessed a developed intelligence! Well this last point still had to be verified!
"Little bird, didn't they teach you that interrupting people is rude ?!" the one who called himself Derek asked sarcastically.
"Because blowing up the houses of others is a courtesy, instead!" Shen said furiously approaching threateningly to the man who was facing his father's throne.
One of the intruders jumped "Sir! If I'm dreaming, wake me up!" The individual said speaking to his companions. All ten humans looked at Shen with absolute wonder and disbelief.
"I thought your species belonged only to legends! Why did you come to a world so different from yours?" Lord Enlai asked reassured once he saw the wolf guards enter but surprised when the strangers did not react: strangely the humans did not seem at all intimidated by the canines.
"I told you! I'm chasing a dream!" The chief of men replied. "What is it ?!" The sovereign insisted that he was slowly losing his patience.
"Look at yourself!" Derek said, snapping his fingers. Suddenly various species of animals entered the windows behind the group of humans. But not everyone had wings!
Then how the hell had they come up there without using the stairs, Shen wondered mentally!
"Admire the greatest collection of all time! I have a tiger, an owl, a monkey, a leopard and many other unique animals, but I have always missed something! I felt it! Yes, my most precious pearl had not shown up yet ... but now ... Now it is in front of me!" The human said, putting his arms forward.
"What are you talking about?" Zhan asked in confusion that, halfway through his speech, he could not grasp its full meaning.
Even the rulers did not seem to understand as Shen shuddered to hear that sentence which took away all doubt. He was their goal! All those animals were like him with the only difference that the white peacock still had its freedom!
"I am a collector, I own unique things in the world, but I had never seen such a wonder! An albino peacock!" He said pointing at Shen.
Lord Enlai and Lady Yi winced, as did the wolf.
"That is actually yes! But with these colors I miss and I won't be satisfied until I have in my collection up to the last existing white peacock in this world! You know what to do!" The chief said, clapping his hands to his men.
The humans held crossbows and pointed at the two peacocks. Zhan got into the fighting position as well as Shen.
"Give up and no harm will be done to him!" Derek said, pointing to the rulers. After an interminable moment Shen lowered his weapon, hid it in his clothes and approached the intruders.
"No! Stand back!" Shouted Lord Enlai when he saw that his son was turning himself over to them. But it was too late. The wolves obeyed their lord and did not move a muscle to stop it or defend it.
Zhan couldn't hold back a growl when he saw his friend being tied up with thick ropes.
"Try to rebel and they die!" The human said to the white peacock "... disobey and they die! Try to escape ... and they die! ..." but another individual interrupted his head during such a striking and disturbing threat, also studied with meticulous care to make his scene once told and make Derek appear as a crime boss. "In short, blindly obey the great Derek and no harm will be done to him!" The latter gave him a dirty look that would incinerate anyone who had been hit, with the only result of having the man who had dared open his mouth bleached!
"We will become rich!" Derek exulted immediately imitated by his men. Shen took one last look at his beloved parents and gave them a reassuring smile.
Yes, he would have managed to escape and he would have defeated those arrogant humans, this would have meant that his name would never have been forgotten!
"All aboard!" Screamed a human who was standing on a strange construction of flying metal. And Shen wondered how he managed not to notice her before being literally dragged over it.
It consisted of a large construction of iron and wood that formed the main bridge. At its edges were two large oval balloons, the size of a building, which probably supported it in the air.
A noise from the base made him notice the presence of some rotating blades that seemed to move thanks to a force unknown to him. As icing on the cake, it seemed like humans were able to maneuver it to make it go in any direction they wanted! In a short time he saw the city getting smaller and smaller.
His mother's tears continued to haunt him, but he was sure he would see them again! He was placed in a cage as well as other animals.
"Do you know where they are taking us?" asked a leopard. The latter set the void remaining impaled like a cod. He wore a kind of muzzle with a strap on his forehead, a red sapphire that reflected the sunlight, blinding everyone who looked at him!
Shen, after several attempts, gave up attempting any approach with all the others, human or otherwise.
He saw that Derek was holding a stick with another sapphire stone in it.
