30. Out of the Shadows

Speechlessly, Shen stared at the panda lying on the ground. Tigress was the first one who ran at him. When she touched the panda, he groaned softly.

"I'm okay, I'm okay," Po mumbled with difficulty. "I'm just a little…"

Finally, there was movement in the peacock. He leaned forward and pushed Po's arms aside. Two of his feather knives stuck in his stomach. Shen cringed at the sight. It was strange to see his feather knives in the panda, with which he had tried to stab him many years ago. That would have given him great pleasure back then. Now he just felt a nasty feeling rise within himself. There was no comparison to then.

At that moment, Master Storming Ox, Master Croc, Monkey, Wang and Sheng came rushing up.

"Dragon warrior! Are you alright?" Wang asked worriedly.

"What have you done?!" Master Ox snapped at the peacock. "You can't be left alone for a second!"

"Aha, there are obviously more cockroaches in this building," Chiwa's voice interrupted the kung fu master's anger.

The peahen came closer with threatening steps, the girl still gripped her tightly in her wings. Shenmi's eyes widened in horror when she saw the panda lying there. Tigress leaned Po against the wall.

"Don't worry," groaned Po. "I-I have a thick fur."

Tigress examined the feather knives, but she didn't dare to pull them out. The blood at the cut was slow to leak, turning the white fur red. The tigress's eyes narrowed with anger. She turned around, but before she could throw herself on Chiwa, she pressed the knife to the throat of the white girl.

"Well, well, well," Chiwa warned. "Just one step closer and we have another accident here."

She playfully pressed the tip of the knife towards the girl, which froze everyone present.

Sheng's gaze wandered to his father, who was kneeling on the floor in a daze.

"Father," he breathed with shock.

Shen looked at him a bit ashamed, but he tried to smile at him. "Nice that you're fine."

But that wasn't what Sheng meant. "But you don't look good either."

"How come?"

Sheng pointed to Shen's left wing, which had turned blood red. Quickly, Shen tore off some of his robes and tied off the top of his wing with the strip of cloth.

"Well," Chiwa began with artificial motherliness. "Before anyone seriously injures himself here, I think, we'd better go to a place where we can be a little more undisturbed."

She waved the knife in front of Shenmi's face. "If you are gracious enough to follow me?"

She kicked Tongfu.

"Ouch!" The gecko looked up at her indignantly. "What have I done again now?"

"If you want to get your full wages, I won't make any more mistakes from now on!" she growled at him. "So go ahead now!"

Obediently, the group set off. Chiwa took no care of Po, so Master Ox and Wang were forced to carry the panda through the corridors with extreme caution. Chiwa preceded them, always holding the knife in front of Shenmi's throat.

Shen's eyes narrowed. He guessed where she was going and he couldn't say what to expect. At last, they had reached the room where Chiwa had left her nephew. The peahen stopped when she found the table empty.

"Where is he?!" she yelled. "Is everything going wrong today?!"

Tongfu ducked his head contrite and could only hope that none of this had happened because of the young peahen, which he was unlucky enough to be able to get rid of.

"It's a mystery to me," he muttered sheepishly. "There is something very wrong..."

"He can't be far yet!" The dark peahen cut him off.

"And where should we search now?" Tongfu asked. "He can be anywhere…"

"I will find him somehow!"

Chiwa rushed to the table and grabbed every knife she could find there. Then she turned to the prisoners, snorting angrily.

"And you, in you go!"

She pointed into the room. They obeyed obediently. Master Ox and Wang carried the injured Dragon Warrior to a corner of the room. The purple peahen looked grimly at the group. "And if I catch one of you outside, I'll make you cold!"

Then the peahen closed the door with a loud bang, locked it and made off cursing, the girl still in her clutches.

Tongfu cleared his throat. "And where should we look for him?"

Chiwa hissed angrily at him. "Let that be my concern! You screwed up enough today! You'd better have a look around to see if there aren't more cockroaches lurking around here! BACK OFF!"

Immediately; the geckos ran away while Chiwa looked for her own way. Shenmi screamed, but after Chiwa had slapped her beak again, she fell silent.

In the room behind the door there was silence until Master Ox spoke.

"Great!" He scolded, glaring at Shen. "If you leave someone like you alone for once, and you're in trouble again!"

Shen growled irritably. "I didn't ask anyone to come here!"

"Now don't get so upset!" Master Croc intervened quickly and turned back to his friend. "We'd better take care of the Dragon Warrior now, shouldn't we?"

The ox gave a loud snort before turning away from the white peacock.

"We need a doctor!" Tigress yelled.

"You're lucky," Wang said. "We brought the doctor with us as a precaution, but where is he now?"

His gaze shifted to Shen.

"He was last with Xiang," Shen said quickly. "I don't know where they are now."

"No…," Po fended off. "You... you have to save Shenmi…"

"But we won't let you down," Tigress said firmly.

"That's okay…" Po said quickly. "That's okay."

His cramped eyes looked up at the peacock. The lord looked at him with shadows on his face. "Panda, why?"

Po smiled slightly. "I couldn't let the children grow up without a father…"

The panda convulsed. Everyone looked at him in dismay.

