19. The Preparer of Poison

"And you still want to go to Africa?" Po asked.

The panda leaned against the railing and looked wearily out to the sea, always expecting to see the coast of China at any moment.

"Nothing has changed at my travel destination," the big snake replied. "Perhaps there is a better welcome there."

Po raised his eyebrows skeptically. "If you say so, mate."

"Would you be better off not using the word 'dude'?" the tall reptile asked with a dark undertone.

"Sorry," Po apologized. "What's your name, mate...um...yeah, what's your name?"

The venomous python narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "In the first place, Wunambigu."

Po's mouth hung open briefly before he could close it again. "… what? Could you repeat that again?... Or maybe you have a nickname?"

"If it makes it easier for you. Some people just call me "Nhinngi". Some later just "Boagoo.""

Po scratched his head in confusion. "How so?"

"A joke by an immigrant," the Australian enlightened him. "It's actually an Australian name, but the guy picked it up somewhere and applied it to me. It sounded like "Boa go" to him. When word got around, people later called me just that."

Po frowned. "Mm, okay. However, if I have to call you by your first name, I cannot guarantee that it will get my tongue round."

The snake narrowed his eyes indifferently. "Choose one, it doesn't matter. I never talk to anyone anyway."

"But everyone has to have a name to address someone by," Po insisted. "Mmm. Maybe I should give you a Chinese name when I talk to you."

The giant snake rolled his eyes. "Do what you want."

"Okay." With that, Po frowned again and began to think hard. "Hey! How about Wolong?"

"Sounds awful," was Boagoo's only reply.

"Why not?" Po asked. "It's the figure of a dragon from a story. I used to read this story a lot when I was a kid. And… well, snakes are sort of 'related' to dragons, aren't they?" He gave the venomous python a mischievous look. "And besides, me as the Dragon Warrior... we both have to have a good connection, right?" Po gave his impassive interlocutor a comradely side blow. "So, shall we do it like this?"

Although the snake Wunambigu, or Boagoo and now Wolong, said nothing about it, but for Po the subject was closed. "Fine, I'll call you that for the rest of the ride, okay?"

Wolong let out an annoyed hiss. "Fine with me," and turned back to the sea. Po did the same and went back to his thoughts.

"Maybe," the panda began after a while. "Maybe you could start afresh in China. What job did you learn at home?"

Wolong shot him an indifferent sideways glance before replying with a sigh, "Mortician."

"Uh..." Po had to swallow that first.

"I didn't get anything else," Wolong gave as an explanation.

Po's jaw dropped briefly before the corners of his mouth lifted in a tortured laugh. "Oh, well, mortician's a job, too! I mean, everyone needs one sometimes. In life. At the end. Sometime."

He glanced over to the other side of the ship. Shen had retreated to the front of the ship and was also staring out to the sea. Po's eyes wandered to Dao, who was still leaning against a wooden wall like a doll and staring straight ahead. The panda let out a deep sigh. Will he ever become normal again?, Po thought to himself and looked out at the sea again.

Shen gave the impression that the view of the sea would captivate him. But in truth, his thoughts were far away. Still clutching the lance sword in his wings, he stroked the cold metal. How long had it been since he first held it in his feathers...? Many years ago... before everything turned against him...

"You are our leader now."

The young white prince flinched as the wolf offered him the lance sword with both paws in surrender. The peacock couldn't believe what he had just heard and shakily he wiped his face where soot from the explosion was still stuck to his feathers.

"I? A leader?" Shen stared at the sharp, wavy blade, wide-eyed. Still stunned, he took the lance sword, then he looked back at the one-eyed wolf kneeling in front of him. He nodded in confirmation.

"Because you defeated him. Now you're the alpha leader." The wolf looked down slightly. "She wouldn't have wanted it any other way."

Shen tightened his grip around the lance sword.

She.

The thought of her took him back many years more.

The cold blizzard swept relentlessly across the land. The she-wolf huddled closer into the snow hollow under the big pine tree. A wolf pup and an odd-looking peacock chick huddled beside her.

The little wolf couldn't resist and curiously he rubbed the colorfully smeared feathers, whereupon white spots could be seen. The peacock chick was too exhausted to stop him, but buried its head deeper under its wings. The wolf cub sniffed him again, then he nudged his mother.

"Mom, do all white peacocks paint themselves?" he asked.

The she-wolf lifted her head from her lying position and looked down at the peacock chick. Most of the paint in the plumage had dried and was peeling off in some places.

"He's quite a strange peacock," she said quietly.

