Chapter Eight: Discipline
By the time Crane, Po, Katayama, and Mr. Ping reached the clearing the light rain that had filled the morning hours had dissipated, leaving in its place the smell of humidity, wet grass, and a small rainbow that hung over the river. At seeing the rainbow, for no particular reason, Crane began to whistle; the tune was jovial and easily danceable to, its rhythm simple and calm. The song, one of Crane's own creation, entitled "The Gift of Mountain Rains", spoke of the beauty of nature, specifically rainbows, despite not having any lyrics. It was common among birds to be taught the gift of song at a young age, and despite cranes not necessarily being prone to the activity, Crane found it relaxing, especially before stressful situations, to occasionally belt out a tune.
"Any particular reason why you're whistling?" Katayama declared, annoyed, seeing no reason for it, especially given the circumstances.
Crane shrugged and stopped, he was done anyway, the song varying in length depending on his mood.
"Be like the bird who, upon falling from the broken branch, sings, grateful she hath wings" Crane declared, "Take the moments when you can and always hold your head up high: personal philosophy."
Katayama huffed and shook his head, for he neither understood Crane's reasoning nor did he care to understand it. He was more concerned with his village and the possibility of mauling the person responsible than reveling in the beauties of nature and spewing philosophy.
"Have you ever had your feathers ripped off one by one?" Katayama said, sarcastically and rhetorically, "Because frankly my fine feathered acquaintance you keep this up and you're going to find out just how painful that is."
Crane brushed him off casually and huffed, not because he did not believe the threat but because he knew that Katayama could not afford the luxury. Still, it was something to keep in mind, and so, as a precaution, he stopped whistling and then he stopped walking.
"What is it?" Katayama pressed, curious, "Let's go, we're wasting time!"
Crane raised his wing, bidding silence, and yet said nothing; becoming as a stiff as a tree, his head on a sudden swivel. Looking around 360 degrees, temporarily defying the laws of physics and behaving in a manner similar to his distant relatives, the owls, Crane scanned the horizon and then, that task completed, did the same with the sky. Above, he could see, faintly, a single star directly above him. Taking this as a sign, the bird breathed in and began stretching, the beginning of his formations.
"Po" Crane declared suddenly, "Do you remember what I taught you? Legs shoulder width apart, knees bent?"
Katayama stared at Crane in complete disbelief, they were too close in his opinion, to stop and train, much less for the sake of a panda.
"You can't be serious" Katayama said, mostly talking to himself, his face stoic and devoid of real emotion, "You're doing this now, of all times! We need to get to the village!"
Crane glared at the wolf and then at Po, who had given his things to Mr. Ping, who stood by in curiosity. Seeing this, Crane shook his head.
"Not on your life Mr. Ping" Crane declared, calling Ping out, "You wanted to come so you get to learn. Stand next to Po, same deal- legs shoulder length apart, knees bent. Roll your wings clockwise and your neck counterclockwise."
Mr. Ping stared at Crane hesitantly, and then at Po.
"Are you sure about this?" Mr. Ping began, "I'm not exactly the supplest of fellows."
Crane laughed and nodded in encouragement as he brought himself to balancing on one leg, finishing up his beginning exercises.
"Absolutely" Crane replied enthusiastically, "You're never too old to learn a new trick Ping. Now come on, loosen those muscles!"
Mr. Ping sighed and relented, doing as he was told and taking his place by his son, he began to stretch to the best of his ability. Katayama meanwhile, had grumpily found himself a place to sit in the dirt, scowling and for a moment, hating them all. This moment, however, was short-lived, as Crane, being the kind of person that he is, waved him over.
"Hey wolf, come over here!"
Sulking and wanting nothing to do with any one of them, beginning to regret his plea for help, Katayama made his way over, kicking dirt in his wounds to stop the bleeding and to the dull the pain. Because walking was still a chore, Katayama dragged himself, using his fore-paws to scrape and claw at the dirt clods and the mud, making a considerable effort; not because he was in great pain, but rather, to make the journey three times longer than necessary as well as the generate sympathy for his urgency.
"What in Asena's name do you want?" Katayama growled, his patience wearing thin as he righted himself, "Can't you see I'm busy dying over here?"
