I hope my readers are enjoying this story. It has been rather enjoyable to write. Your feedback has been very nice and appreciated. Let me know what you think as I continue.
"Find some survivors," muttered Yao as he swept his gaze from the shadowy forest to the dying fires that marked the remnants of the camp. The trio and Shang had split up to cover more ground, but he felt this activity was a waste of time. "What survivors? Everyone alive has already been pounded. And that coward, Heng, is obviously gone…"
"Do not speak of him in such a manner," a deep voice ordered from behind and above the stocky soldier.
He knew that he was in trouble. The short man knew that some kind of powerfully-built, well-trained warrior had to be behind him. He knew that some kind of impressive monster of a man was looming over him, intending to smash him into the dirt. It would be far too easy for it to be some chicken-boy of a fighter.
Yao smirked, cracked his knuckles, and turned to meet his new opponent.
"Hey, I call them as I see them. If Heng is a coward, I'll say he's a coward," the stocky individual retorted.
The tall figure lived up to Yao's expectations. Matching Chien Po in height, the man lacked the softer shape of the gentle warrior. Instead, the stranger seemed to be all muscle and malicious glares. He would have fit in well with Shan Yu's troops (where was he when they neededthat kind of fighter? Likely in some other training camp, intimidating the poor recruits...). Ironically, Yao didn't see the vague similarity to a larger version of him. He was too busy thinking this idiot would be more interesting than the idiots from earlier.
"I will enjoy this, little man," the giant chuckled. "They will tell stories of your fate at the hands of Liu Shing in fearful voices as a warning against disrespecting the great Du Heng."
"And they'll laugh at the jokes about how I'm going to rearrange your face," replied Yao before launching his body at the larger man.
While not the tallest or heaviest soldier, he was still one of the most solidly build men around. His short form was all muscle and he could tear through wood with his teeth (even though that wasn't what he'd been trying to do at the time…). In theory, the stocky man should be able to tackle Shing easily by slamming his solid mass into the taller figure.
What actually happened was that Yao found himself being caught in midair by the two giant hands of his target. The larger man, having a build similar to the stocky soldier (just enlarged), turned out to be even more solid. He stopped the force behind Yao's attack with little effort. In the same motion, Shing took the shorter man and hurled him away.
The stocky soldier's flight through the air was brought to an end by a softer, gentler pair of hands and a squashy surface. Yao glanced up into Chien Po's concerned face. The bald soldier had caught him and prevented him from being harmed. Unfortunately, it made him feel like the larger men were treating him like a snowball to be tossed around as an inanimate projectile.
"Put me down so I can punch his face in," Yao instructed his friend. Any thanks or explanations could be exchanged later, but wouldn't really be needed with these specific soldiers. They spent too much time together and, even if they end up fighting each other over petty things at times, they always knew they could count on each other. If one needed help, they got it. Everything else was minor details. "He definitely knows something about Du Heng."
Liu Shing grabbed a large rock, about the size of Chien Po's head, and threw it towards the pair. Yao jumped out of the larger soldier's arms and rolled to the left. His friend jerked to the right. The stone flew between the space where they previously stood.
The aggressive man grinned at the two warriors dodging his projectile. His smile shrank as a small rock hit him in the side of the head. Shing glanced over to spot the new attacker.
"Hey, I thought it was Yao who was 'King of the Rock,'" shouted Ling. The thin member of the trio gave the giant, hulking man a grin. "So he should be the one tossing them at you."
"Fools," Heng's lackey chuckled as the three soldiers surrounded him at a safe distance, forming a triangle. "Fools. You must be blind not to see the glory and honor that he shall bring upon the Middle Kingdom. Du Heng will bring order out of chaos. Do you think that your destruction of the camp will stop it?"
"Hey, we didn't do this," Ling interjected, gesturing at the smoldering flames. "But that doesn't mean we don't agree that burning this place to the ground was a great idea. Maybe we should have found a way to bury it in an avalanche like Mulan did to the Hun army."