It shone even more than a star and was struck when it suddenly lost light after the human pressed a part of the stick. Immediately afterwards all the other animals fell to the ground like sacks of potatoes and moans followed this scene.
"Look! Now I too have a neighbor!" Said the leopard. "Now do you talk to me?" Shen asked, annoyed. "Our master Derek is holding the power of the great red ruby. He managed to manipulate his energy so well that he manages to submit anyone to his will!" The feline explained.
"It didn't have any effect on me!" Answered the peacock.
"Of course not! It uses other stones that can capture the energy so as to control many more people than it would actually be able to subdue! By the way, my name is Mei! Who are you?" She asked.
"You just kidnapped me and you don't know who I am?" Shen asked incredulously. "First, Derek controls us at will, making us do whatever he wants, in our opinion we never remember anything that happens while we are under the influence of the diamond and third ... wait, there is no it's no third point! At least for now! I think I forgot it!" Said the leopard sitting comfortably on the ground.
"So I too will become his servant?" Asked the peacock. "Yes, but only after helping to expand the species!" Mei replied before starting to walk in circles in her cage. "Expand the species?" Shen wanted to believe that he had misunderstood! It was little but sure.
"Now of the rations!" A man screamed as he threw, with a ladle, into the various bowls present in the numerous cages, a foul-smelling concoction.
"Enjoy your meal!" Mei said before getting on all fours and eating like an animal! Shen couldn't hold back a grimace of disgust. "If ... you not... I...i do!" Was she delirious? Perhaps that was battered food mixed together!
Mei swallowed the morsel and after cleaning her face with her paw she repeated "If I don't eat it, I'll do it!" He said, passing an arm through the bars. "Don't make it!" Shen said glad to get rid of that stuff.
"And you shouldn't be so picky! This soup is the best thing there is!" Mei said before even devouring her part. "Really?" The peacock asked even though he didn't want an answer. "Yes, we usually see spoiled vegetables, you see what's better for you!" Said the feline before curling up in a corner of the cage.
That strange building had been flying over the ocean for many hours. Shen mentally thanked the humans for giving him a blanket because the gusts of wind were cold and extremely strong.
"Mei?" The leopard called, trying not to be heard by others. She peeked out from under the covers and after a yawn she spoke "Hi! Why don't you sleep?" She asked. "You're like me, aren't you? Like all captive animals!" Shen said in a suffering voice. "No!" The peacock raised his head in surprise "No?" He asked confused "No, I'm not a peacock, genius! ... from your expression I must deduce that this was not what you were referring to, right?" she asked, amused by the absurd face of the bird. "You're ... albino!" Shen said contemptuously "Yes and I'm proud!" The feline answered enthusiastically.
"It's the color of death! A curse, a bad omen, how can you be proud of it?" The angry peacock asked. "You grew up among ignorant people, didn't you?" That question confused him even more "It's incredible! In the place where none of us are taking us, we know how to read or write, but we are much more open with "unique" people! I am albino and my parents never let me weigh it, for the simple fact that nothing changes! It is others who make you suffer for the simple fact of being different, but only because diversity is scary! Don't ask me for an explanation ... I'm not one who understands the animal mind! My beloved parents have always told me that white is the color of purity, of rebirth and not of losers as you say!" The leopard said quietly
"I said color of death! Only ... I never thought of it this way!" Shen said in shock. "You despise yourself! You don't love yourself! Only because of stupid people! But I understand you! Even if you shouldn't care what other people think you can't help but suffer for what they say! Words do a lot more harm than beatings sometimes!" Mei said disconsolately.
"They are not stupid ... they say ... the truth! If I were born normal, that crazy human would not have appeared, putting the entire city at risk just to capture me!" Shen said in a suffering tone.
"He is crazy! You just said it! Who tells you that next time you don't aim for someone else who has nothing "abnormal" !? He took the goods that would have earned him more, that is the rare one, that is us!" Mei replied in tone.
"But you seem to have been taken prisoner longer than me!" Shen said curiously. "Yes! He sold me for an exorbitant sum and then threatened the death buyer to get me back! So he only earned us! It boasts a unique collection and must somehow contain the costs to capture new specimens!" The feline said as if it were all perfectly normal.