She reached out her paw to the chick and stroked its painted head, whereupon the painted peacock chick snuggled deeper into her warm fur.

"Say, are you crying?"

Shen started. He turned around, where Po frowned at him. Quickly, Shen wiped his cheeks. "No, it's just… the salt air. I can't stand that."

"Really?" Po scratched his forehead in confusion. "And you wanted to conquer China with a fleet of ships? How good that you now realize that you can't stand the sea air. It would have been stupid if you hadn't noticed until then-"

"What do you want?" Shen cut him off and left his place.

"Well," Po began again, tapping his index fingertips together. "Well, I don't know whether you noticed, but we just sighted the coast. So, it won't be long before we..."

"Gongmen City!" someone shouted from the lookout. "We're reaching Gongmen City!"

"There you are. That's what I'm saying." Po stepped closer to the railing of the front part of the ship and looked straight ahead, where the first houses of Gongmen City became visible in the light haze.

"I never thought I'd be so happy to see Gongmen City again," the panda mumbled almost dreamily.

Shen acknowledged this with a snappy raising of his eyebrows. In silence, they watched as the ship approached the port city more and more. As soon as they had passed the first tall buildings, no one noticed how Dao's eyes began to move. Nothing happened for a while. But then, the peacock suddenly jumped up and pressed himself against the wall with panicked cries, his eyes fixed on the city in horror. Shen and Po jumped and looked at him in shock. But before anyone understood what was going on, Dao jumped to the side and was about to jump over the railing. Po reacted faster, in contrast to Shen, who at first couldn't explain Dao's behavior. Because Dao behaved like a hunted animal. The panda just managed to grab the afraid peacock before he jumped into the sea.

"Hey, where are you going?!" Po shouted. "Stay here!"

Po struggled to hold Dao. This small-boned peacock developed such strength that Po would never have credited him with. But Dao didn't think to calm down and the Dragon Warrior had to realize that the peacock was still beside himself, but the sight of the city seemed to have triggered some kind of uncontrolled reaction in him again. When Po thought, Dao was about to slip out of his arms, he took more severe measures in his distress.

"Okay, you leave me no choice." With that, Po lifted his fist and punched.

Shen screamed. "HOW DARE YOU?!" he yelled, kicking the panda in the face. Po staggered backwards, and Dao with him, who Po had hit on the head.

"I had to do something," the panda defended, rubbing his aching face. "Or would you have preferred it he had gone overboard and drowned?"

"That's no excuse to hit him!" Shen growled, still outraged, and looked at Dao, who had now completely lost consciousness. "I could…!"

"OH, we're docking!" Po reported, running past Shen. As soon as the bridge was out, the panda raced onto the jetty on land.

"Finally! Back home!" Po dropped forward and pretended to kiss the floor. He only paused when passing dockworkers stared at him in confusion. Apparently, they had never seen a foreigner so excited to set foot on Chinese soil. Po smiled mischievously and quickly he got up again. At that moment, Wolong also crawled past him.

"And you really don't want to stay a while longer, mate?" Po asked.

But the great snake shook his head. "I've stayed in one place too long. I'd better be on my way immediately." With that, he crawled away.

"Oh, okay, well then, good luck on your way!" Po waved after him. Since snakes didn't have hands, he didn't blame him for not waving back.

"Do you think, we'll see him again?" Po asked after Shen had left the ship and walked past him. To his relief, the ruler had calmed down a bit.

"I hope not," Shen snapped, walking past the panda with his head held high.

Po frowned and watched thoughtfully as the giant crawling away snake. "Anyway, he has a big identity problem. I mean, if he doesn't even like his own names..."

"Why are you still standing here, panda?" Shen urged impatiently. "Get moving!", holding up his lance sword menacingly. "And don't dare to hit him again!"

Sighing, Po went back to the ship to get Dao. "I really didn't mean that in a bad way," the panda mumbled doggedly.

In the old goat's former home, the mess hadn't necessarily gotten any better, but it was a little more manageable than at the beginning. But the lady didn't enjoy mucking out unless she knew what was going on in Japan. Her grandnephew could not calm her down and silently he sorted through a stack of papers. The goat sighed heavily. "I think, I should write Yin-Yu back. However, she will be disappointed that I have nothing to report."

"You won't have to do that," a familiar voice suddenly spoke up at the door.

"Shen!" Immediately, the goat dropped everything and rushed towards him, nearly knocking Ling over. As soon as she had reached the peacock, she took his wings in her hooves. "I could hardly sleep a night."

"Welcome, master," Ling greeted and bowed.

