Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda (obviously), and no money is being made from this; this is for pure entertainment. But the OCs and the text below do belong to me, so please do not use without my consent.
Mostly filler this time around, but there's going to be a lot of stuff happening very soon, trust me. I'm hoping to address a few concerns that came up after "Present" ended, particularly Tai and Mei's relationship, and a little more about Mei's past. Also—and this will likely prove to be a trope throughout this fic—I will probably make a few Tai/Po shippers very happy ;)
Without further ado, enjoy!
Chapter 5: Into the Woods
It took about a day and a half to reach the Thread of Hope, marching double-time. The whole time, while Po panted and wheezed, struggling to keep up with his feline companion, he kept wondering whether Tai Lung would accompany him across the bridge, or return home. The snow leopard had not been explicitly clear about what he would do. Po mused over the options both of them had, and if his friend's reticent silence was any indication, Tai Lung was debating the same things.
They stopped just short of the first span, looking out over the gorge called the Devil's Mouth, a rather apt name because the spires that jutted up from the mists looked suspiciously like massive black fangs.
"How did you cross that without freaking out?" Po asked, feeling slightly nauseous at the thought of having to cross it. "I'm nowhere near the bridge and I'm getting the creeps."
"I may be afraid of certain things, Po," Tai Lung explained, dropping his bag at his feet and stretching out his back. "Fear of heights isn't one of them."
"So that's how you were able to fight on that bridge?" the panda asked, pointing at the span directly in front of them.
"Well…" he paused. "That, and I was pretty focused on getting the Scroll at the time. I didn't think of anything else, really." The snow leopard glanced at his friend and nodded his head back. "Why don't you go rest? You look tired."
"Wonder why?" Po asked, plodding back to sit under a tall pine; Tai Lung ignored the sarcastic retort. Dropping his pack by his side, Po leaned back against the scratchy bark and breathed in the crisp clean scent of pine needles. He rubbed his aching feet, sighing as Tai Lung knelt next to him. "I know you wanna get back home and all, but isn't rushing to get here a little much?"
"I don't like leaving her there, all alone," the feline said, staring back at the way they came. "I don't like it at all. And I doubt she's perfectly alright with it."
"Yeah, but Mei seems pretty accommodating," Po pointed out.
"That's what worries me," he muttered. The panda overheard, giving him a curious look. Tai Lung caught the glance and sat cross-legged, tugging absentmindedly at his sleeve. "She won't say it, but I can tell, sometimes…maybe she still thinks she's married to her ex."
"If you reminded her of that guy, why would she marry you at all?" Po asked.
"I assume because she loved me, and that I loved her," Tai Lung said. He sighed through his nose and brought his knees up to his chest, resting his arms on them. "Sure, when we first met, we weren't exactly civil with one another. But since I started courting her, I've never treated her with an ounce of disrespect. Yet she has these little habits that bother me. Sometimes…you know me, I get frustrated from the work I do—"
"Because you're a perfectionist."
"Yes, panda, because I am a perfectionist," he gritted out, hating to be reminded of that fact again; yet, he was secretly proud of being a Type-A person. "I haven't gotten angry in a long time…you've only seen me completely enraged about twice since you've known me. Shifu can only count on one hand how many times he's ever seen me truly pissed, in my entire life. Yet I show the least bit of irritation, and she starts apologizing, trying to calm me down in every way she knows how. But you know, that only makes me more annoyed. She's not a burden to me, and I'm sick of her saying so. I like doing things for her, and I thought she knew that!"
Po looked down at the pine needles and ventured, "Tai, she was with that guy for ten years…and before that, I bet her dad didn't treat her too well, either, right?"
He nodded, "That's right. I suppose any father who would sell his daughter to settle a debt can't think too highly of her."
"My point exactly," the panda theorized. "You're probably the first guy who ever treated her like a person, like she was valued. I bet she's not used to that."
Tai Lung thought back to an incident two years before, when he had yelled at her: "I don't need an ulterior motive to be nice to you". And he didn't, he never did. If he did have an intention, it was to…well, to make up for scaring the living daylights out of her the night she stabbed him, and to make up for the mistreatment she had run away from (not to mention all the arguments and nasty comments they'd exchanged before they started dating). And he realized he was still doing it.
Was that why he was so angry? Well, angry was perhaps too strong a word…annoyed, maybe? "The past year, I've done everything to make her feel loved and wanted, to make her feel appreciated, so that she knows how much I love her. But you know what bothers me the most, right now?"
"What's that?" Po asked.
"It's that she thinks I deserve our baby. She calls it my baby, when she's the one carrying it!" he complained, gritting his teeth. "My baby, as if both of them were property!"
"Tai Lung," Po said sternly. "You can't expect to reverse a lifetime of abuse in two years. You guys've only been married a year, y'know."