"And ... your parents?" Shen asked, not quite sure he was gentle with this question. "Dead! He killed them when they fought to defend me ... yours?" Perhaps he had asked him that question so as not to have to think too much about his painful loss, but the white peacock immediately noticed an abysmal difference between him and that leopard.
She had grown up surrounded by love and understanding, while he between hatred and prejudice. His parents had fought to protect her, while his father had not moved a feather in his defense!
Of course, the city would have been in danger if he reacted, but he was his son! A searing pain caught him in the chest and on the brink of tears he said "They let me go!".
Immediately afterwards he put his head under the wing to indicate that he had had enough of talking. The question that was forming in his mind after that conversation was painful! Terrible!
But he couldn't help but wonder: had his parents ever loved him? When it was small there had never been! Only when it became certain that he would survive had they begun to spend brief moments together, but there had always been something between them.
He was invisible, but Shen knew that a veil had kept them apart and had never been torn apart. The white peacock had never had a real demonstration of the love they felt for him!
This, from the beginning, had cast the shadow of doubt in the heart of Shen ... and now he felt lost! Perhaps that was the confirmation that they only cared about the well-being of the city and the people who lived there?
Did they care more for their subjects to let him go without blinking? From what he could see ... it seemed so! He stopped mulling over those terrifying doubts and started looking around in a desperate attempt to find something to distract him!
He could not tell how much time passed, but Mei asked him a question "Do you want to be my friend?" He smiled sadly "Yes! I promise I'll always be by your side!" She said as she passed a paw through the bars. He grabbed her and squeezed hard to seal that pact of friendship.
They were abruptly interrupted by numerous men who surrounded the cages.
One of them grabbed the white peacock by the neck with a strange stick at the end of which was a rope, passing it around Shen's neck, while two others entered the cage.
Shen was terrified and couldn't keep himself from blowing against strangers. His wings froze as a fourth individual began to inspect it carefully.
Fortunately Mei had hidden under the covers so she would not have witnessed that humiliating scene!
Suddenly the man stopped "He's very young!" He said happily. Then he went on to check the wings, the tail, the neck, the eyes and the mouth!
Shen hated doctors! He had always detested them since he had seen many since he was a child because of his low immune system! A small cold object was placed on his chest and he saw that the human's face was extremely serious.
"But what is he doing?" The peacock thought. He felt all over his chest and then said, "Good beat, even the chest is very good! He is in excellent health!".
Once the three men were released he was released from the noose.
"They are annoying, I know! But this is nothing! They will require you to pair with one of your kind later, that is, once we get there!" Mei said, still curled up under the covers. "How do you know certain things?" The peacock asked "Humans have a long tongue! It was enough to pay attention every time they approached the cage! I think they see us as an investment instead of living beings! The problem is that they expect Czech obedience from us! You know, now I know the meaning of the word slavery! Even if our current situation could be called "Prison", don't you think?" Mei asked once he had finished thinking aloud.
"They will never ask me! I will fight to the death!" Shen said furiously at the treatment received. "Perfect! From these your words I deduce that our friendship will be very short, as well as your life!" Mei peeked out from under the covers and looked at him badly "Now think about surviving, then we will take care of the escape plan!" She said before saving under the fabric "I don't want to survive! I want to live!" Shen screamed impatiently.
"Yes, but not always one has what he wants!" Mei replied and then growled.
Talking with a cotton ball was not exciting, so the peacock decided not to retaliate. "My name is Shen!" The peacock finally said as he heard the cat laugh from under the covers.
One thing was certain: he had to escape! He would have released the other animals, of course! But he knew that more time would pass and more humans would be strengthened because, apparently, they were bringing them into a kind of fortress.
Hi, I'm X-98 this is the first story I write and I hope that eventually something decent will come!
Lord Shen's parents are called Lord Enlai (which means "appreciation") and Lady Yi (happy, shining like a pearl). Since their names were never mentioned in the film, I gave them some chosen by me.
We are only at the beginning as I have in mind an adventure full of surprises and dangers! Let me know what you think and excuse any misspellings, but I'm not very good with English!
See you soon,
X-98