But before Shen could return the greeting, the old goat had an important question. "And? What happened? Did you find him?" She looked at him expectantly. But to her amazement, Shen's face darkened a bit.

"Yes and no," was the peacock's only answer.

The goat raised her eyebrows in surprise and shock at the same time. "Yes and no? What does this mean?"

Shen took a step to the side and pointed outside, where Po was standing in front of the house with Dao in his arms.

The goat's eyes widened. "For heaven's sake, what happened to him?!"

She rushed outside. Any other question was unimportant to her at the moment and gently she embraced Dao's face.

"I just smacked him on the head," Po said before Shen could say anything else. "Otherwise, he would have jumped overboard, but he wasn't quite himself anyway."

"I suspect he was drugged," Shen whispered to her. The goat's eyes widened again as she noticed how Shen rested a wing on her shoulder, feeling his tenseness. "They probably wanted to make him docile," Shen continued.

"Who exactly do you mean?" the goat asked, still completely taken aback.

"By a gang of crazy ninjas," Po replied.

"Do you think, you can heal him again?" Shen's voice trembled slightly, as if he was anxiously awaiting judgment from her. "This, here, I was able to take some of this with me." He handed her the handkerchief which he had used to wipe up the liquid. The goat took it and sniffed at it.

"The drugs seem to have taken a toll on his mind," Po added.

"But his subconscious is still working very well," Shen insisted. "At least, he reacts to certain words. So, it's not entirely hopeless."

Shen's grip tightened on her shoulder. Finally, the goat gently took his wing and stroked it, smiling encouragingly at him.

"At least you got back safe and sound. But let me take a look at him first." She let go of Shen's wing and took a closer look at the unconscious Dao.

"After so many years," she murmured, intrigued. "This similarity. That's unbelievable. You could almost be twins." She sighed heavily. "If just your father had lived to see that."

An embarrassed silence fell over the group. Finally, the goat sat up and clapped her hooves encouragingly. "Well then. Come in first. But be careful. It looks a bit messy."

Po had no problem with that. "Oh, I don't mind the chaos. As long as there is, maybe, something to eat? A sea voyage like this makes me very hungry."

Po rubbed his paws in delight as Ling walked in with a tray of cookies. The panda and Shen sat on cushions around a small table and the hot tea was already served. Without hesitation, the panda immediately reached into the bowl and stuffed two or three biscuits into his mouth.

"Mm, really delicious," he mumbled through the full cheeks and immediately he noticed Shen's disapproving sideways glance.

Quickly, Po swallowed the pastry and sipped demurely from his teacup. "Sorry," he whispered ruefully.

But Shen made no reproach. At least he didn't feel like it now. His gaze was only directed to the door of the next room, into which the goat had retreated with Dao. There the lady examined the peacock thoroughly. Although it wasn't so easy to find anything under the plumage. Finally, she finished her examination and returned to the two in the dining room.

While Po was still happily, quietly chewing, Shen immediately got up from his seat and looked at her expectantly. To his relief, the goat got straight to the point.

"I've searched him from top to bottom," she began. "So far all I can say is that I've discovered minor old injuries on the wings and abdomen, but I can't say where they came from."

Po audibly swallowed the biscuit. "Is that bad?"

The goat sighed. "Who knows what has happened to him over the years. But he could probably say that himself."

She sat down on a pillow. Ling immediately went to her side and poured her a cup of tea. Shen watched her tensely and he couldn't hold back a question any longer.

"And what about the drug?" he asked.

This question was also on Po's mind all the time. "Yes, what's up with it? Or have you been able to do something in the meantime? Isn't there a way to get him out of there again…?" Po paused when Shen shot him a warning sideways glance.

Apologetically, the panda raised his paws and reached for a new cookie.

"Well," the goat began, slightly bummed. "I might be able to say more if I knew exactly what kind of drug it was. I can't even tell whether Dao will be back to the way it was before."

She gave Shen a pitying look. Gently, he put his teacup aside, clearly having to control his emotions to avoid yelling at the goat.

"Can you do something with the specimen?" he asked.

The goat shook her head. "My expertise is not sufficient for that. But I know someone who knows more about it."

Shen raised his eyebrows. Then he looked down in disgust. "Does he have to go to him of all people?"

"Shen. He's known you and Dao since you were little," the goat affirmed. "In addition, he is very well versed in this field."

There was silence for a moment. Then the white ruler rose. "Fine," but then he slammed the table firmly. "But I won't let him experiment on him!"

Now the goat got up, too. "Shen, without experiments, he could hardly have saved you and your brother after your birth. It just took longer for him to figure out the right dosage, which then took effect." She looked at him pleadingly. "Give it a try, at least."

