Chapter 8

Damsel In Distress

Suddenly, hoofbeats could be heard getting louder. Everyone looked up in time to see three horsemen sweep into view and snatch the princesses! The horsemen galloped away.

Ling, Chien Po, Yao, and Shang leaped onto their horses and took off after the horsemen.

"Stay here, Mulan!" Shang yelled back to her, "I'll be back!" He disappeared over a hill.

Mulan leapt into action. She ran to Khan and mounted.

"Uh," said Mushu, "didn't he just tell you to stay here?"

"He's not my master, Mushu. I can do what I want! Giddyap!" Mulan rode Khan hard after the others, leaving Mushu in her dust.

Ahead of her, Mulan saw Ling, Chien Po, Yao, and Shang catch up to the horsemen and the princesses. All of the horses were halted as the men fought over the three young ladies. Mulan rode harder to get to her friends. Suddenly, a fourth horseman rode out of a bush and tripped Khan. He grabbed Mulan and roped her horse. Khan struggled against the rope, whinnying. The horseman tightened his hold on Mulan.

"Shang!" yelled Mulan. She struggled, but the man who held her captive was too strong.

Shang looked up from the horseman he was fighting.

"Mulan!" he yelled. At that moment, the horseman used his sword offensively. Silently, Shang slid to the ground.

Mulan watched in horror as the fight raged on, with her beloved soldier lying on the ground. Tears filled her eyes as she was carried off into the night.

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Mushu had decided to follow Mulan. Whether she liked it or not, Mushu was Mulan's guardian! He'd surely lose his job if something happened to her. And...well, Mushu just had the feeling that maybe things would work out between them. Perhaps something would happen that would convince Mulan to trust Mushu again!

"Squreeak chirp chirp squeek chirp squeekie?" Cri-Kee hopped along beside Mushu as he ran after Mulan.

"Where do I think I'm goin'? I'm goin' after Mulan, that's where I think I'm goin'!" Mushu said, not breaking stride.

"Chirp?" asked Cri-Kee, "chirp squeekeek chirp chirp squeekeekok!"

"I know she doesn't trust me anymore, but I gotta do my job! If she's in danger, I gotta figure a way to get her out. You know what I'm sayin'?"

"Chirp."

"So, ya with me?"

"Chirp!"

"All right, let's go!"

Mushu and Cri-Kee ran as fast as they could, but soon they were following only hoof prints. The hoof prints led deep into the woods. Mushu noticed a large place along the hoof print trail where there appeared to be a scuffle. Then the prints continued on.

The hoof prints eventually led to a handful of beat-up shacks near a small pond. Mushu saw horses standing in a makeshift corral. Khan was one of them! Cri-Kee hopped on ahead as the duo headed for the corral. Maybe Khan could tell them what was goin on!

"Hey, Khan! What is goin' on here?" Mushu whispered to the big black horse.

Khan glanced urgently towards one of the shacks and snorted.

"What? They're in there?" Mushu looked at the shack that Khan indicated and frowned. Khan snorted again, whickered, and turned his head towards the woods.

Mushu looked confused. "No, they're in there? Where are they! Make up your mind! This is important, man!" Mushu tugged on Khan's ears in a frustrated way, trying to get the big horse to tell him where Mulan was.

Khan rolled his green eyes. No. He said in horse-speak. Mulan is in the shack. The Princesses were taken that way, into the forest!

"Aww, well why didn't you say so?" Mushu asked, racing off toward the shack. Khan watched him go, sighed, and bent to eat a blade of grass that grew near him. I did say so, the big horse thoughtHe didn't know what Mushu had in mind, but he hoped that the little dragon and the cricket could free Khan's owner. He planned on helping them as soon as Mulan was free and could open the gate that kept the horses captive.

Mushu and Cri-Kee tiptoed to the shacks and flattened themselves to the wall. They edged over towards a broken window and peeked in.

The only light in the room was the moonlight through a dusty window on the other side of the shack. Mushu could barely make out the silhouette of Mulan tied to a post. There was a guard outside the door. However the guard hadn't noticed a quick, slithery little dragon or a small blue cricket. Therefore, Mushu concluded that he had the element of surprise on his side.

As silently as he could, Mushu climbed through the broken window. Cri-Kee hopped in after him. With a double "plop", the dynamic duo landed inside the shack. Mulan, hearing the sound, peered into the darkness. She tried to see who or what had made the noise.

Mushu and Cri-Kee rushed up to her. Sliding into Mulan's lap, Mushu tore off the gag that kept Mulan from yelling for help.

"Mushu?" Mulan said.

"Shh!" Mushu hissed, "there's a guard right outside the door!"

"I know." Mulan whispered, "What are you doing here? What's going on?"

Mushu held up his clawed hands, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, easy with the questions! I know less than you do about this. For now, let's just get ya untied."

Mushu quickly undid the ropes that tied Mulan to the post.

