Part III

Mai looked up at the trees, but in a flash, the men had disappeared. But then, out of nowhere, more arrows with more notes went flying through the air. The men got out of their tents and tried to figure out what was going on. Mai swallowed and ran to the Captain's tent.

Captain Zou was short, but was the toughest person in the camp. He always kept one eye squinted. He was quick to lose his temper, and no one had ever seen a soft side to him. Mai had always been afraid of him, because he often cross-examined her. His favorite line to say to her in front of everyone was,

"Fa Mulan is the only woman I've ever seen who can handle a sword. Women who don't have what it takes to be in the army are not welcome here. Can you take the heat of battle?" Mai had learned to always nod her said and say, "Yes sir" quickly enough for him to be satisfied. Mushu at her neck, (literally) Mai walked into the Captain's tent. He was sitting down looking at a map. He looked up.

"Yes soldier?" Mai cleared her throat.

"Sir, a few arrows are being sent through the air. They never hit the men, only the snow beside them. All of them contain a note that say the same thing." Mai handed Captain Zou the note. He scanned through it quickly, but silently. His face turned pale. He called the lieutenant and dismissed Mai. She walked outside to hear a voice whispering in her ear,

"Oh boy. I cannot believe that he once wore a dress." Mai looked at Mushu strangely.

"You know Captain Zou?" Mushu nodded.

"He was a friend with Mulan. Well, at first he tried to punch her but he was one of the three soldiers other then Shang that she became friends with." Mai shook her head, trying to comprehend all this information being flung at her at once. The Huns were here, and they knew something that could let them win the war. Wait, the Hun may be known for being solo, but they always stayed in large groups when hunting or fighting. If those people were here, there must be at least double the amount of just archer men. And if there were an estimate of a hundred archer men, then there must be a lot more ground men. Why weren't they fighting a surprise attack at this moment? Mai shook her head, confused. It hit her.

"They want something. A response, an item, anything. They're watching us to see what we're going to do about the note. They already are tracking us. They could fight us any moment but they're watching for our weaknesses. They know that I saw them and now they changed spots. Mushu, any ideas?" Mushu scratched his scaly head. He shrugged.

"Who knows what they're doin. You need to train. Watch for anything suspicious and learn how to fight at the same time. If anything comes about, tell the Cap. Of course, there is a chance that he is goin to reply to them. But I doubt that, he was always one for action, not conversation. Of course, he was the one who asked whether or not a dress made him look fat, but still." Mai raised another eyebrow at him. She shuddered, and then thought deeply.

"The letter mentioned Fa Mulan…." A certain obnoxious dragon interrupted Mai.

"Whoa whoa whoa, first off, since when is she Fa Mulan? Mulan is Mulan. She's not like a legend or something." Mushu laughed. Mai stared at him.

"Actually, she is." Mushu hit a side of his head.

"Boy, I have been sleepin a bit too long. Of course, I guess the next thing you know the Huns have reformed." Mai chuckled and asked,

"As you just read, they already have, under a new leader who refuses to tell his real name and calls himself Shan Yu." Mushu shook his head.

"Ok, then how bout this. Has the army excepted women yet?" Mai sighed heavily.

"Where have you been? Of course they did, right, like they expect me to be a boy in these clothes and with this hairstyle." Mushu pouted and complained as Mai headed towards her own tent,

"Man, I don't know anything anymore." Mai walked into her tent and yawned. Mushu looked at her strange.

"What, you tired?" Mai curled up into her sleeping bag and yawned,

"I think I have a right to be considering I just found several million new facts out in one day." Mushu pouted.

"Man," he muttered to himself, "I swear, she is just like Mulan when it comes to sleeping. Now I just need some eggs to stuff in her mouth, that would wake her up, oh Crik…" Mushu stopped and sniffed, remembering that by now Crikee was probably long gone. He sighed. It had seemed only moments ago that he was saying goodbye to Mulan on her wedding day. After that, he had woken up to see Mai staring at him. He smiled as he saw Mai curled up, her fingers twitching in her sleep. With her mangled hair, she looked exactly like Mulan. But her eyes, they were something different. They were different somehow, filled with…. What? Mushu squinted as he peered into Mai's flinching eyelids. He could see them slightly open, nothing special, but so if so much a shadow changed she might wake up. They were filled with, oh why couldn't he put his finger on it!

A thought filled his head. It was sorta like what Mulan looked like just after she had been left on the pass after being discovered. It was a hurt, but a youthful look. Even then, there was something about Mai; Mushu couldn't put his claws on. He yawned then shook his head. He couldn't be sleepy after being in a semi-conscious state for twenty years. He had to find Mulan. Something wasn't right. Mulan didn't run away a lot. If only the emperor knew where she and Shang went off to it must be important. Mushu felt a knot grow tighter and tighter in his stomach. If it had been twenty years since they disappeared, Mulan could be hurt, or even…. No. Don't think about that, he told himself. But it was too late. The thought already crossed his mind. What if Mulan was dead?