Goat and peacock looked into each other's eyes. The elder with attempted gentleness, Shen with a bitter gesture.

Po looked from one to the other in confusion. Then he shyly raised his paw. "Uh, who are we talking about here?"

"Nice property," Po said appreciatively. He was still wearing Dao, and the panda hoped this wouldn't become permanent. In the worst case, he grew on onto him.

The house, where they were standing in front of, was very isolated in the woods, near the coast. There wasn't even a village or farmhouse nearby. It was large and surrounded by a white older wall and a closed gate. A few weeping willows lined the edge. Po would have preferred a few bamboo poles to nibble on rather than adding such a spooky flair to the surroundings.

"Shen's father left it to him after he cared so much for Shen's life," the goat explained next to him.

"Aha, so we're going to a doctor?" Po guessed.

The goat nodded.

"And who is it exactly?" This time, Po's gaze wandered to Shen. But the peacock was just silent and pointed to the front, where a sign was pilloried next to the gate that led to the courtyard of the house.

Po stepped closer to the sign and read: "Dr. Wu, internist, toxicologist, forensic scientist, pathologist, taxidermist, zoologist, biologist. Mm. What is a forensic scientist?"

"You might not want to know that, panda." A malicious smile crossed Shen's beak, scaring Po downright. If the white lord found it that amusingly creepy, there couldn't be anything positive about it.

Because unlike Shen and the goat, Po knew nothing about Dr. Wu. He was commonly called Wu, which was a common or gander Chinese name, but those who knew him or had seen him associated it less with anything normal. Some people simply called him the "poisoner" or "preparer of poison". But since the panda was unaware of this information, he was a little less concerned.

Next to the sign was a note that read, "Please ring. If I don't open the door, but the door is unlocked, just come in."

Po had to smile at this note. "What a nice doctor."

Nobody said anything to that. Not even Ling, who, at a motion from the old goat, pulled a cord next to the door and a bell rang at the other end. Then there was a waiting period. Po got nervous and whistled a bit to himself, much to Shen's annoyance. When nothing happened after a while, Po assumed the doctor wasn't in the house.

"There doesn't seem to be anyone there," he said.

But the goat just put her hooves on the door of the gate and pushed it open. They entered a spacious courtyard. All around was the white wall and farther back stood the big house.

"Okay," Po commented. "At least the door is open."

The old goat was the first one to venture forward. "Come on, Shen," she prompted the peacock with an encouraging smile. "You were here the other day, too."

With a grimace, Shen complied. He didn't feel like arguing with her that it had been something completely different back then when he had to get a pick-me-up because of his sudden feelings of faintness, and Dr. Wu was the only one who could get it for him.

When they finally reached the house, which looked like any other Chinese house from the outside, there was another note on the door.

"I'm in the basement," Po read. "In the basement? Is he counting his food supply there?"

Shen made no comment. Without a word, he just walked to the side where it led to a hinged basement trap door. Shen seemed to already know the way and looked at the others with a requesting look to follow him.

But before everyone joined him, the goat held the panda back. "It's best if you put Dao out here on the bench. Dr. Wu is quite old and who knows how much longer he will be able to cope with stress."

Po nodded. "Okay," and placed Dao on a wooden bench that was right against the wall of the house. Then everyone went down the stairs.

Po immediately noticed a strange smell as they climbed down.

"It smells kinda strange here." He narrowed his eyes. It was partly dark downstairs. Only a few candles lit up a part of the basement room here and there. "What's that here?" Po asked to himself and walked over to one of the countless shelves that were filled with glasses. "AHHHHHH!"

Po flinched after looking at a monstrous fish face staring at him almost demonically in the glass in the glow of the candles.

"Who's coming to visit me?" an old, rough voice sounded at that moment.

A tall figure stepped out from behind the shelf, walking a little hunched over. An old lizard in a dark shirt appeared, looking critically at the group with old narrowed eyes. But Po also stared skeptically at the strange individual, who looked like a living corpse next to all the jars with the animal carcasses. It was a lizard like he had never seen before. And this was not a surprise. Dr. Wu was a cross between a monitor lizard and an ordinary lizard, so he looked a bit odd in his appearance.

"Oh look," the old man said after recognizing Shen's silhouette. When he also saw the old goat and her grandnephew, he bowed his head politely. "I didn't expect you today." Then his gaze wandered back to the frightened panda. "Oh, I see you already admired my undersea fish collection," he giggled, patting one of the jars that were filled with a clear liquid next to the carcasses. "Yes, yes. What fishermen fish out of the sea is amazing."

