BELIEVE

"What kind of animal are you?" Yong asked as he approached this species of porcupine. The stranger did not seem at all bothered by the question, at least not as much as Kang was that he looked reproachfully at the young son. "I am an echidna, also called a prickly anteater. My name is Jingjing young peacock "replied the stranger revealing his identity. "Nice to meet you I am Yong and he is my twin brother Hong!" Yong said trying to regain points with his father, introducing himself with education and avoiding further comments. Not far away others were getting to know some of the new arrivals. "Can we know what place it is?" Asked the monitor that was the most confused of the group. "You can call it a big cage!" Xu stated with folded arms. "See to plant it!" She scolded him "It is a large wood where we all live. Nice to meet you, Jie! "Said the melancholy female jaguar trying to make the newcomers feel more comfortable than Xu had done. "I am Zhen!" Said the big reptile "While he is Kuan!" He went on to introduce everyone to the albino mantis that had perched on his head. "Pleasure!" Said the insect, still visibly suspicious. The snakes were the most tense. They hissed at everyone and the cobra scared anyone. For this reason there was a distance of at least one meter between the reptiles and the group of animals that had approached him. Cheung and Dishi hid behind Ning's mighty legs, since, being noticeably reduced in size, the instinct made them stand guard over the threatening reptiles. Genji, being more bold, despite the safe distance, stood with his paws on his hips to watch the newcomers. It was she who broke the ice "I can understand you are scared! I was one too when I arrived here eleven years ago, but I assure you that none of those present wants to hurt you! My name is Genji. Who are you? "He asked, trying to be kind despite the tension he felt coming from reptiles.

"My name is Gan and he is my older brother Mu!" A completely white albino python came forward. His brother was more yellowish. "We could say that humans adopt, since they always kidnap the brothers!" Jian said quietly to Lok as they watched the scene from the top of a branch. "If they weren't just taking economic benefits out of our presence!" Long complained. "... treating us like exhibits!" Added Hua who was standing behind the two birds. They were interrupted by the cobra who finally spoke "My name is Zhu! Excuse me, but you will agree with me that, after being locked up in a tiny cage for days, suffering from hunger and thirst, I cannot easily trust myself! " that until then had been deployed so as to "intimidate" potential attackers. As the situation improved as the minutes went by, Shen could not get the image of Master Rino out of his head every time he looked at that thorny anteater. The great rhino had been his teacher for many years and only thanks to him, now, the peacock was able to defend itself in an excellent way. "Come on guys! Let's welcome the newcomers as they should! "Ning said, heading for the main square where they had left their lunch halfway. Even all those who had initially locked themselves in the house rushed in, to be able to share that moment and learn more about the new animals. During lunch the situation relaxed completely, except for a small group of felines, wolfs and peacocks included.

"Shen! We are worried! "She began the conversation." For what? The escape? "The peacock asked curiously. "No! Derek has captured new animals! "Dewei said, the melancholy serval. "Tell me something I don't know!" Shen replied impatiently. "If he has caught animals! Will continue to do so! What gives us the certainty that, once escaped, he does not begin to capture others like us? "Asked Zhong, a melancholy leopard. All the other felines nodded. Shen's eyes widened. They were right. Derek could have recovered from the economic blow that their escape would have caused! Not very sure, he wouldn't have stopped! Maybe he would chase them, or he could hurt others! "This means ... we have to stop him!" He said firmly. Many looked at him confused so he decided to explain "I continue to believe and claim that death is not the answer! If we kill humans we risk being hunted by their own kind. For this we will use his weapons against him! "The peacock explained. "The ones he keeps in the secret room?" Shu asked, surprised but excited to be able to try those seemingly harmless but really lethal objects. "No!" Shen said, making a face at the thought of exploiting objects invented by humans "Derek gets rich thanks to the popularity that his collection gives him! We will exploit it! "Shen continued to explain. "Such as? Pretending to be mistreated? "Tai-Yang asked, the melanic lion. "If only that would allow us to leave then we should have been released many years ago!" Guo complained. "I didn't mean this!" Shen said, regaining everyone's attention. The peacock turned in time to see Fa perching on a tree. "Hi, for those who don't know me I am ..." "Fa!" The barn owl was interrupted by a choir that pronounced his name. Rose's pet enjoyed considerable fame, it seems! "Y-yes!" The owl confirmed in surprise. He did not know all the animals in the reserve well and believed that it was the same for them ... but he was wrong, it seems! After a first moment of confusion he recovered himself "Over the years I have heard rumors about a group of humans who have never been happy to know us behind bars! Indeed, they fought for a long time so that we could be freed, without obtaining any kind of result, however ...

