Chapter Two: Rites, Rituals and Their Meaning
The next morning Crane woke up with a crick in his back and a less than cheery disposition; his dreams the night before plagued by nightmares and whispers that he did not recognize. Still, despite this, he felt as if he had an obligation, to Shifu and the rest of the Five, as well as to the people, who were expecting a performance. It was strange, to think of something that they had been training for their entire lives as nothing more than a mere stunt: an act. Tigress in particular, had disdain for the whole affair, for she hated public relation activities, having much preferred training or patrol.
"We shouldn't be doing this" Tigress grumbled as she entered the courtyard, stretching, "It's a waste of time."
Crane, who was behind her, laughed and shook his head pitifully. He was much more inclined to mingle with the populace than the others, in part because of his personal philosophy and in part because he was naturally socially awkward and so, always made an effort to be in an many social situations as possible.
"Come on" Crane said encouragingly, "It's not that bad. Besides these people need something to look forward to, something to hope for. Who says we can't be that positive influence?"
Tigress growled, she had already received a lecture from Shifu, about how it was important for the Five to maintain connections with the people, lest they stop believing in their abilities and upset the fragile balance of the universe; she did not need a second from Crane, whom as far as she was concerned was little more than an inductee and not worthy to even walk in her shadow.
"It's ridiculous" Tigress exclaimed, annoyed, "We should be out on patrol or training, not pandering to commoners who could care less about us."
Crane sighed and shook his head, although in a strange way he understood Tigress' position, for she was always serious and never one to take jokes lightly, he also understood the meaning of kung-fu; it was not merely a defense mechanism or a skill one learned to feel superior, it was a state of being, a representation of discipline and patience, the essence of one who knew how to fight yet chose not to. Titling his head slightly, in an attempt to show visual concern, Crane tried to reason with Tigress.
"Yesterday you talked about tradition" Crane began, slowly, trying to break Tigress' mental barriers, as well as her sense of honor, "Training, meditation, the Way, all of it is connected; you cannot have one without the others. As for the people, it is better that they live in ignorance. Were they to know the truth, that this world is a cruel place filled with danger and despair, their lives would be full of nothing misery and pain."
Tigress huffed in disbelief, hating the fact that Crane was using her sentiments the day before to get to her; annoyed that he had spoken the truth, or at least a good portion of it.
"When are you ever going to stop being so righteous?" Tigress asked, "Can't you just let me stew for a few minutes?"
Crane laughed and shook his head once more in denial, for it was the kind of unhappiness and festering that was not required, only needed for its own sake.
"I have no interest seeing you in a cooking pot" Crane joked, "Besides I'd doubt it be any good, negativity can ruin any meal. I find it's much better to eat in the company of friends with horrible food than be surrounded by a great feast with people you can't stand."
Tigress smiled a bit, Crane's joke dry and relatively humorless, the wisdom of the truism overpowering whatever humorous qualities the joke possessed; still, this was Crane's way. It was not so much the act of making someone laugh, it was the effort of trying and the endearment involved that made Tigress open herself up, a thing that happened rarely and usually under special circumstances.
"See" Crane continued in an I-told-you-so fashion, gently wrapping a wing around the tiger's shoulder, "Much better isn't it?"
Shifu emerged from the threshold of the front gate, before him the closed doors of the palace. He stared at each of the Five and smiled, confident in their ability.
"You all know what this means" Shifu began, "It is time for the Dragon Warrior to be chosen."
The Master then began to pace, continuing his speech he walked down the line, passing in order: Tigress, Mantis, Viper, Monkey, and Crane. In the style of a montage, Shifu, for no particular reason, fashioned his words to fit attributes that he believed best described the person he was in front of, as well as those of the Dragon Warrior.
"The tiger" Shifu continued, "Symbol of strength and bravery. Admirable qualities for leadership, yet often lacking in focus and discipline."
