8. Through the Snow

"Alright, Ling. I trust you that you supervise all as long as I'm away."

"Yes, grand aunt."

Soothsayer and her grandnephew were on their way outside over the stairs to the big yard. Ling followed his grand aunt a little annoyed while she continued: "Make sure that the Mengs don't paint the house with a wrong color."

"Yes."

"Always count the guards."

"Yes."

"Change your clothes every week."

The little sheep rolled his eyes. "Yes."

"And one thing more…"

"Yes, yes, yes. YES!"

"Don't forget to water my flowers."

He sighed. "Yee-es."

"You come with us?"

They had reached the end of the long stairs where Po and Xia waited. The panda eyed the soothsayer in surprise. "Why?"

She smiled. "Someone had to keep an eye on both of you."

"Aha, okay."

Po looked in the yard. They weren't alone.

"That's all what we take with us?"

In front of them stood a carriage with another little sheep on the coachman's seat and a big goat at the other end to pull it. And next to them stood a very bigger ram and stared at the little group with grimly look. Po waved his paw at the ram. "Hi, stomach for a little adventure journey?"

The ram snorted with hard breath.

Po forced a smile. "I see you explode of excitement."

He waved quickly and turned back at the old goat. "Uhm, just a little question about this around."

"Ask what you want, Dragon Warrior."

"Yes, this, is this land from your family? And when we came here, the name 'Changkong'. Is that the name of the city or from the area?"

"To your first question," she said. "It was a part of my family land. It was a place with some little huts. And they didn't want to keep this life. Shen gave them the choice to live in a city if they built it for him. And they did. Together with my relatives who lived around. And to your second question, 'Changkong' was the name of the little village and the plateau where we are standing now. But I'm sure Shen wants to give it another name."

"What a name?"

She smiled. "He is still thinking about it."

"Oh." Po rubbed his forehead. "What about 'Shen City'?"

"Too unimaginative."

The panda winced. The peacock was walking down the stairs. He wore a thick silver robe of sheep's wool. "The name should have a symbolic meaning."

Po nodded. "Okay. But I thought, first the name and then building a city."

The peacock had reached the end of the stairs and looked at him with his head raised.

"I'm not like the others."

Po swallowed. "I see."

A cutting glance and Po changed the theme.

"Uhm, very nice coach."

Po let wander his eyes. Then he pointed at the sheep which had climbed down from the coach.

Po smiled. "From wolf to sheep. A very peaceful change."

Shen gave him a venomous look and Po kept silent again.

The sheep opened the door and the lord put his first feet inside.

"How should we fit into this?" Po asked.

After so long, the lord gave him a smile. "You will take pot luck with Wulong."

"Who is Wulong?"

The panda's question was answered with a loud snorting behind him. Slowly, Po turned around and waved at the ram hesitantly. "Hi, buddy. Should we climb on his back?"

"Don't worry, Dragon Warrior," the old goat calmed him. "He will pull a rickshaw for you."

Indeed, the big ram had a rickshaw in his hooves.

Po tipped his fingertips together. "Very nice. But he is very taciturn."

"She can give you company," Shen said mockingly and pointed at Xia.

Now it was Po who pointed between himself and her. "We should sit together?"

"If you want to travel by foot."

"No, no. I just thought, she would… with you…"

"Either this way, or not!"

Po raised his paws. "Alright. Let's take a seat."

He pushed Xia ahead to the rickshaw.

The lord snorted. "You come with me."

The old goat looked at him. "As you wish."

"And something more." With that Shen bent forward to her and whispered: "Tell your brother-in-law, he should keep an eye on them."

He waved his eyes to Wulong.

The goat smiled. "I'm sure he will do it."

After all travels had taken their places, the carts began to move.

Ling accompanied them to the main gate.

"Don't worry! I will take good care for all!"

When they had passed the first hill, Po loosened his eyes from the city and looked at his travelling companion.

"What I forgot to ask, hm, say, are you in this case a princess?"

"Ehm, yes, I am."

"Wow, I never sat next to a princess. That's an honor for me."

She smiled.

"But for a princess you are okay."

"How do you mean it?"

"Well, I thought, princesses would be very… uhm… well, you behave normal, not pompous. And that was a compliment."

She covered her beak with her wing and laughed. "I'm glad to hear that."

Finally, both laughed.

The wheels rolled through the snow on the streets. Soothsayer had closed her eyes and listened to the two persons in the rickshaw until a soft growling occasioned her to open her eyes and looked at a very annoyed lord. Shen looked outside, his head leaned on his wing and elbow on the carriage window. His eyes were dark.

The snow reminded him of bygone days…

17 years ago….

A door of the unfinished building opened with a creaking sound. The lord's claws scratched on the fresh wood floor. He was in the rearmost corner of his factory. It was more a big storeroom. The wolf, who had guided him closed the door behind him. There was no much light in the room. But enough for the peacock to overview the room. There were some boxes and no much material. But he didn't come to look for building material. His will brought him to a special corner where a little figure sat with wrapped body.

