Author's Note: Sorry everyone, now, looking back on this, I find this scene a bit depressing. I changed it a little so it wouldn't be as bad, but this scene was mainly supposed to introduce more characters, not focus more on angsty ol' Mai. Don't worry, the next chapter will NOT be as...cruddy.
Heat waves sweltered Mai as she looked around, desperately at the burning house. She watched as black figures stood on top of the straw roof, looking down at her. Turning around, Mai found the shadowed men weren't looking at her, but a little girl whom was sobbing next to an old man's corpse. Mai shook her head, not wanting to see what came next. Not wanting to see the girl's fate. Not wanting to see what might happen next. What would happen next.
"Dang it, girl, wake up already!" Mai opened her eyes wearily, lazily waking from the dream. She was expecting Mushu's face, once again, to be staring back at her. It wasn't. A cricket's was.
"Ahh!" Mai screamed, jumping up and swatting her forehead hysterically. As she stood up, however, she felt the tent begin to collapse not only on itself, but on her, as well. With her great luck, not only did she hear Mushu's protests, but some of her comrades tents as well.
"Who's making all the racket!" An aggravated voice sounded out, followed by dozens of others. Mai frantically pulled the tent off of her, cursing everything and everyone around her as she searched for the cricket. She felt something crawl up her back, and froze with fear.
"Mornin, Ms. sunshine, the earth says hello. So, do you plan on trying to squash any of my other friends anytime soon?" Mushu whispered, hidden from sight at the back of her neck.
"What is going on!" Mai stood up out of the mess, and turned around. At least fifty men were out of their own tents, with all of their eyes on her. The man who called out Mai recognized as the man she had befriended before, Ping.
Blushing, Mai lowered her head a bit. "Umm…nothing. Just a….minor intruder." She said sheepishly, the others still fully alarmed.
"What intruder?" Mai turned to see Ping's companion, Tong Mu, yawning as he peeked out of his own tent. Mai studied him, trying to memorize his features for future reference. He was a tiny man, and though it seemed he had some muscle to him, it was surprising to Mai that he had ever made it through the army. She studied him a bit longer, noticing the speed in his reactions. Good reflexes.
"Take a joke." She mumbled sourly, clearing her head. She would not, could not let the men know that she woke all of them up because of a…a bug. They'd think she was a wimp. She couldn't help but shudder as Mushu tapped his claw impatiently on her back. Shaking her head, she began to set up her tent.
"And you said she was nice." She heard someone whisper. She stopped, and forcing a twisted smile on her face, turned around.
"All you need to know is that the tent fell over. No one was hurt, nothing was damaged, and it therefore does not concern you. Just so you know, you are my comrades, nothing more." She said forcefully, clearing her throat. The others looked at her, a bit shocked, and she felt Mushu stop tapping her back.
Finishing re-setting her tent, she looked at the sky. Almost dawn. She glared once at the staring men before entering her tent. Her emotional boundaries still up, she forgot to show her irritation as Mushu spoke up.
"Girl, what was that about? Acting like you were a know-it-all warrior. Somethin you wanna tell me?"
"What are you talking about? And what in the world is going on?"
"News Flash: Ms. Warrior of the century is scared out of her wits by Crikee, repeat, Ms. Warrior of the century is scared out of…."
"Crikee? You actually named that pest?"
"Pest? I'll have you know he's the luckiest cricket in China! The very one that rubbed his luck on Mulan! Besides, Mulan's grandmother named him, if I remember correctly."
"That thing was Fa Mulan's pet? You're kidding me, right?"
"No, he was not her pet, he was her comrade. She risked her neck and saved all of them; she cared. Your pretty lil speech didn't sound like her." Mushu raised a scaly eyebrow, looking at Mai.
When he first met her, she seemed pretty nice. Now, staring at her, he saw that hollow look in her eye again. So she's been in battles, huh? How the heck can a fifteen-year-old know what war is like? Wait…if she was fifteen, why was she in the army? After all, the rules stated that she must be seventeen or older, not fifteen or older.
"Well excuse me for not being a Fa. How do you know that none of them are spies? If they learn how to trick me, how to manipulate me, and then people could die. Why do you think Ping's friends dared him to talk to me? Because around here, I'm known as a cold snotty nosed woman. I would love to be known as a kind good, heroic warrior just like in all of the legends, but that's just not possible."
"Woah, slow down! What's the matter with you? I was just introducing Crikee; then you go on a rampage talking about how life isn't fair. What is this, teenaged angst?" Mushu cocked his head, looking at Mai. Mai swallowed once, then lost her composure. The angry fire that had been in her eyes moments before was washed away. Sighing, she scratched her head..
"Ok, then where is this Crikee?" Mai said, adding some warmth in her voice. I shouldn't have it back there. What if he's right? I'm going to be fighting with these men for the next four or five years, maybe it is better to get to know them. Still…I don't trust them. Not all of them, anyways.
"Not one for apologizing, I'm guessin? Fine. About Crikee…I sorta already had your neck, and you didn't exactly have any pockets…"
"What are you talking about?"
"He's…um…not an expert on human anatomy…if I were you, I'd check your… torso area."
"What do you mean by th…" Mai was caught off-guard by a chirping sound coming from her clothing. She looked down, and shrieked, seeing the cricket looking back up at her. Jumping up and down, she tried desperately to get the cricket out of the way. Beet red, she heard Mushu laughing behind her.
"Introducing Mai of China's, the future warrior of China, horrible weakness. She fears the wrath of Crikee!