Po swallowed hard. "Well, if they look that horrid, it's just as well we don't have to see them." Po's gaze wandered past the many glass jars, and froze when he even spotted a mantis in one of them.

"Don't worry," Dr. Wu calmed him down. "These are all animals who left their bodies to me after they died, whether of old age or other illnesses, and made them available for medicine." He looked at Po from top to bottom. "And who knows… maybe you would be interested in giving your body to science. With that, you can "live" forever."

Po got a little cheesy under the fur. "Uh, thanks, but no. A grave under a tree would do it for me enough."

The lizard-goanna licked out his tongue and sniffed the panda, examining him with a frown. "This panda here hasn't reached its ideal weight yet," Dr. Wu concluded finally. "He would have to eat more to gain more weight."

Po rubbed his stomach, examining it, then he gave Shen a side kick.

"Hey, I like your doctor!" he whispered to him. "Couldn't he also practice in our village?"

"I wouldn't mind a change of scenery," the lizard-goanna answered instead of the peacock. "Patients are scarce for me anyway."

Po looked at him in surprise. "But you treated Shen's family, didn't you?"

Dr. Wu wrinkled his old reptilian forehead again. "Only because Shen's father, Lord Liang, had summoned every doctor to the palace. At that time, I only owned a shack under a bridge and I thought why not go into the palace and try my luck? I was a little younger then. How long has it been now? Over 40 years. My goodness, how quickly time flies!" He studied Shen closely. "It's amazing how quickly little kids grow up. If your father hadn't come for me, you wouldn't be here today."

Shen narrowed his eyes. "Don't you regret it?"

The doctor laughed. "Still the same aristocratic humor." But then he suddenly became serious again. "A doctor is there to heal, not to judge. No matter who, everyone gets the same treatment and attention which they need from me."

But Shen wasn't satisfied with that. "You seem to be unable to take a stand."

Po meanwhile guessed something. "Oh, so it was you who invented this miracle medicine?"

The lizard-goanna laughed. "Well, miracle medicine might be a bit of an exaggeration. It was more of a coincidence that I was able to put something together that sustained life at its most difficult stage, to prevent circulatory collapse that came with reduced cardiac activity and acute immune system weakness."

Po briefly opened and closed his mouth like a fish. "Uh, yeah...okay...So Shen got it first?"

Dr. Wu smiled. "Yes, yes. You wouldn't think, he was once an innocent helpless baby, would you?"

Shen looked away, hurt, which Dr. made Wu laugh again. "But after all, we've all been there. Even me, even though I've lived so long now that… well, whatever. But it's good to see you in the best of health, my lord. I see the concoction seems to set you up. What can I do for you today? Would you like to get some medicine again?"

"It's not for me," Shen said at the point of their visit, "it's for my brother."

The lizard-goanna stopped and seemed to have to think first. "Wasn't he pronounced dead over 20 years ago?"

"He's not exactly dead," Po joined the conversation. "He's out on the bench and needs medical attention right now."

The old lizard-goanna was now a bit confused. "But how? What?"

Shen narrowed his eyes. "Wouldn't you like to see him first before wasting any more time here?"

They rushed outside, where Dao was still lying on the bench, unchanged. Luckily, the lizard-goanna kept his composure at the sight of the once lost successor of the lord. He watched Dao for a few seconds, stroking his chin while mumbling, glancing over at Shen at the same time. "This similarity. Amazing. Absolutely amazing. When he was born, I also thought how similar they are, but that it extends even into adulthood." He bent over the peacock and checked the vital signs. "A strange faint," he finally concluded, shaking his head. "Did you find him in such a condition?"

"Not exactly," Po interjected.

They reported to the doctor as briefly as possible everything that had happened in connection with Dao.

"Mm, that's a great thing," Dr. Wu murmured more to himself. "I can still remember how excited everyone was looking for him. But that he should still be alive…" He sighed heavily and looked up at the sky. "If you had experienced that."

"What's your diagnosis?" Shen asked unashamedly.

"Yes. Can you do something now?" Po also asked, who might have been just as excited as Shen, even though it wasn't his brother.

Dr. Wu scratched his reptilian forehead. "Do you have a sample...?"

"We have." Shen gave the goat a sign and she immediately took out the handkerchief that Shen had given her earlier and held it out to the doctor. He sniffed and he even licked it once, which made Po feel disgusted. After a minute of silence and musing from the reptilian-looking doctor, he gestured toward the house with his thin claws. "It's best if we go to my treatment room."