If we can make something serious happen, like an accident, it could be the straw that breaks the camel's back and the news would spread like wildfire given our popularity! As Shen said: we will exploit the fame of Derek using it against him! "He concluded Fa. "The humans will be too busy fighting each other and we will take the opportunity to escape! Once forced the main gate we will enter the building and through their complex system of sewers we will find a way out towards freedom! "Shen said. "So? Randomly? "Xu asked, a little convinced. "I studied every part of the plan in minute detail in these two months! Wen and Liang spent more time there than inside the building! "Shen said, using all the patience he possessed to keep the panther from doubting that he continued to doubt him. He hated being criticized! Perhaps because no one had done it so brazenly before, putting it in public trouble! The noble lords of Gong Men kept their lives long enough to whisper such malicious words away from his ear. An albino serval named Manchu was the first to express his opinion "But what did you do before being captured?" Indeed to be suspicious. Shen nervously fiddled with his throwing knives always keeping his wings hidden in his sleeves "I was a mercenary! This is why I am an expert in designing escape plans! I would not be here if I had not managed to escape from some prisons where I had ended up several times! "Lying was easier than expected. "What terrible accident will happen?" Mei asked curiously. "To this I still have to think! It must be serious enough to attract attention, but not too much, to avoid hurting anyone seriously! "Shen replied.

"Will there be any injuries?" Li asked worriedly. "It depends on what happens!" Shen replied. "Let the wounded pretend moribund!" Dewei said. "To be taken by humans more easily?" Asked Zhong nervously. "No, to inspire pity!" Replied Tai-Yang "To be honest I had thought: to bring humans closer enough to tear off his arm, but everyone is free to do what he wants!" Dewei explained. "Nobody has to hurt humans!" He immediately received general attention. "If any of them is injured or worse killed, they will respond with equal violence! That's what they do with animals classified as dangerous! They eliminate the problem! "He said with so much emphasis Fa, to make Shen understand that it had already happened! Someone too aggressive had been killed! He was not referring to the episode of the jackal, no. On that occasion the animal had attacked some of them, not humans! Maybe that was why nobody was interested in the fight anymore! To avoid getting killed! But Shen would not have been left with our hands! He had to do something before humans even had the chance to suspect something about what they had been plotting for months!

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The snow would not last long, the cold did, but not enough to allow the ice crystals to solidify and fall from the sky. Sam hadn't seen Rose for many months. Her parents had sent him to study far away and as expected she had been too busy with her father's collection to be able to see the numerous calls received on skipe! The boy stopped in front of the imposing gate of the large and ancient palace. He really seemed to enter the house of a royal given the magnificent ornaments that the building still possessed. Sam's gaze lingered for a moment towards the mighty walls that departed from a side of the building moving away from it for many kilometers to delimit the area in which the rare animals could move. A squeak attracted his attention and he saw that the butler had opened the door welcoming him with a beautiful smile. It was his father who planned the construction of the reserve, as well as renovating the ancient palace to make it habitable. Always he, he had used the east wing for the stay of the various animals. That was why he was always welcome, besides the fact that he and Rose were friends from an early age. He came excitedly to the idea of finally meeting his dear friend and followed the butler pounding through the rooms reserved for the guests, directed towards those of the masters of the building. Fortunately, there was no sign of Mr. Derek. Sam had respect for him, but he feared it too. Not because he was a coward, not for charity! It was the dark and angry character of the man that scared him! Once he arrived in front of Rose's rooms, once the butler had retired, Sam adjusted his tuft ... just to receive the door in his face! Good manners were not the strength of his dear friend! "Sorry! I never imagined seeing you again so soon! Can you help me look for Spanish traditions? There is that of the grapes, but I absolutely have to find more news otherwise ... "as soon as the girl entered the library the words were amplified by the echo and Sam, who was still on the ground, did not understand nothing more.

What the hell had she got into her head? For those animals he would have moved a mountain if he could have helped make them happy! "Hi Sam, it's a pleasure to see you again after so long! What did you do in the United States, or rather in Los Angeles for three months? "The boy said, trying to imitate a female voice as he entered the library. Rose poked her head over a large ladder holding a pile of books "It was understood!" She tried to apologize. "There is an internet for things like this!" Sam protested as he found himself, despite himself, replacing the mess that the hurricane had caused. "Fast and immediate search ... news to no end ..." the boy continued trying to persuade his friend to leave the room full of books ... "I enjoy it more like this!" Without positive results, as if he had any hope! Rose was a train. If you put something in your head, the world would fall, you would have done it! "You don't want to leave this lost island in the Mediterranean Sea?" Sam asked, changing the whole subject "Why?" Rose asked, trying to pay attention even while flipping through a large book while keeping her balance precariously. "To see the world! Instead of staying ... here! "The boy insisted. "I like my native island! Stop it! "She tried to close the conversation. "This piece of land? Really? I bet a few days in New York can be enough to make you change your mind! "Sam said sitting on a chair. "He has a name!" The girl protested "Really?" The friend asked sarcastically. "Yes, it has a Spanish name! Even if the gentlemen who govern this archipelago of islands are not Spanish! By the way, do you know where they come from? "He asked with sudden interest. "But why can you change the target of your curiosity so easily?" Asked Sam exasperatedly in an attempt not to appear foolish and ignorant in the face of this question. "The nearest island of which I know the name is ... Menorca! Gorgeous! Have you ever been there? "Rose asked looking at him as if to say" I've been there and you haven't! I have seen a little bit of the world! " Among them a simple glance would have been enough to tell each other what they had done in those months! Sam smiled: he was at home!