Tigress nodded, recognizing this as a compliment while at the same time being reminded of her faults. She knew that in many ways the weaknesses of one were complimented by the other; in her case, what she lacked in focus and discipline she found in Mantis, who was traditionally associated with mystery, and Crane, who represented various things, among them being wisdom and determination.
By the time Shifu reached Crane the gong that was to begin the exhibition had been rung, still, regardless, he felt that something needed to be said, if nothing else for a sudden belief in luck.
"The crane; among the pines a symbol of wealth and power, intense determination. Yet, when among the skies where it is happiest, wisdom and nobility. Ultimately, these are nothing compared to the signs of a long, happy life."
The gong sounded a second time, the cue for Shifu to take his leave and for the Five to appear.
"Remember" Shifu said as he stepped away, moving to the side as to allow them amble room to move, "Keep it simple and keep it short-"
Shifu glanced towards Mantis and Monkey, giving them a slight evil eye.
"Especially you two" he exclaimed, "No feats of strength, no contests. That's not what this is about."
Mantis and Monkey huffed half-sarcastically, for they knew that Shifu had only mentioned it to get on their nerves; they would never stoop to such low levels as to compete during an exhibition for the people. It was both dishonorable and pretentious, which is something that they both hated in equal measure.
With the opening of the gates came the end of the gong, and subsequently, the roar of the applause of the large crowd that had gathered before the ancient temple that had stood the test of time. Because the Five was in part, hierarchal in nature, Tigress went first; jumping from the left side of the makeshift stage over a small wall. She was followed by Mantis, who came in directly from the temple, doing a quick exercise and then ceasing, taking in the scene before him. Next was Viper, who slithered in from the grass as she fast as she was able, demonstrating her speed and agility; next came Monkey, who came from the right, having climbed on top of the gate during Tigress' entrance. Crane was last, and, having the most time, decided to make his entrance from his tree, gliding down and gracefully coming around to the stage after making a quick circle of the crowd.
It was during the applause and cheers of the crowd, in the middle of Viper's entrance, that Grandmaster Oogway appeared from the temple, the tortoise having started his day in the early morning by the fig tree that rested on the cliff face on the sealed section of the complex, only accessible to members, and only then in great need. It had taken him a total of three and half hours for Oogway to make the journey from the fig tree to the front door of the palace, for the tortoise, in addition to being incredibly slow and lacking all sense of punctuality, was also extremely old; almost a century and a quarter in literal years.
Shifu, in an attempt to speed the process along, ran behind Oogway and began to push, after a few seconds of this and failing to make any significance progress, Oogway got the hint and retreated inside of his shell.
"Push Shifu" Oogway instructed, slowly, as was his nature, "I know how much time means to you."
Without even so much as questioning anything, for the sake of time, Shifu did as he was told and kicked Oogway as hard as he could, effectively rocketing him forward past the stage and into the crowd only to be caught by Crane just as the tortoise would have hit the ground. Returning to the stage with Oogway, struggling in the effort for he was heavier than he appeared to be, Crane noticed out of the corner of his eye a bull, who was slowly agitating a poor and meekly goose.
The bull, whose name was Torus, was snorting a large puff of air towards the goose in an attempt to be as threatening as possible. The decorative ring that adorned his flaring nostrils moved up and down with each puff, clinking subtly and forming an unsettling rhythm which the bull's body followed with tenacity. The goose, on the other hand, who wore a simple garment made of wool and a conical hat that was way too big for his head, was trembling in fear. If it were physiologically possible, the waterfowl would have been laying eggs, but being a male of the species, only began to molt, shaking violently.
"I've been very patient with you" Torus exclaimed, trying to contain himself, "But I need recompense. Give me what is owed."
The goose nodded and reached into its pocket, pulling out a meager coin purse and throwing it into the bull's hand.
"Here" the goose answered, "250 coins, everything I have. Please, just take it."
Torus grunted and grabbed the collar of the bird's shirt, almost ripping it in half as he brought him as close to his face as he would allow.