As soon as they were through the front door, Po quickly realized that there were also some strange souvenirs from the doctor lying around. On the walls were drawings of plants that could have come from a biology book, real branches were hanging from the ceiling, but also oil paintings of Chinese doctors. There were also a few showcases with beautiful stones, shells and sand. But also here and there was a stuffed little animal, which probably had given its body over to the doctor for inspection.

"Feel free to admire my arsenal," Dr. Wu's voice echoed down the aisle. "But don't touch anything."

They climbed a flight of stairs, which in turn led to a corridor with several doors, with the lizard heading for a specific door. As soon as the lizard-goanna had pushed open the door, Po's jaw dropped again that day. On the walls of the room hung many drawings of animals showing their inner workings. Whether stomachs, lungs ect. everything was drawn on the paper like in real life and Po's stomach churned at the thought that the doctor might have drawn all the innards while he was dissecting the animals. Otherwise, there was a desk in the room, a few shelves with literature and cupboards filled with strange instruments.

"Lay him there first," the lizard-goanna instructed him and pointed to a treatment table that was more like a couch.

"Do you think, you can shift for yourself?" Po asked after carefully laying Dao out.

"Don't worry," the doctor reassured him and placed the piece of cloth with the drug sample in a bowl on the table. "I have delved deeper into peafowls over the years since treating Shen and Dao. I even autopsied peafowls myself once. I got a couple in the basement for that, you know. Inserted and stored safely and securely. They gave me their bodies after they died. Would you like to see them?"

"NO!" Po yelled in horror, but quickly he corrected himself. "Uh, no, not necessary."

The doctor stroked his chin. "You're not used to the sight of corpses, are you? But no worry. You get used to everything over time." He chuckled hoarsely. "Well then, I'll see what I can do. You can go into the living room in the meantime. I still have some leftovers from yesterday in the kitchen."

Po frowned. "Is that edible?"

"That can be determined quickly," the old goat said and pulled the panda to the door. Because she hadn't missed Shen's tension since they had entered the room. "Come on, Shen. He won't hurt him", whereupon she urged the peacock outside as well.

"Yeah, right," Po agreed, although he himself was glad not to be left alone with a doctor who wasn't afraid to cut open dead animals.

And so, the white lord had to leave the room, albeit reluctantly, somehow regretting that he had left his lance sword in the old goat's house.

"Well, I could get used to these little snacks." Full of joy, the panda reached for a tray with lots of little nests of pasta and savory snacks that Dr. Wu had kept from yesterday. The panda, the peacock, the goat and the little sheep sat in the so-called living room, which looked at least halfway normal, so that it couldn't spoil your appetite. In addition to the seating and table, there were several potted plants in the corners and a door leading outside to a large terrace where there was also a beautifully landscaped garden.

Po enjoyed it. Unlike Shen, who didn't touch any of it, which in turn caused deep concern in the old goat. "Shen, eat something. You haven't eaten since you arrived."

"I just don't feel like it," Shen stubbornly dismissed her request, "which probably has more to do with the table company."

Po stopped chewing soberly and now moved his mouth more slowly. But it was more a lie of Shen, that he had lost his appetite because of the panda. The peacock would rather be up there and watch what the doctor was doing.

On the first floor, Dr. Wu already started the analysis. He had retired to another room, where heaps of glass containers, connected with glass tubes and test tubes, were intertwined. On the shelves were countless brown jars with inscriptions of various substances and chemicals. He had cut the piece of cloth with the drug into several strips and used each of them to start a different experiment. After the first two tests failed, Dr. Wu again. To do this, he put a piece of the soaked substance in a glass, where the drug dissolved in the water inside. Then he briefly heated it over a small candle and fished for a jar of tincture.

"Mm, if there's a reaction now, then..." He let a drop fall into the glass and a milky precipitate settled out. "Aha. I thought so."

He performed similar experiments like this several times until he was sure he had tried everything that required proof. Then he returned to the treatment room.

"Now to you." He joined the peacock at the treatment table, after he had pulled out a needle and small hammer from a drawer. Using the needle, he pressed various spots on Dao's body and checked the response to nerve stimuli, tapping a joint here and there.

"Reflexes are there," he murmurs, then he wrote it down on the paper. After quite a while of intensive scanning, he sat down at his desk and wrote a new piece of paper, which he then, after reading through briefly, rolled up and went to the window. He whistled loudly once. The doctor didn't have to wait long and a little bird landed on the windowsill.

"Can I do anything for you, doctor?" the little bird asked.

"Bring this to my colleague as soon as possible," Dr. Wu and handed the paper to the bird. "And I want him to answer me back as soon as possible."