Crane smiled, Katayama's humor reminding him of Mantis, who was overly sarcastic, and perhaps of Monkey, who, like himself, was sometimes literal when it came to such things. Shaking his head and rolling his eyes, Crane, meeting the wolf half way, shouldered him to his feet and tended to his wounds the best his current means allowed him, by way of grass and mud.
"You're going to help me" Crane began, "Be my second, watch them, make sure they go through the motions correctly."
Katayama stopped for a moment, processing Crane's words. It didn't take him long to realize the request and then, understandably, he burst out laughing. The wolf's laugh, which was really a light howl given his nature, was long and sustained as if he had suddenly taken on the aspect of a horn that could only hit one note.
"Okay, real funny" Katayama exclaimed, taking a breath for himself, "You honestly think that I'm going to help you? How? In what condition am I in that makes you think I can help you train a lousy good-for-nothing goose and Mr. Eats-Too-Damn-Much a goddamn thing about kung fu?"
Po, who was busy eating yet another dumpling, stopped mid-bite and scowled, for Katayama had made no effort to lower his voice or to hide his opinion. Folding his arms and huffing, Po, insulted, stood firm and stomped his way over to the wolf. Mr. Ping, in response, began stammering, trying his best to make the words in his brain form in his mouth, and ultimately stood beside himself. The goose had only seen this one other time before, and the result ended up with Po in a sling and slightly bruised.
"Oh look at this" Katayama continued at Po's approach, "It's the Great Earthquake. Run everybody, he jumps once and we're all dead, better not make him angry!"
Crane, a concerned look on his face, stared at Katayama and then at Po, who remained undeterred by the barrage of insults. Instead of punching him in the face, one extreme, or crying, the other extreme, the panda did something rather unexpected, at least as far as Crane and Katayama were concerned, and proceeded to give the wolf a bear hug.
"Someone needs a hug" Po said, squeezing and lifting the wolf in the air, resulting in Katayama's futile struggle, "Were you not loved as a pup, is that it?"
Katayama grunted and squirmed, trying his best given his injuries to break free. It did not help that Po was squeezing the life out of him, opening up relatively healed wounds and causing him to howl, which Po took an answer.
"Don't cry" Po exclaimed, trying to comforting, petting the wolf's head, "Just let it out."
"Lay off!" Katayama growled, resisting the urge to bite Po's head, "You're crushing me for Asena's sake!"
Crane, at this point, had seen enough; placing a wing on Po, he bade that the wolf be released. Po did so and sheepishly smiled, trying to show his sincerity. Katayama, shaking himself and checking his brunt half, noticed that most of the dirt and mud that had been holding things in place had fallen off, in part due to time, and in part due to Po's excessive gesture of goodwill.
"Look at what you've done!" Katayama cried, now producing tears and allowing himself to cry, pitifully trying to rectify the damage, "Stupid panda. It's hard enough keeping myself together as it is, I don't need your help."
Crane nodded and silently motioned for Po to return to his post, after which he turned back to the wolf, only to discover that he had made his way to the riverbank, in a desperate attempt to soothe his wounds.
"Students!" Crane declared, raising his voice to grab Po and Mr. Ping's attention, "The first thing that every kung-fu master will tell you is: find your stance. Your stance is the first step to finding your form. For example: right foot slight extended behind you, knee slightly bent. Left foot, firm in the ground like a tree."
Po took the stance pretty quickly, Mr. Ping however, was having trouble. Crane, refusing to give up on either of them, immediately changed tactics and abandoned the stance technique all together. Curling his wing into a fist he casually demonstrated a punch and then a jump kick; Po, succeeding at the punch, and Mr. Ping finding ease with the kick. This immediately gave Crane an idea, and so, he switched tactics a third time.
"Use your strengths" Crane suggested, "Mr. Ping, you were given wings for a reason, use them. Po, you're a panda. What are pandas good at besides eating?"
Po shrugged and turned towards Mr. Ping, for in all honesty he had no idea; the goose, in response, immediately became uneasy, for the topic was never really discussed in the household. Mr. Ping often feared the day when Po asked about his origins, but he also feared that he would become everything that his kind was known for, which in honesty, wasn't much. Like cranes, Mr. Ping assumed that pandas were predominately farmers and perhaps herders, of what he had no idea, but the thought crossed his mind.