"250!" Torus continued, "You expect me to take 250? Where's the rest of it?"
The goose began to squawk and squirm, trying his best and failing to break himself free. At realizing this he did the only thing he could do and began to laugh nervously, hoping against hope that he would play on the bull's sympathies.
"Come on Torus we're friends!" The goose began, "We've known each other for years. When everyone said that bulls couldn't run china shops who told them otherwise?"
Torus huffed and shook his head, "As I recall you were one of the first ones to start laughing!" he replied, "What, just because I'm a bull means I can't run a shop full of breakable items that are overpriced, virtually meaningless and aesthetically unappealing? How dare you Ping! After everything that I've given you, all that I've done!"
Torus, more out of mixed feelings and pain than rage, threw Ping down to the ground as hard as he could and proceeded to swing his fist. Under normal circumstances, Torus' fist would have hit the hapless Ping square in the face, breaking his beak, knocking out a good bit of his teeth, and effectively giving him two black eyes; but this was not under normal circumstances, for it just so happened to be during the exhibition of the Dragon Warrior and so, Torus' fist was countered by Crane, who upon seeing the encounter did the only thing that he could do.
"That's enough Torus" Crane said, his wings raised, covering his body in order to protect himself should the bull perceive him as a threat, "Go home. Don't make this any more difficult than it has to be."
Torus stopped for a moment and blinked, refusing to believe that Crane, or any of the Five would take the time to know his name. As far as he was concerned the world cared nothing for him, only given due attention when blame was needed or when a crime had been committed despite Torus being a generally upstanding citizen. This sudden realization, and upon Crane's lack of fear and complete and total composure, brought Torus to his knees, his head lowered in reverence and partial shame.
Tigress and the other members of the Five remained on the platform, confused and generally bewildered as to what was going on. Tigress, for her part, could only think about how much Crane had ruined the entire ceremony, for the scuffle had interrupted Oogway's rites, the coronation ritual of the Dragon Warrior. Viper, in contrast, stood in complete and total awe, a small smile on her face, remembering Shifu's words from the day before as well as something that Crane had said time and time again about his own inadequacy.
"I am nothing special" Crane had said once, "I'm just trying to do what anyone else would do-"
Crane began to relax, Torus rose and sighed, staring at Ping with regretful and sorrowful eyes, they spoke of pity and forgiveness. The goose smiled and stepped forward, now next to Crane and casually pushed him aside.
"It's okay" Ping said reassuringly to Crane, who immediately took the defense as soon as Ping made himself known, "Just two friends talking."
Ping stared at Torus for a few seconds and smiled, straightening his over-sized hat on the top of his head and shaking himself out, for he was considerably ruffled, Ping bowed his head and reached into his pocket once more. It was not gold or jewelry, but instead a picture of himself, a small panda, and Torus.
"Do you remember this?" Ping said, his voice as soft as possible, "His first birthday. You helped me Torus, when it was too hard, when I felt like quitting, you brought me back."
Torus nodded, for he did remember; he remembered a lot of things, but he also remembered that he had once lent money to Ping during a time when business was slow and nonexistent. Now, the time had come for compensation.
"That doesn't change anything" Torus declared, "I have a family of my own to support, you know that."
Crane, feeling pity for the both of them, slowly began searching his pockets, ultimately finding a meager coin purse of 300 coins and a broken sealed letter, the seal bearing the mark of his family.
"Take this" Crane said, throwing the purse at Torus' feet, "May it settle all debts and prevent the airing of further grievances."
Torus picked up the coin purse and counted, he shook his head in solace and sighed, for even if it was combined with Ping's amount it still would not be enough to cover his needs. Still, if only to prevent more argument and a possible beating from Crane, Torus relented and bowed with all the grace and dignity he could find.
"Let it never be said that Torus the bull did not recognize a gift when he received it" the bull exclaimed, "You have my thanks; may you be blessed with long life and good fortune."