The little bird nodded hastily. "I hurry! I'm flying!" and fluttered away.

Almost an hour passed before the bird returned. "Aha, that was quick," the lizard-goanna praised. "So he probably got to work straight away."

He took the roll of paper with the answer and unfolded it. After scanning the lines, he nodded. "Ah yes. I thought so. Now I'm quite sure."

Everyone in the living room raised their heads at the same time, clearly surprised that it had taken soo long. Po had made himself comfortable on a kind of sofa and still had a few bits of noodle stuck to his lips.

"Lady and gentlemen," Dr. Wu announced and let his eyes wander around the room. "I've completed the investigation." But instead of elaborate his announcement, he went to an empty chair and fished for a teacup and pot. Noticing the others' empty cups, he lifted the pot higher. "Anyone want some more tea?"

Now Shen rose from his seat and stared down at the doctor in annoyance. "No, we don't want one," he growled with a warning look at the panda, who looked like he was about to say 'yes'.

"No tea?" the doctor wondered. "When drinking tea always benefits the peace and quiet-"

"CAN YOU GET TO BUSINESS NOW?!" Shen yelled at him.

The doctor didn't change his posture, but he calmly put the pot down on the table.

"Same short-tempered temper," he murmured, reaching for a lump of rock candy before slipping it into the teacup. "But whatever." He pulled the teacup towards himself, stirred the inside with a spoon and blew on it briefly. Perhaps Shen would have freaked out even more if the doctor had taken a sip of it, but the lizard-goanna waited to do so when he began to report.

"Well, this drug is a fascinating hallucinogen," he began, placing his fingertips together as he leaned back in the chair. "It is extracted from a plant and its use is still largely unknown, although I have received reports about it." Only now he dared to take a sip of tea before continuing. "It blocks access to perception, allowing a being's will to be broken and to switched off. Consciousness is thus suppressed, but the subconscious and basic functions, walking and the ability to speak, are not affected. However, if the person is in such a state, their behavior can be manipulated by the influence of another person. In the beginning, the affected person then always returns to normal once the effects wear off. It therefore depends on the period of ingestion. If it is taken longer, the substance accumulates in certain places in the brain and blocks the receptors for longer. The consequences are then later chronic disorders of consciousness, even if the drugs are not taken. However, the person can be put back into a state of dysbulia."

"Is it dangerous?" Shen asked.

The doctor looked at him seriously. "I assume you're talking about possible irreparable damage, aren't you?"

Shen nodded slightly.

"It depends," Dr. Wu replied thoughtfully. "I don't know how long he's been exposed to this stuff. It's quite possible that the receptors can be released again. I was lucky enough to autopsy a few brains whose people had taken drugs for a long time and died from it. It could well be that the thready ends of the..."

"Yes, yes, yes, I can imagine it!" Po hastily interrupted, feeling sick at the thought of cutting open a brain.

"Is there any chance that staying off the drug will return his condition to normal?" Shen wanted to know.

The doctor shrugged. "Everything is possible."

"And how long could that take?"

Dr. Wu looked at Shen in silence for a moment. "Well... I would reckon with several years."

"Years?!" Shen thought she had misheard and stared at him in horror.

"However, there is another solution," Dr. Wu added hastily. "Although they say there's an herb for everything and there's an antidote for everyone, it's still in the experimental phase and may also constitute a risk."

"What kind of risk are you talking about?" the goat asked concerned.

"Well, this counter-drug causes the blocked entrances to be unblocked again - but far too quickly. You never know what the reaction will be when the paralyzed receptors are unleashed in one fell swoop. The sensory overload could be devastating." Wu's eyes wandered to the ceiling. "Let's compare it to a dam, which breaks. We could apply a similar principle here if we solve the blockages in one fell swoop."

He fished for his teacup again and looked questioningly at the group in front of him. "Well, which do you prefer?" His gaze stayed on Shen in particular. "Would you like to wait or start an experiment? In both cases, I cannot guarantee that the general condition will return to normal."

Shen folded his wings and gave the goat a look of help. But she shook her head. "He's your brother, Shen. You are his last direct living relative. You have to know what you think is best for him."

Shen frowned and thought hard, glaring at Po again as he reached for a morsel on the table. Quickly, the panda dropped the snack and crossed his arms pouting.

For a while, it was extremely quiet in the room. Until the white peacock looked up determinedly. "Do it."

"What's that for?" Shen asked, watching the lizard-goanna tie Dao to a beam with a rope. They were in a shed a little further away from the house. All garden tools that had not been used for a long time which were stored there.