Master Ox, on the other hand, was seething with rage. "So, I hope you are satisfied now."

Shen started up. "Do you think I did this on purpose?!"

Master Ox gave a loud snort. "What did you think of that?! How stupid have you been to play your knife throwing game again?! This is not a battlefield where you can blow everything up!"

Shen's peacock crest trembled. "I ONLY TRIED TO SAVE MY DAUGHTER!"

Master Ox stamped his hoof. "IF YOU WERE A GOOD FATHER, THEN SHE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN IN DANGER!"

Shen froze. Then he looked down, his wings clenched into fists. His eyelids twitched nervously.

"I tried to save her," he hissed.

The ox snorted disparagingly. "Your recklessness only plunged us further into ruin," he said, looking at the injured panda. "You may have your resolutions, but you can never turn off your madness."

Shen screwed up his eyes. Then he turned his back on everyone and pressed a wing against the wall, where he propped himself up, trembling with anger. And without anyone seeing it, tears ran down his cheeks.

Master Croc cleared his throat. "Oh, come on, we're all a little confused. You didn't mean that seriously…"

"It's true!" Master Ox snapped at him. "What do you think we should do now?"

Shen lost all of the talk the others were having. Everything spun around him. He rubbed his temples. What was the matter with him? Usually, it was always he who made demands. He had owned and led an army… piloted a war fleet.

His claws scratched the ground. Something blazed in his finger feathers and ate him up inside.

Finally, he jerked his head up.

"... where can the doctor be?" Monkey asked.

King Wang frowned. "It could also be possible that he has already left the building."

"Then we'll just look for him," Tigress said firmly. "Another part will look for Shenmi."

"But then we would have to open the door first…"

Master Ox paused.

Master Croc's jaw dropped. "But… it's open…"

Everyone stared at the door. Shen was gone, only a feather remained on the floor with which he had unlocked the lock.

"I hope, we'll be there soon," Liu thought to herself.

Xiang barely reacted. He was still quite shaky on his good leg. It was an advantage to have the doctor with her to help her. Suddenly, they heard someone running towards them.

"Oh no!" Liu shouted. "I think, she is coming. Let's get out of here quickly!"

The steps came closer. Suddenly, something swung through the air above their heads. Like the wind, the being came to a standstill in front of them and stood in their way. Liu's eyes widened.

"Lord Shen?" She backed away a little. The white peacock stood in front of them in what looked like a gesture of battle. "W-what's going on?"

"I suspected that you would go in the direction of the exit," he hissed.

He grabbed Xiang by the wing and yanked him away from her. "He will come with me!"

Liu looked at him in disbelief. "What?! No, you can't do that to him… we agreed…"

He pushed her aside. "Now we're playing by my rules!" he yelled at her. "I'm starting to feel like I'm in an asylum!"

Without mercy, he dragged the blue peacock behind him.

"Hey! Where are you going?!" Xiang shouted, trying to hold on to the carpet.

"We'll pay your aunt a visit."

Panic rose in Xiang. "No! No! Let me go…!"

Shen hit him hard in the back. The blue peacock slumped with a groan. No sooner was that done, Shen dragged him further down the hall.

"You gave me that, now you can pay for that again!"

"What are you going to do with him?" Liu wanted to know.

Shen turned to her in a flash and glared at her. "If you want to make yourself useful, then I already have a job for you! - As for you…" He turned to the army doctor. "I would advise you to look around the east side of the building where you have just come from. There is work waiting for you."

"Is it still a long way to the exit?" Crane asked in flight and looked down at the fugitives who were running through the corridor.

"Just through this passage," Yin-Yu called up to him.

At that moment, Laishi appeared behind them. Everyone gave a startled scream and ran even faster. Crane and Mantis immediately went on defense, and Laishi and his entourage suffered a couple of hard kung fu blows that momentarily incapacitates them. Fortunately, the long-awaited large door appeared finally.

Xia thought she was there. "Over there is the exit…!"

Suddenly, everyone stopped. A gecko stood in front of the door and looked at the approaching troop in amazement. But then the reptile narrowed his eyes. "Where do you want to go? Nobody goes here…!"

Mantis gave him a hard blow and the way was free.

"Let's get out of here quickly."

But suddenly someone pushed the door open from the outside. Everyone froze when a large she-bear appeared in the dark, broad qipao.

"Who is that?" Zedong asked and stared up at the giantess with wide eyes.

"I was invited to come here," she muttered. "Because apparently some people have no manners how to enter a house." She rubbed her feet grimly. "But these stairs…"

"Well, it was about time. Duona, am I right?" Laishi said, who shortly afterwards joined the group with his four other vultures. "Chiwa has already informed me of your arrival."

Duona's gaze wandered to the group who wanted to take the door earlier. Now everyone is huddled against the wall of the entrance hall. In front of them the she-bear, behind them Laishi with his four vultures.

Crane and Mantis exchanged glances briefly. Then they stood in front of Xia, Yin-Yu, the three boys and Huan.

"Then you have to get past us first!" Mantis said firmly.