Shing glared, "Do not name that foul woman. She's an abomination against nature."
"And don't youtalk about her like that," snapped Yao. "We take it personally when someone insults or hurts our friends. So let's skip the friendly chat and go straight to the part where we send you to join your ancestors early."
Drawing a long, thick blade from his side, the tall man grinned cruelly, "As you wish."
The crimson dragon couldn't believe what he had heard. His baby girl wasn't dead. No matter how bad the situation might be, regardless of the fact that an increasingly insane-sounding tiger was perched on him, and even if it seemed like he was doomed anyway, Mushu felt a smile sneak across his face. He couldn't see her from where Wei pinned him to the ground, but he'd heard her voice. Besides, Cri-Kee was here and he made the insect promise to stay with her. Even fate wouldn't play so cruel a trick on him by offering this chance, only to snatch it away.
"Mulan?" he asked again, hopefully.
"Don't worry, Mushu," his charge assured. "It'll be alright."
"Girl, if you ever scare me like that again, I'll never let you leave your room without armor again," informed the serpentine dragon, trying to conceal exactly how much of a relief it was to find out she was alive.
"You're the one that ran off alone without a plan," she reminded, sounding tired and mildly scolding. "You need a keeper more than I do."
Chuckling, he responded, "Well, you never have a plan. You make it up as you go along. I had a plan… plan-ish… vague idea. Better than your 'run off to join the army without a male name picked out' plan."
"And your 'impress the ancestors by helping turn Mulan into a war hero' plan?"
"It worked in the end."
"So did mine, Mushu."
The friendly banter reassured the reptile that it really was her and that she was okay. It was closer to a conversation he would have with Cri-Kee, but it still felt right. The current situation faded into the background. He felt too happy to care that the black-striped tiger still held him prisoner.
"Only because I gave you a boy's name before Pretty-boy figured out you didn't belong there."
"You also got me in trouble in archery practice."
"I got you out of trouble when your concern over 'hygiene' nearly got you discovered. You still owe me big from that night. If I hadn't…"
"Silence," snapped Wei, interrupting the exchange and stressing his order by digging his claws into his captive again. "Your worthless babble irritates me."
Biting back a pained hiss, Mushu growled, "You're just angry we didn't include you in our talk. Face the facts that you've failed and crawl back to your shrine. Or maybe you'll take the more honorable choice and spend eternity as a lifeless statue until some innocent gong-ringer discovers you aren't alive and accidentally breaks you. Either way, you've already lost your position as a guardian. You just haven't gotten the announcement yet."
"Wei, I think…" began Heng's voice, but the feline interrupted.
"We haven't failed yet. I can still repair the damage caused by this rule-breaking lizard."
Silently fuming at not being called a dragon again, the serpentine guardian remarked, "I always felt they were more 'guidelines' than actual rules. Sometimes, the situation calls for bending rules created in the past. Things change."
"Tradition and honor stands above all else," cried Heng. "We only sought to preserve the old ways from corruption because of her. She is the cause of this change and must be stopped."
Rolling his eyes, the dragon snapped back, "Boy, you did this because you couldn't get a date. Instead of working on developing a personality or honor the usual ways, you decide to essentially stage a coup. You use my girl to gain popularity and plan to raise such an impressive army that the emperor will forget all about your crimes and wed you to his daughter. That is pathetic."
"Thatwas his plan?" asked an astonished Shang.
"That's right, Pretty-boy. Me and Mulan aren't the only ones who can't make perfect strategies like yours," the reptile answered.
"My main purpose was not to seek a bride," defended Heng. "I sought only a better future for all of China. One where creatures like this unnatural…"
"Okay, stop blaming everything on Mulan," Mushu interrupted. "Not only does it make you look pathetic, but it gets very tiring to hear over and over."
"Stop complaining," snapped Wei.
"I think I have plenty of reason to complain," the dragon shouted. "I've had a very stressful day, I've had to listen to you and Ugly give the same sort of 'change is bad' speeches, I've had my head stuck in your mouth, smelling your rancid breath, and now I'm stuck under the paws of a mentally-unhinged maniac."