"Purely as a precaution," the doctor explained. After making sure he had secured Dao well, he withdrew briefly from the shed. Past Po, the goat and her grandnephew, who looked after him questioningly.

"It doesn't look harmless," Po whispered to the goat.

A short time later, Dr. Wu came back. In one claw he held a small bottle and in the one another glass with a cloudy brown-green liquid.

"Well, we will wake him up a little first." With these words, he set the glass down on a stone wall and, with the open small bottle in his hand, he walked towards the tied unconscious peacock. There he held the small bottle in front of his nose. After a while, Dao began to blink slightly until he seemed to have enough strength to open his eyes again, albeit still in a dazed state.

"Well, that would be one thing," the doctor murmured and took the glass with the liquid. "Now let's feed him this." He stirred the brew again and was about to hold it up to Dao when Shen intervened.

"I want to do that," Shen offered to the doctor's surprise. But he didn't stop him. "As you wish," and handed the drink to Shen.

The white peacock took it and knelt in front of Dao. Then he gently pressed the glass to Dao's beak lips. Shen felt resistance building in his brother and he struggled a little. He probably thought he was going to be drugged again. Shen continued to press the jar onto the beak lips, but Dao was unable to counter it and almost voluntarily he opened his beak at the pressure. His big brother carefully poured the drink in so that it slowly but steadily went down his throat without Dao choking on it.

While Shen tended to Dao, Po leaned toward Dr. Wu over. "How many times have you tried that?"

The lizard-goanna shrugged. "Not yet. This is my first attempt. It was only tested once by a colleague. The result was amazing."

Po raised his eyebrows. "Amazing? In what way?"

"I'm done," Shen announced and came out of the shed.

"Very good," Dr. Wu praised. He took the glass from Shen's wings and headed for the door. "Then we'd better close the door." He closed the shed and bolted the door. "And now... You better take shelter!" Quickly, the lizard-goanna ran behind a group of bushes.

Po, still feeling the shaved hair on his head, hurriedly joined him. "Nothing better than that!" Quickly, Po dived after the lizard and jumped behind a bush. There, Po covered his ears as if he feared an explosion. The goat and her grandnephew also fled to safety behind some bushes.

Everything was quiet for a moment. Po cautiously peered out from behind the bushes. To his horror, Shen was still standing in front of the shed and in front of the locked door.

"Shen, better get out of there!" Po called over to him. "That could be dangerous!"

But Shen even walked up to the hut and put his head on the door and listened.

"Be careful!"

But Shen seemed completely deaf to Po's words. On the contrary. He even pushed the bolt away from the door now.

Quickly, the panda ducked down again, but the expected catastrophe did not happen. At least for now. Suddenly, a loud moaning and wailing reached his ears, but the panda didn't dare to look immediately. Only Shen dared to step over the threshold of the shed and look down at his brother, who was shaking his head and pressing it against the beam like he had a headache. Suddenly... Shen couldn't believe what he saw... Dao tore the bonds and cried out loudly. Shen backed away a little. But instead of his brother coming at him, he jumped headlessly from one wall to the next, banging his body against it as if he was trying to exorcise a demon. The peacock was completely freaking out. He was constantly running around screaming while holding his head and bumping into the walls over and over again.

Anxiously, Po ducked behind the bush. Even a kung fu champion got scared once. Especially since it sounded like Dao was hitting himself bloody. And Po couldn't see blood at all.

Shen, on the other hand, couldn't take it any longer. The goat could see from her hiding place that he was up to do something. "Shen, don't!"

But Shen just grabbed a rope and threw it out, grabbing Dao with it and throwing him to the ground. And before his brother could get to his feet, Shen threw himself on top of him and held him down.

"Stay calm, stay calm!" he urged him on. The white peacock struggled to hold his brother, but he even managed to hold Dao's beak shut, so that his screams and screeches were muffled a bit. Eventually the clamor turned to loud sobbing. Dao seemed to have completely used up his strength and collapsed. Shen stayed on his back of him and stroked him soothingly.

Now the others dared to come closer again and looked down in amazement at the two peacocks who were crouching on the ground.

Dr. Wu rubbed his chin. "The reaction has been intense. Truly amazing."

"Wunambigu" means something like "belonging to the water snake" and "Nhinngi" simply means "snake". As far as I know there are different dialects among the Aborigines, so I don't know exactly what dialect these two names are, but I suspect it's from Wangkatha or Wongatha. If anyone knows more about it, feel free to correct me.

And "Wòlóng" means something like "lying dragon".

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Bye then!