"Farming" Mr. Ping replied, answering for Po, "Pandas mostly keep to themselves, why do you think no one sees them?"
Crane smiled from ear to ear at this, an idea forming in his head. Turning towards Po, his eyes comically shifty, internally congratulating himself, Crane laughed; and as his brain applauded his apparent ingenuity, he began, just as he done before in Po's bedroom, to sculpt a warrior. Walking over to the panda, the crane began adjusting Po's feet, reverting to their normal resting position; for the arms, Crane placed them in the center of the bear's mass; forcing Po to look directly ahead.
"Alright" Crane said, stepping away and admiring his work even though he did relatively little, "Attack me."
Po and Mr. Ping looked at each other and then at Crane, their faces confused and slightly concerned, for Crane had suddenly become filled with the fire of the fight, one of the signs that he was indeed, still very much a member of the Furious Five in his mind, no matter what he said to others. Mr. Ping, having seen many exhibitions in his time, and two with Crane, saw this and smiled; for now he suspected that Lao Din would fade, the alias no more and once again Crane would appear with pride. Po, for his part, stood beside himself in partial fear and concern, the word "attack" affecting him, for he had no interest in hurting anyone, much less Crane, who did nothing to deserve such treatment.
"Come then" Crane continued, prying, focusing his energy on Po, "Show me the Mighty Po, Protector of the Valley of Peace!"
It was then that Katayama came out of left field, tackling Crane to the ground and pinning him to the dirt.
"How about Katayama the Scorned?" the wolf exclaimed, jeering, "Do you think you can take me on?"
Crane, confused, decided to humor him and pushed Katayama off; standing up, and preparing himself, the bird took the offense and casually began to circle his adversary. No sooner did this Crane do this, did Katayama see an opening and lunge for Po, prompting Mr. Ping to go on the defense; the wolf stopping just short of tackling the goose, and subsequently Po, to the ground.
"Your instincts fail you goose" Katayama said, chastising, "No matter how commendable they may be, in the end they only prove your weakness. Now, I'm going to try it again, this time let Po take the initiative, he's never going to learn properly if you keep protecting him."
Mr. Ping nodded and hung his head in shame, to which Katayama instantly denied him the luxury of, smiling and laughing to himself. Crane, who had relaxed, nodded in turn.
"Never be ashamed for protecting those you love" Crane declared as he walked over, "It's how every parent should be."
Mr. Ping smiled and bowed respectfully, he wasn't entirely as to why, but he suddenly felt the need, having almost made a point to do so when given a great compliment. Katayama, satisfied, returned to his starting point, Crane following him.
"Why are you doing this?" Crane asked, slightly concerned, his eyebrows raised, "What about your wounds?"
Katayama huffed, partially insulted and brushed him off; the question seemed irrelevant as far as he was concerned. His wounds would heal in time, even if it hurt to move with every solitary step he made. As for his reasoning, anything to move in a forward direction he considered progress towards his revenge goal.
"If we're going into hell they need to be ready" Katayama said, answering the question without really answering the question, "They need resolve. And you- you just need to grow a spine."
Crane stopped and hung his head, surprise and shame coming in at the same time, resulting in mixed emotions and confusion. Katayama laughed at this and shook his head pitifully.
"What you thought you could hide from me?" Katayama continued, stopping to turn and begin the exercise, "I know you Imperial City types- always think themselves so above everyone else, so humble, so perfect."
Crane raised his eyebrows; he wasn't sure if he should be offended or if he should agree, he decided for the former and nonchalantly stood in front of Katayama, at the same time making it rather obvious to Mr. Ping and to Po, that they were having a private conversation.
"What are you saying?" Crane pried, "Are you prejudiced against city dwellers?"
Katayama laughed and shook his head again, his pity only growing for Crane and his feigned attempt at offensive.
"It is the city dwellers who are prejudiced" Katayama corrected, clarifying, "But then again you would all about prejudices wouldn't you, Gōngfū lăoshī?"
The wolf stopped for a moment, waiting for Crane's response; he said nothing, the bird's head staring squarely at the ground. Katayama, unforgivingly, continued.
"Why did you leave the Palace? What could possibly be out here that is worth searching for?"