Duona cracked her fingers. Laishi just giggled. "Oh, how cute. I'm curious about that."

They came closer. Crane and Mantis tensed. Suddenly, Laishi stepped forward and grabbed Mantis, but the vulture was immediately tossed around by the little insect. He was really stronger than he looked. Crane swung himself into the air and hooked quick hooks around the hall to avoid the vultures who were now focused on him. The crane dodged their attacks. Suddenly, Duona appeared out of nowhere and hit the bird in the back with full force. Mantis came to his aid immediately and jumped around the she-bear, who was having trouble catching the insect with her slow reactions.

Zedong couldn't take it any longer. "I'll help you!"

"Zedong!"

But his mother's call couldn't stop the excited boy. He pushed himself off the floor and hit Duona unerringly in the face. Angry, the she-bear wanted to grab him now, but Zedong cleverly avoided her grasp. Finally, Duona hit him with her fists. But Zedong managed to jump away again and again, so that the floor cracked from her blows.

Yin-Yu felt pretty helpless. She hadn't trained very much. She had only been busy with the children for the entire four years. Her muscles tightened more and more as Zedong reached his limits. She screamed when a vulture grabbed the piebald peacock. Yin-Yu was about to pounce on him, but suddenly another piebald peacock pushed the vulture aside, so that Zedong was free again. Zedong flew through the air and at the next moment he found himself in Sheng's wings.

"What kind of things are you doing?" Sheng asked with a smiling head shake.

"Sheng!"

Zedong hugged his big brother. Then he looked around searching.

"Where are the others?"

"We split up. But they would have to come at some point."

Laishi was not particularly taken with the new competitor and called for a new attack. Sheng looked at his brother.

"I think, it's time to play a game," he said.

Zedong looked at him curiously. "A game? Like with training?"

"Exactly, we do it like in training."

"Blind flight?"

Zedong got very excited. Sheng nodded to him. "Yes, blind flight… Hey!" He waved the vultures over to him. "Catch us if you can!"

The two piebald peacocks ran apart.

"Go after them!" Laishi ordered to his cronies, who split up two and two, two always following a different peacock. When Sheng and Zedong saw that the vultures were hot on their heels, they turned and flew towards each other. The vultures jumped after them. But before the two peacocks collided with each other, they swung their wings and each flew to one side. Their pursuers right behind them crashed. The vultures sailed to the ground in a daze.

Zedong cheered. "Yeah, that was fun!"

Laishi swung angrily in front of her. "You may be able to trick the others, but not me!"

At the next moment, Fantao jumped in front of him and looked up at the vulture leader skeptically. "Tz, you still lack color on your face."

The vulture leaned down to the peacock cub. "Huh? What was that?"

Suddenly, Fantao was painting the vulture's face with his brush and a paint that he always carried under his shirt.

The vulture backed away, startled. "Hey! What's that about?!"

At that moment, one of the other vultures got up after recovering from the collision. The face of his leader was so terrified that he struck back and hit Laishi in the face.

"Ouch!"

"Oh, sorry," the other vulture apologized. "I didn't recognize you."

Laishi stood up again, growling. "That's enough for me now! Duona, why are you standing there like a stone? Do something!"

The bear grabbed Xia and Yin-Yu. Jian was terrified.

"Hey! Leave my mother alone!"

The peacock boy pounded furiously on her leg with his Chinese lute. The she-bear lifted her big foot and kicked. The foot shattered the musical instrument into small pieces. Jian stared at the destruction in disbelief. Then the corners of his eyes twitched.

"NO ONE BREAKS MY MUSIC!"

The little green peacock jumped up and struck where he could. The she-bear couldn't see that fast. The little peacock hit her so hard in his anger that the she-bear fell to the ground.

Everyone stared at Jian in amazement. Then the little green peacock collapsed and cried.

Yin-Yu hurried over to him quickly and held him in her wings. "Don't cry, everything will be fine."

Zedong looked puzzled at the knockout defeated Duona. "Cool."

At that moment, Laishi reared up threateningly behind them. "That's enough for me now! I will…!"

Suddenly, something pushed the vulture aside. Tigress stood there, closely followed by Master Ox and Master Kroko.

Now it was really getting too much for the vulture and fluttered hastily outside through the door.

"How do you come here?" Yin-Yu asked in surprise.

"We heard screams," Master Ox replied.

Now Wang appeared, too. "Is the doctor here? Did you find the doctor?"

Yin-Yu didn't understand anything anymore. "What? A doctor? Oh no! Is there something with Shen?!"

"No, it's nothing, mother," Sheng tried to calm her down.

"Or with Shenmi?"

Sheng took it aside. "Everything is alright."

Wang took the excited peahen with him. "Don't worry. We have everything under control."

He turned to the others. "It's the best that the rest waits outside. In the meantime, I will fire the fireworks to give the signal for my people."

Tigress nodded. "Fine. Then we keep looking for the doctor."

"I'll come with you," Sheng offered himself. "Before you get lost."

Secretly, he hoped they'd find Shen somewhere. As he knew his father, he had come up with something in his need that was not entirely harmless.