"I could bite your head off," the feline suggested. "It would solve so many problems and make things a lot quieter."
"Wei, you can't do that because didn't you say that Heng is being held hostage by my girl," reminded the serpentine guardian.
A bright spark of an idea began to burn in the reptile's mind. According to Cri-Kee, he could be extremely annoying. Lacking any other abilities that he could use from his pinned position, Mushu decided to completely tick off the insane tiger. Likely this would be stupid and possibly get him killed, but it might also give him a chance. Angry people make mistakes. If he possessed even a tiny amount of luck (or if the presence of a lucky cricket was enough), he might be able to get free by ticking the crazy feline off.
With a smug tone, the dragon continued, "Or do you plan to bring even more dishonor by letting your charge get killed because of your actions."
"Silence."
A memory flashed through the serpentine creature's head, suggesting the perfect strategy. The event transpired upon his initial meeting of Mulan.
The disguised girl slapped the crimson guardian from his perch around the bamboo. Face stinging, he crashed to the ground unceremoniously. She could actually hit fairly hard. Of course, he might be biased since it was his face she slapped.
Sitting up and rubbing his sore face, Mushu began ranting, "That's it. Dishonor. Dishonor on your whole family." He glanced over at Cri-Kee, "Make a note of this." He was ticked off by being attacked by Mulan. True, his comment about being able to see straight through her armor might not have been the best idea. But that didn't mean he had to be happy about being slapped suddenly. "Dishonor on you. Dishonor on your cow. Dis…"
Her hand covered his mouth, stopping his rant, and she interrupted to apologize.
Taking a cue from his past, Mushu addressed his captor with a condemning tone.
"Dishonor, Wei. Dishonor on the whole Du family. Pay attention to this. Dishonor on you. Dishonor on your charge. Dishonor to your loser's ancestors…"
The growl that emerged from the tiger's chest carried pure fury, "You do not know what you're talking about. I am bringing honor."
"Do you realize how much luck it would take to actually regain a fraction of any honor now? Face it, you've lost."
"Well, if that's true," hissed Wei softly, "I will not accept defeat alone. If I must suffer disgrace for my actions, I will deliver the appropriate fate upon you first."
He was a tiny, mortal insect. He possessed no true power. His "lucky" nature left much to be desired. They might survive through all the misfortune that followed their group, but he doubted it had anything to do with his presence. His greatest contribution so far was his ability to write and his attempts to talk Mushuout of crazy actions (the latter contributions rarely succeeded). Honestly, what could one small cricket hope to accomplish against anyone?
Mulan still held Heng in check from her position on Kahn. By now, her arms were shaking slightly with the effort of keeping the piece of metal in place. She really should be home, but she needed to be here. And if she hadn't come, Mushu would already be dead. But her fading energy was being observed by both her captive and the tiger. She kept her voice firm, however, through the entire conversation with her guardian. She wanted to give him hope. Mulan wanted her friend to believe he'd make it out alive.
Shang watched both Wei and Heng for any sign of aggression. Cri-Kee knew that the man would be formulating various scenarios and plans for any possible action the pair might take. He also knew that the general wouldn't be able to move without provoking the tiger. Shang was trapped in a reactive role by the stand-off. In fact, no one could really act without upsetting the balance.
Except for one small, barely-noticeable creature. No one ever notices a luck cricket. No one ever expect an insect to do anything of significance. But sometimes being ignored is beneficial.
Cri-Kee hopped into the forest. A small grove of bamboo grew not far from them, a few of the plants broken and splintered by some large force. Perhaps a horse or fleeing soldier crashed into them in their hurry, but the details didn't matter. What mattered was the tough broken pieces of bamboo that covered the ground came in a variety of widths, lengths, and degrees of sharpness. The insect select a pointed sliver and carried it back towards his friends.