As Torus took his leave, wading through the crowd and into the city center, Crane could only look after him, wondering why it was that he accepted the gift so freely without further debate or discussion; perhaps, he thought, it was because he was so desperate that arguing the point further would belittle his need.
It was at this moment that the remaining members of the Five, Shifu, and Oogway, made their way over, the time for contemplation and wonder having ceased, in favor of curiosity. Crane turned towards them, his smile meek and partially submissive, especially in regards to Tigress, whose folded arms and glaring, piercing eyes made her opinion clear.
"What the hell was that?" Tigress declared, unable to restrain herself, "Do you realize what you've done?"
Crane nodded, certain in his resolve.
"Yes" the bird replied, "I helped someone in need. Since when is that a crime?"
Tigress groaned and huffed, annoyed that Crane was once again trying to play on her sympathies.
"Interrupting the Dragon Warrior ceremony is a heinous offense!" Tigress berated, "It dishonors our traditions."
Crane laughed and rolled his eyes, amazed at Tigress' words and their arrogance. He found it difficult to believe that someone who claimed to follow the Way and train under Shifu and Oogway would have such high opinions of ceremonies and traditions that meant relatively little in terms of the position that they carried.
"We're supposed to be protectors of the peace" Crane defended, "Followers of the Way."
Mantis and Monkey laughed, not out of disrespect, more out of the way Crane said his piece, taking an overly serious approach to what was supposed to be a relaxed and loose tradition.
"Relax a minute bird-brain" Mantis exclaimed, half joking, "There's no need to get your feathers in a ruffle."
Crane huffed and shook his head, "I'm perfectly calm thank you" Crane continued, "Figures you would take her side though. I always did get the short end of the stick."
Crane turned to Oogway and sighed, rubbing the feathers on his head in order to give himself something to do. His mind slowly began pulling and tugging at his heart, he wanted to say everything that had been clouding his mind for years, the reasons behind his meditation, to speak of the family that he once had; instead he hung his head in shame and cried.
"Why did you choose me?" Crane declared, speaking to Oogway, who only leaned on his staff and nodded patiently, as if he had already heard Crane's words before they were even spoken, "What good is a rice farmer in a temple like this?"
Oogway said nothing and slowly turned away, making the slow back to the temple. Crane, for his part, nodded and returned his gaze to the Five, only for Shifu to stand between them.
"What do you want?" Crane asked, in no mood for discussion, "Look at me, I'm pathetic."
Shifu sighed, it was painful and sad, still Crane detected a small whisper of hope. He glanced behind him to discover that the goose, Ping, was still present, waiting patiently as if something was on his mind.
"See to your friend Crane" Shifu instructed carefully, "Maybe he can make things clearer."
Crane turned around and stared at Ping, who humbly bowed as if he were standing before the Emperor himself. Shifu, meanwhile, ushered the others back to the platform while the crowd before the temple began to disperse, seeing no reason to stay for nothing.
"You don't have to do that" Crane said, annoyed and a bit hurt, "I'm not who you think I am."
The goose shook his head in denial and smiled, extending his wing in greeting, deciding to be proper.
"Mr. Ping" he exclaimed, "It is an honor Mister Crane. Are you hungry, do you need anything?"
Crane looked up for a moment, trying to remember if he had breakfast or if he had skipped it once again. If memory served him correctly the only thing he had was a rice cake, barely substantial and hardly considered a meal.
"I'm starting to get a little peckish" Crane admitted, "Why, you know a good place to eat?"
Mr. Ping nodded and casually laughed to himself, gesturing the crane to follow; Crane looked back at the temple, the platform was still there and Oogway was not yet even five feet away and still within earshot. Part of him wanted to help Oogway back into the palace, if only to try and earn with the other members of the Five, but another part of him, told him to follow Mr. Ping. Deciding that it wouldn't make a difference whether he did anything or not to help Oogway in terms of how the Five saw him, Crane resigned himself to Mr. Ping's company and walked down the street, blending in with the last few stragglers from the exhibition.