"But why can't she see I'm not like the other men she's known?" he begged, pointing out, "She doesn't act this way around Dalang or Shifu…"
"What about your dad? Does she act like that around him?"
Tai Lung paused to think about it, then realized, "…Yes. Yes, a number of times, actually. I thought…at the time, maybe his career as an assassin was what bothered her." He turned to look at Po. "Do you…you don't think she's afraid of…"
"Of male snow leopards?" Po finished. "It's possible. I mean, look at the first two examples she had."
Tai Lung hung his head and gritted his teeth. "If I ever meet her ex again, or her father, I'll kill them both." He looked up at Po's stern look. "Oh fine, maybe I'd just maim them." Po arched a nonplussed eyebrow. "May I at least punch them?"
"That might kill them."
"What about threats?"
"When you're still technically a criminal on the run? Making threats alone might getcha thrown in jail. Shifu had a point, you know; leaving the Valley could be a death sentence for you…"
"Which is precisely why we're not bringing attention to ourselves," he said, casting his eyes over the expanse of the Thread of Hope.
Po paused, his brows furrowed in confusion. "…Why do you always do that?"
The snow leopard stared, puzzled, "Always do what?"
"Always think so negatively?" Po said, leaning forward on his crossed knees. "That can't be Shifu talking, not all of it."
Tai Lung fell silent, then dropped his gaze, "You're not used to this, so I'm going to break it to you now, rather than you finding out the hard way: Life isn't all flowers and sunshine. Sometimes you're born with a bad hand, and die with a bad hand. Looking on the bright side of life doesn't work for everyone."
"But why not?" Po asked, debating. "People who are always downers aren't nice to be around, but if they looked at what they had, and appreciated it, then they wouldn't be so sad, would they?"
"It's not that simple," the snow leopard said. "You've been blessed with so much, and suffered so little. By the time I was your age, I had suffered worse than any man ever should. Forgive me, but a part of me is glad you're going on this mission so that you learn what loss really feels like."
Po didn't know how to respond to this confession. He was mad, of course, that his best friend seemingly wished ill upon him, but he was also sad to realize that…perhaps prison had been worse than Tai Lung had ever admitted. Shifu had said once, at Tai Lung's wedding no less, that the snow leopard had been such a happy child, and a bright-eyed, innocent youth, full of potential and awe at all of life's wonders. Shifu had also stated that he had no idea what had happened to that little boy, and echoed the panda's sentiments that prison must have been worse than the snow leopard ever said.
Po knew about the flashbacks. Tai Lung had confessed to it, but never discussed them. All he had done was explained that sometimes it happened, without warning, but that there was really nothing to be alarmed about, but that didn't stop Po from worrying. The first time Tai Lung suffered from one in front of Po, the panda honestly thought his friend had a heart attack. It had scared him, and though the snow leopard wouldn't admit it, the episode probably scared him too.
"I wish you'd talk to me about it," Po said.
Knowing exactly what he meant, Tai Lung set his jaw and refused. "There are some things you're better off not knowing." After a pause, he said softly, "Sometimes its not prison. Recently, it's been the Jiao war."
Po nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I still get nightmares about that."
"I'm glad I'm not the only one." His tone implied that was a gross understatement.
"He almost killed us," Po said, in a slightly disembodied way. "I mean, how close did we come to dying?"
"Too close," Tai Lung said, remembering the Spectral Plane where he had finally met his mother Nima. As much as he loved and missed her, he wasn't quite ready to join her on the other side. "I look at all I have now, and how little I had then, and wondered what would have happened if I had died. It's silly, morbid, as much as I know I shouldn't obsess over it, I still wonder…what if I had died, and not Dalang's brother? It should have been me, so why wasn't it?"
"Because you're the Phoenix Warrior, and Shang wasn't?"
The feline gave him a flat look. "Po, there's no proof."
"I think the cloud that formed over you after defeating Jiao Shen was pretty convincing. If you don't think that's enough, come to the Temple with me and find that proof!" Po challenged.
"Panda," Tai Lung said, growling. "I know what my priorities are…"
Po accused, "And what about that nightmare you had the other night, right before we left, with our enemy attacking your family? What happened to that?" As soon as the last word left his mouth, Po choked, frozen with shock. What nightmare? Tai Lung hadn't said anything about…
Tai Lung froze as well, openly gaping at the panda. Po gasped, and realized with surprise, "How did I know about that?"
"…How did you know about that?" his companion questioned, bewildered.
Po looked up at him, completely flabbergasted, and tried to rationalize, "I dunno. I guess I just…I mean, there's no way you ever change your mind about something unless there's some sort of divine intervention…It's true!" he affirmed at the feline's scowl. "Not only are you a perfectionist, but you're totally stubborn too!"