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Evening came. All the animals were neatly accompanied in the wing reserved for them, bordered by large bars. The new arrivals scattered as the rooms were already quite crowded. Jingjing sat on a comfortable pillow at the foot of a large bed occupied by four sleeping peacocks. During the winter, three meals a day were not allowed, but only two. When it went wrong, even one! For this reason, once they had returned home, many were immediately asleep. Energy had to be saved. "Before starting a journey, study the route well!" A voice distracted Shen from the cleanliness of her beautiful rump feathers. He turned and saw that the thorny anteater was watching him from where he lay, that is, not far away. "I don't understand what you're talking about!" He said, posing as a stranger to the obvious admission. He knew it! He had been there for less than ten hours and had already discovered it! "Boy, I see nobility in you. You are different from the others, you have had a comfortable life even though it is difficult! "This last statement made the peacock jump. "It's not true!" Shen whispered, unable to hide her frightened tone. Jingjing rose slowly and quietly left the room. Despite not saying anything Shen realized that he wanted to talk to him so he followed him. Once in the corridor, far enough away from too receptive ears, the peacock spoke "Do you know me?" He asked suspiciously. "My weak hearing heard the story of a cursed chick who would bring ruin to the city on which he was destined to reign," the anteater replied calmly. Shen felt trembling with anger. It was not enough to end up in a foreign country as a prisoner, the malicious rumors about him had managed to reach him there too! He picked up one of the throwing knives and prepared to use it. The anteater would learn the respect one owes to a prince as well as keeping one's mouth shut about that detail! "They said it so many times that in the end you too believed it!" With a sentence Jingjing was able to extinguish the fire ... Shen lowered his heartbroken head "Because of me ... the city was in danger! Humans ... "" If a river goes down it's not because you threw a stone into it! "Said the anteater. "Then why did they abandon me?" The peacock screamed, suddenly feeling free to be able to pull out his pain. "Do you really believe it or is that what the humans made you believe?" Jingjing asked.

"I saw it with my own eyes! They haven't moved a feather! They never looked for me! I hate them! "Shen said, sighing, trying to push back the tears. "Nothing hurts more than being disappointed by the person you thought would never hurt you," said the anteater. "But you don't have to create realities without answers! You will know the truth once you return home and I am sure that yours will still love you! "Jingjing finished with a smile" How can you be sure? "Shen asked in amazement" How you talk about them! You wouldn't love them so much if they didn't show you the same love! " Those words were like a caress on his wounded heart, but he recovered almost immediately convinced that he was falling into a pure illusion, which would have done nothing but bring nothing but suffering. "I don't care, not anymore! Now they are not part of my life! "The peacock said angrily. "Children start by loving their parents, then they judge them. Rarely, if ever, they forgive them, "said the elderly animal. The peacock snorted, he had never liked talking to someone who was continually right! "I'm talking about freedom, but I'm the first to have no idea what to do once you're out of here!" Shen admitted. Jingjing smiled "Don't complicate what is simple!" He said placing a paw on the peacock's wing. "All you have to do is ... live! Turn anger into strength, strength into passion, passion into love and start again! The secret to moving forward is to start! "Said the anteater. "How?" Shen asked confused. "You are looking for a way to escape, but first you must be free inside! Take down the bars in which your soul is locked! "Jingjing replied, jumping on a chair in the corridor. "I am a Kung Fu Master! It is a discipline that gives you no chance of hiding something from yourself, but it is an opportunity to accept you and give you the mental strength to face difficult times, "said the thorny anteater with such a high volume of voice that Shen had to turn around to make sure no one was listening. He grimaced. Years ago he had been offered the same offer by Maestro Rino that he had decided not to accept, for a simple reason "I ... I am not strong enough! It's not for me! "He said trying to convince Jingjing" Why are you so sure? "The anteater asked curiously" Because I'm albino! I'm weak! I've always been since birth! I have no claws, I can't fly ... I have nothing special! "Shen replied, surprised to have admitted so many weaknesses together. "When the sage points to the moon, the fool looks at the finger," said Jingjing. "You stop talking about puzzles!" The peacock protested. "People do not lack strength, but will." The anteater stated with the usual irritating calm. Shen felt himself explode "All right! From tomorrow you will teach me Kung Fu, so you will see the truth with your eyes! "The peacock screamed in anger. He would not have won it. Perhaps he would have made a bad impression, but at least the newcomer would have realized his limitations and perhaps he would have stopped insisting on wise inner sentences!

Hello everyone! After some nice long holidays I started updating again! Since in every Kung Fu Panda film there has always been a wise figure who led the characters, I decided to introduce one myself!

The Master will be crucial for many of the animals in the reserve as it will help them fight the demons within them. Let me know what you think!

Any criticism and comment will be welcome.

See you soon,

Laura-98M