"Did you have a nice night?"

He grinned maliciously.

With little trembling, the peahen lifted her head. "It's cold."

"What have you expected? A luxury suite?" He laughed. "Sorry for you, but I couldn't risk letting you run free."

She lowered her face.

"Anything more wishes, little spy?"

"Could you give me something to eat?"

The white prince stopped her with a wave of his wing. "My soldiers have not much for themselves either. Arrest stayers get nothing."

"Just a little crumb would be enough for me."

"Neither a crumb of gun powder."

He turned around with lifted nose, but then he stopped.

"Unless…"

She looked at him in anxious surprise. Slowly, he turned back and looked down at her.

"Unless, you would keep company with me."

Her eyes were big.

He smiled evilly. "What is it now?"

Moments later…

His finger feathertips stroked over the edge of the empty bowl on the table. He peered at her. She sat very close to him. Her wings on the table surface and didn't seem to know whether she should see in his face or not. Instead, she stared at her wings with unsurely posture.

A smile played on the corners of his beak. She was like an anxious child. All the ladies in his life had given him a derogative look. She was the first one who gave him the feeling of superiority. He liked her behavior.

"Let's see what we have," he muttered and took a spoon.

She didn't reply. Slowly, her eyes watched what his wing did. He funneled some soup with little dumplings into the bowl and pushed it over to her. She looked at the bowl, then at him.

Slowly, she took it. "Thanks."

He gave her a condescending nod. "Don't feel honored. Usually, intruders receive no special treatment."

She watched him, finally she nodded gently, but kept her unsureness.

"Do you eat nothing?"

He put the elbows on the table surface and put his chin on his wings what made her more unsurely.

"I've seldom company during dinner."

He liked her appearance. And he enjoyed her. Ladies always avoided to come in his near and steered clear of him. She should stay in this position.

She coughed a little.

"Eat," he demanded in a gentle voice. "It's not poisoned."

As if he had threatened her with death, she took a spoon and took the first one in her mouth. She tried to concentrate on the meal. He watched her. He wanted to watch her. Her silver white stains on her brown neck intrigue him and shimmered in the light of the lamps. All the other women had colors like green, purpura and blue. But no one with a white feather inside. White was like a part of him.

Without knowing what he did, he reached out his wing and touched her neck. She winced. With shocked eyes, she avoided his touch.

The lord took back his wing. The spell was over. His relaxation gone. With angry look, he stood up, his hard eyes directed at her.

"My color is deceiving. There is no weakness in me!"

"No, that's not because…" She swallowed like she was afraid to lose her life. "I just… I don't like that."

"What? My presence?"

"No, I don't feel good if a man comes so close to me."

"It's a right for me!"

"Please no!"

She covered her face like he had said something dirty.

He growled. "Always the same excuses!"

With a hard push, he pushed her away. She fell to the side and landed on the floor. He walked to her and bent down at her.

"Should I color me?! Would I be good for you with that?"

"I have nothing against your color."

He grabbed her wings hard and stared with rage into her eyes. "Is lying your hobby?"

"I don't lie. I only don't want to being touched."

"Just because of my appearance?!"

"No, I like your color."

She felt his finger feathers around her neck and wrapped them around.

He breathed harshly. It sounded like a warning hiss. "Nobody likes my color! Everyone hate it! Why should you like my color?"

She winced when he added his pressure around her neck.

"Why!?"

"Because of snow!"

He loosened his grip to let her breathing.

"Snow?"

"I like the snow. It gives me a feeling of contemplation and purity. Since I'm a little child I was happy when the snow was coming."

He was still staring at her. Tears were in her eyes. "But if you kill me, let me find my peace in the snow like here."

Only their breaths were hearable in the room with a soft sobbing. After a while, the feathered hands around her neck left her completely. Slowly, she wiped with her finger feathers over her wet eyes. Gradually, he realized he lay almost on her. Her body had cramped. Slowly, he left her and kept some distance.

Bit by bit he found back his self-control. His eyes still stuck on her. The peahen had lifted, her sobbing became weaker. Both birds looked at each other.

After a while Shen broke the eye contact and lowered his face. "Tell me when you think I'm pushy."

He turned around, but looked at her back shortly afterwards. "Would you like to stay in my quarter until my other quarter is ready?"

She looked at him.

Shen narrowed his eyes. "I will not touch you."

A strange atmosphere lay in the room between them. Then she nodded.

A lie.

Soothsayer watched how Shen's eyes narrowed more.

"A lie," she heard him say to himself.

"The future will show lights in the darkness."

His eyes glared at her. "Where lights are, there is always darkness what never disappears."

She stared at him. Then he looked out through the window again, where he watched the white snow on the mountains.

You liked the snow.