"Of course I'm stubborn, Po," Tai Lung said with an eye-roll. "I'm a cat."
"I'm serious, Tai. But…man, I really don't know how I knew…what else happened in that dream anyway?"
He saw the snow leopard shiver, the fur rising on the back of his neck.
"Do I wanna know?"
"A lot of people died in that dream," Tai Lung whispered. "It…well, it sealed the deal. I'll be straight, so that you understand: I will go to Tibet, but I'll only be a short while, then I'll come home."
Just as Shifu suggested, Po thought. "That's fine. Seriously, if I need to stay for longer, that's cool. This Sun Bear guy can teach me a lot. You don't really need teaching, so I bet he'll let you go, considering the circumstances."
"I hope you're right."
They both looked over the span that disappeared into the clouds, then looked back at each other.
"Can we try crossing that in the morning?" Po asked.
"Of course we can. Not even I am mad enough to attempt that at night," Tai Lung scoffed. "Shifu didn't raise a fool."
They had a simple dinner over a small fire, which made strange shadows dance amongst the trees, like ghosts haunting their steps. The panda and snow leopard were on high alert, despite the fact they were still in the Valley proper; this was still an area known for bandit activity. It would serve them well to get into the habit of cautiousness, for once they crossed the bridge they would be at the mercy of both highwaymen and the Imperial Army. After the meager food, Po offered to take first watch, and give Tai Lung time to rest. The snow leopard almost declined, knowing how exhausted his friend had to be, but couldn't deny the wave of fatigue that had swept over him after his meal.
He made a bed out of dry pine needles and settled down for a cat nap, trying to calm his rising anxieties and racing thoughts. His attempts, he knew, wouldn't amount to much, and he prepared for a night of fitful sleep. Upon closing his eyes, however, that sleep further eluded him, when he got the feeling that he was being watched.
He cracked open an eye to see who his spy was, and found himself face to face with a pair of vibrant green eyes…that were unnervingly close to his face.
He jumped up with a shout and scuttled back, panting from the sudden adrenaline response. As he calmed himself down, he realized two things: one, he was no longer at the Thread of Hope, and two, those eyes belonged to neither Po nor Oogway.
"First of all," he gasped. "Please don't do that again. And I mean that in the most respectful way, Mrs. Jiao."
"That's Ming Hua," the spectral tigress corrected. "Your mother knew me too well to have her son call me 'Mrs. Jiao'." And she had a point. Nevertheless, Jiao Ming Hua stood before him as a ghostly visitation, garbed in white, her maternal gaze watching over him. Unlike the first time he had seen her, following her eldest son's death, she looked neither happy nor tranquil, if her fretful expression was any indication.
Tai Lung looked about, finding himself in the now-familiar Spectral Plane, the link between the mortal and spirit worlds. Much like earlier occurrences through meditation (and his own near-death experience), he was in an eternally green version of Wudan Mountain, though currently the sky was as dark as the one his body currently slept under…but none of this settled his unease. Ming Hua's visible agitation didn't help. Sensing that her years married to Shen were a touchy issue, he quickly changed the subject. "Well, I've been here enough through meditation to know I'm not dead, so what am I doing here? And where is Oogway? And my mum?"
"Oogway can no longer appear to you, Tai Lung," the feline spirit said, "The greater spirits have assigned him to Po. As for your mother…" she paused. "She is otherwise occupied."
He processed this information, feeling slightly depressed that he couldn't see her—and had not seen her for a good few months, actually—yet he smiled hopefully, instantly assuming, "She's watching over Mei Xing, isn't she?"
"Something like that, yes…" she said haltingly. "But that is not why I'm here. You are in grave danger."
"Is this a thing with spirits, telling mortals that 'we are all going to die'?"
"Eventually," she frowned, rolling her eyes in a way Tai Lung had only seen Dalang execute. "But this is not an existential crisis, Tai Lung. Believe me when I say you are in very real danger, you, Po, and my son."
"What, Dalang?" he shakily stood. "This has something to do with this bloke we're going out to fight?"
She frowned, appearing conflicted. "I cannot tell you what you should do; I can only offer my recommendation. If you mean to fight this creature outright, he'll most surely kill you! Believe me when I say that even my husband was scared of him. Tai Lung, you must understand," she said, drawing closer to peer into his face. "Shen feared no man, in the entire course of our marriage…except one. This man that is after you—all three of you—is the only man he ever truly feared."
"I got that much," the snow leopard nodded. "Po mentioned something from his vision that Shen tried to kill this fellow."