Crane smiled sheepishly, for technically he had an answer to the question even if he didn't necessarily believe it whole-heartedly yet.
"Happiness" Crane replied, "Just a little bit of happiness. See what I've been missing."
Katayama smiled and nodded, for wolves had a saying for that as well; he did not air it however, not because it wasn't particularly good, but because it wasn't needed. As he charged, beginning the exercise once again, tackling Po to the ground, Katayama, in his head, wondered if he ever knew what happiness was; he rationalized that he did.
Po, standing up and brushing himself off, casually wiping the blood that had dribbled from his mouth, rolled his neck and got into his battle ready stance. He began chanting to himself in Old Mandarin, which he only knew through the extensive study of a single text, The Art of Jungle War by the reclusive military strategist, Sun Tzu-Hǔ. Mr. Ping, meanwhile, in addition to restraining himself, took to the sky to be greeted by Crane, who began teaching simple formations and the basics of aerial combat.
"You're thinking too much Fat-Ass" Katayama berated as he returned, having just beaten Po for the third time, "You call yourself a warrior? Warriors don't have time to think in the heat of battle! Thinking is what gets people killed. Stop thinking and start feeling. Forget form, forget function. Assume nothing. Anyone that attacks you is trying to kill you. Hold nothing back."
Katayama charged again; Po, for his part, stepped casually to the left, laughing to himself as the wolf breezed past him, running almost to the tree line before realizing his error. Grumbling, annoyed that he had played, Katayama hatefully trudged his way back to Po and pulled him down to his knees, yanking on his ear.
"You will run around this field until you puke blood" Katayama declared viciously, "You will not eat, you will not sleep, until I say otherwise. Now get!"
Po, concerned and confused by the order, casually pulled Katayama's paw off of his ear and then gave him another bear hug. Katayama, howling in pain, for once again the panda was squeezing his wounds, growled and went to his last resort, biting Po's head, making sure to aim for the nearest ear- it wasn't enough to cause any serious damage, but it did draw some blood, particularly in the back of the head.
"Don't you ever hug me again" Katayama exclaimed, sub-sequentially being released, "Touch me and you die."
Po nodded and sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. Katayama, at seeing this, glared up at Crane and Mr. Ping, who were hovering above, talking, presumably about technique, and then back at Po. Taking a long sigh, the wolf hung his head and motioned for Po to follow him, which he complied. Walking to the river and staring at the village just beyond, Katayama looked at his home and then gave a mournful howl. Katayama had only given the mournful howl one other time in his life, after his best friend was killed in a pack dispute over leadership, despite the fact that many other equally sad events had happened in his life to warrant such a display. It was a howl that spoke of many things besides sadness and grief, it was one that spoke of memory, of a specific time and place, of friendship and love. It was the kind of howl that was reserved, at least for Katayama, for special occasions that he deemed worthy of honor and remembrance. Po, looking at the wolf, could hear only bits of these qualities, mostly sadness and grief, but also of time, he did not say so however, on account of allowing the moment to exist, but he still thought about it all the same. A few minutes later, Katayama, still sitting on the bank of the river, stood up and carefully made his way across. Po, having grown concerned for the wolf, followed him, in part out of curiosity and in part out of the sense for adventure.
The scorched earth was still warm when they reached the village square. Surrounded by piles of ash and bodies of the rotting dead, files gathering around the corpses for an evening feast, Katayama and Po could only look on in horror and disbelief. The smell was sickening and made their heads spin and jeer; the sight was even worse, the images burned into their brains a permanent one, images that could only be subdued and never fully forgotten, either by time or space.
"What happened here?" a voice said from behind, that of Mr. Ping, who had landed with Crane, "Who could have done this? And why?"
Crane removed his hat and fell to his knees, refusing to believe what he was now in the midst of. Staring at Po, and then at Katayama, and finally Mr. Ping, the bird slowly began to think of a plan of action, it was crazy and partially insane, but it was at least a plan- a plan that led to the answers to Mr. Ping's questions. Pacing around the space, taking in the area and noting the signs and markings of interest: the ash piles, the burn circle, and the piles of the dead, Crane immediately began to see a pattern. Flying high and looking down, in the debris and smoke and ash, there was a message, a single symbol of a crane nesting in a shriveled tree.