Wei was losing his mind. The tiny cricket could see this. For all his cunning, the tiger couldn't adapt well to his plans unraveling before him. He used his clever strategies and keen grasp of the logical actions his opponent would take so that his plans would be flawless and cover all possibilities. When individuals fought logic, like Mushu coming after them on his own or Mulan arriving when the tiger thought her dead, the furry guardian couldn't adapt fast enough. And Wei did not react well to this. He fought to keep his plans working even as it crumbled. Now, the cunning creature might easily fall back on a more primitive solution: kill the problem.
Creeping behind the feline, Cri-Kee could hear the strain in the tiger's voice. Unfortunately, Mushu continued to antagonize the tiger. The red dragon claimed that Wei had already lost. In a dangerously calm tone, the striped guardian informed the captive they would both go down.
Not risking another moment, the lucky cricket stabbed the sharp splinter the feline's hind foot. Yowling in shock and pain, the tiger leapt upwards and spun around to seek his attacker. Rather than remaining still to face his wrath, Cri-Kee was already jumping away from the furry guardian.
Heng, however, took advantage of the distraction the feline's reaction caused. He swung his sword and knocked Mulan's away from his throat. He could not attempt to attack her next because Shang was already moving towards the homely man. Instead, the attempted assassin broke into a run towards the shadowy forest.
Wei, torn between his desire to kill the dragon already scrambling away and his duty to Heng, hesitated for a moment. He narrowed his yellow eyes.
"I've already failed," he snarled. "Die filthy lizard."
Cri-Kee chirped an urgent warning towards Mushu as the tiger pounced after him, but someone else intercepted the feline. With Mulan still on his back, Kahn galloped the short distance so that he stood above the serpentine guardian and Wei was headed for the horse instead of the small dragon. The black stallion lowered his head and met the tiger's gaze. Without flinching, the animal stood there as Wei brought his final attack to a halt.
With a dismissive snort, the horse informed the furry guardian that not only would Wei be leaving, but that only Kahn could hurt Mushu. Furthermore, the tiger was threatened with a severe trampling if he remained. Cri-Kee rather enjoyed the expression of frustration that crossed the feline's face.
"Keep your pathetic creature then," Wei hissed. "You will all pay dearly for this in the end. I shall find a way."
Without another word, the miniature tiger leapt into the darkness. Doubtless, he would be following Du Heng and would seek another way to cause harm in the future. But the cricket was less than concerned about the future. He was more intent on the present.
After ensuring that the crazed feline was actually gone, Mushu rushed out from under Kahn and climbed up to where he could see Mulan. Both he and Shang gave the female warrior a quick examination, trying to reassure that she was alright. She looked tired and paler than usual, but the dragon seemed so relieved. The reptile's injuries seemed to be nearly gone. All that were left were a few puncture marks where Wei's claws dug in.
"Girl, you should be home resting," the scaly guardian sighed. "Not galloping around in the dark after a maniac."
Chirping, Cri-Kee pointed out that in this case she was after Mushu, which made him the maniac. The serpentine creature glanced over at the insect.
"You are still one luck bug," he smiled.
"I think we should round up the others," suggested Shang. "I doubt we'll be able to find Du Heng now and Mulan needs to get back."
"I'm fine," she argued tiredly. "Really."
Her assertion was met with stern arguments by her husband, her guardian, and her lucky cricket. Even her mount looked at her harshly. The woman grinned slightly at her friends' concern and surrendered to their suggestion.
Before they could implement their plan, something began crashing through the underbrush. Mushu, unable to adopt his usual hiding place down the back of Mulan's shirt without aggravating her injuries, dashed down Shang's uniform. The man shouted in surprise as the serpentine creature crawled down his back.
"Oh, quiet," the reptile shot back. "You ran around shirtless all the time in training. If you chose to wear one now, that just means you can be my new hide-out."
Before he could argue further with the scaly guardian, Shang turned his attention back to the shapes coming towards them. Cri-Kee leapt to Mulan's shoulder as they watched the new arrivals.
Okay, I think I'll have at least one more chapter in this story. But I am nearing the end. I hope you enjoyed it. As always, reviews are deeply appreciated.