Cri-Kee decided to keep watch. The bug peeked through a crack in the door. The guard was visible, standing just outside the door to the shack. Then Cri-Kee saw something that was not good. The guard turned around and reached for the doorknob! Cri-Kee had to do something before the guard saw Mulan and Mushu!

Chirping loudly, the small cricket squeezed through the peep-hole and hopped onto the guard. The guard had the door slightly open, but halted when he noticed Cri-Kee hopping on him. Annoyed, he slapped himself and grabbed the air, trying to catch the elusive hopping Cri-Kee.

Mushu saw an opportunity. He took it! Hopping onto Mulan's shoulder, he exclaimed into her ear, "Go!"

Mulan darted out of the shack. As she ran past the distracted guard, Cri-Kee hopped on. The odd trio reached the horse corral at about the same time the guard realized what had happened.

The angry man advanced toward Mulan.

"Quick! Open the gate!" Mushu strongly suggested.

Mulan threw open the gate, and Mushu jumped down to the ground. He slithered near the horses' feet. All the horses except Khan spooked and ran out of the corral-and directly at the guard!

Khan ran up to Mulan. She swung onto the horse's back. By now, other guards had heard the commotion and were coming out of their shacks. The guards dodged galloping horses as they began running towards Mulan. A few guards tried to catch the horses. All of the guards looked angry!

It was time to go!

Mushu leapt onto Khan just as Mulan urged her horse into a gallop. Faster and faster they rode away from the shack camp.

"Let her go." Mulan heard one of the men call to another as she thundered away, "she's of no use to us, and the general is dead."

"No!" Mulan gasped. Mushu and Cri-Kee just sat behind her in shock. Dead? Shang couldn't be dead! The four fugitives rode on in silence.

Mulan eventually slowed her horse to a walk. The night was clear, and stars shone like jewels hanging in the sky. A cool mountain breeze ruffled Mulan's hair, Khan's mane, and

Cri-Kee's antenna.

But the beauty of the night was lost on Mulan as she rode down the forest path. Everything in her world was going wrong. The camping gear was lost. The princesses were kidnapped. And Shang…

Mulan could feel her heart breaking. She sniffed, her quiet tears echoing in the stillness.

"Mulan?" Mushu said tentatively.

"He was just doing his job!" Mulan cried, "Shang was protecting me…and the princesses…and the mission…and he was doing his duty! His duty…" She sniffed, " while I betrayed my duty to him by disobeying him." Mulan sighed deeply, "If I had only stayed behind like he told me to…Shang wouldn't have been distracted and he…he'd still be alive!" Mulan broke down in sobs.

Khan stopped and whickered comfortingly.

Mulan felt a small hand on her arm. She looked down with tear-blurred eyes at her former best friend. Mushu's eyes were also filled with water.

"Mulan…I…I'm so sorry." Mushu said, then he looked down.

Mulan lifted the little dragon's chin with her finger.

"If it weren't for you, Mushu, I'd still be tied to that post. Thank you."

"Chirp!" someone said indignantly.

Mulan half smiled. "You too, Cri-Kee!"

Mushu seemed to cheer up a little. "If it weren't for me, youd'a never gotten into the army in the first place!"

The girl scooped up Mushu and hugged him close. Surprised, Mushu hesitated, then returned the hug.

"So, you aren't still mad at me?" Mushu cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry for being mad at you, Mushu. I knew that you didn't do all those awful things to us. It's just, with the mysterious fire...and the carriage...and Shang...and all, I guess I needed someone to blame." Mulan sighed as the two pulled apart.

"Are we still friends?" Mulan asked Mushu.

"You becha!" Mushu exclaimed happily.

Mulan got a funny look on her face. "Why does it feel like we've done this already?"

Mushu thought for a moment, "We did do this already!" he said.

"Well, let's not let it happen again! Agreed?"

"A-greed! Mushu answered emphatically. "So, now what?"

Mulan studied the path ahead of them. She saddened.

"I guess we go on and tell the other emperor what happened. And then we go home." Mulan said.

"Wrong answer!" Mushu cried. Mulan's ready to just give up on this mission? Well, I'm not! Mushu thought. Those princesses are out there somewhere...maybe we can find them! Or maybe Mulan can come up with some other way to salvage this mission! We came this far, we can't quit now!

Mushu grabbed Khan's reins and pulled on them, signaling for the big horse to stop. Khan stopped.

"Listen to Mushu! We came out here to seal a treaty, right?" Mushu demanded.

"But..."

"Right?"

Mulan sighed. "Right."

"Okay, then," Mushu said, " let's seal a treaty!"

"But..."

"Hey!" Mushu cried, "What's this 'but' business? Friends don't have buts! Now come on, are you with me or not?" Mushu held out one clawed hand.

Mulan frowned. Our first duty is to the Emperor. Shang said that.

"You're right, Mushu. One way or another, this treaty will be sealed!" Mulan shook hands with Mushu and urged Khan into a gallop. The big horse galloped down the trail and into the moonlight.