"And with good reason," Ming Hua emphasized. "That's why I came here, to warn you about A—" but her voice failed her. Her lips moved, but no sound came from her mouth. Realizing this, she sighed and tried to say the name again. Once again, her voice refused to work, despite her best efforts. She pursed her lips and sighed. "Well, it looks like my editors," she said shortly, sending a nasty look skyward, "won't let me tell you after all. Oogway was right—we aren't at liberty to tell you his name."
"Bugger, that," he said.
"It is, isn't it?" She paused, cocking her head to the side, as if listening to someone whispering in her ear. Then her yellow-green eyes flicked back over to him. "I can tell you his species."
He paused. "Well, that's a start…"
"He is a leopard."
"…Like me?"
"No, an Amur leopard, with golden fur, not silver, and blue-green eyes, but that is all the laws of this realm will allow me to say. Aside from that, is this warning," she pointed up to the sky. "Keep your eyes on the stars, Tai Lung. When the Red Star reaches the Rooster, the time of battle and bloodshed will soon follow."
Before his eyes, he witnessed the heavens shift, to the very celestial event he was to watch for. Indeed, the Red Star sparkled significantly like a bright ruby embedded on a black velvet cloak, surrounded by the diamond constellation of the Rooster. "How long do I have?"
"Two months," Ming Hua replied. "My best advice—which you may either take, or ignore—is to go to the Phoenix Temple with Po, and stay there until you have learned what you need to learn, however long that takes. Po needs the instruction of the Master there, and so do you."
"But I've mastered the Thousand Scrolls of Kung Fu," he said, confused. "What can this old master teach me?"
"He will teach you lessons that every man should learn."
"…Could you be a bit more specific?"
Ming Hua looked upward, but at what, he couldn't say; he saw nothing, but perhaps there was an invisible spirit up there, watching her…and if his assumption was correct, that hidden force was keeping her from revealing too much. "I cannot stay any longer," she said, conceding to her own limitations as a ghost, "Nor can I say much more. I must restate: this leopard is dangerous, incredibly so. He may be old, but he is crueler than any enemy China has seen in centuries. What makes him dangerous is not ambition, nor pride, nor money."
"So what is he motivated by?"
She looked up again, then turned back to him with a sorrowful look. "Some men have no motivation for evil. This man is one of them; he has no morals, knows no mercy, and makes barbarians look as civilized as you or I. The only way to defeat him is to become him." She let this sink in, then quickly added, "You must go to the Phoenix Temple. The old master will give you the tools you need to defeat your enemy, and the guidance to assume your destiny. Yes I know!" she snapped, and it took the snow leopard a moment to realize she was speaking to her invisible chaperone. She quickly added, "You have two months. Two months, and that's it. If you are not ready by then…" she paused, the slowly began fading away. "…Then may Heaven have mercy on your souls."
Tai Lung opened his eyes and sat up, rolling over to look at Po. The panda was nearly dozing, but perked up when he saw the snow leopard awake.
"You okay, buddy?" he asked.
"Fine," he lied. "I think it's about time for my watch."
"It's only been a couple hours," Po pointed out.
"You need more sleep than I do," Tai Lung said, standing and brushing off the seat of his pants. "I'll take watch for the rest of the night." While Po silently complied, laying himself down with his back to the small fire, Tai Lung settled himself for a few hours of watch.
Truth be told, he didn't think he could sleep even if he wanted to. Ming Hua's visitation in his dream had to be significant, he knew that. Spirits did not enter mortals' dreams unless to haunt them, or to give them a warning. Well, Dalang's mother certainly seemed nice enough, so that left out the first guess.
But this warning filled him with dread. It led to more questions than answers. All he knew was the creature's species and slight appearance. He knew he was an older man, older than Jiao Shen, perhaps, and someone very cruel, and perhaps very strong. The scoffing thought came to the forefront of his mind: how strong could an old man be? Well, if Shen was any suggestion…he could be pretty damn strong.
More puzzling was the apparent assignment of Oogway to Po and—evidently—Ming Hua to himself. He wasn't aware that certain spirit guides could be assigned as guardians to specific individuals…not that he was complaining. Still, as vague as the old tortoise was, he couldn't deny that his presence, even in spectral form, was comforting. But what he appreciated about Ming Hua was that she, like her only surviving son, got straight to the point. She even attempted to impart the name of their enemy. It was disappointing that she was not able to do so, but he appreciated the gesture all the same.
But now he had no choice but to be resolute in his decision. His plan of simply crossing the bridge to ensure Po made it safely across was not going to end there. Instead of being gone a few days, he would be gone from home much longer. Perhaps Mei Xing knew—or expected—this would happen; Sonam certainly had. The only one who was unsure of what his final decision would be was Tai Lung himself. And it appeared it was out of his hands; if Heaven, the gods, or whoever was up there had all but commanded him to go, he really had no choice. He recalled an old saying Oogway was fond of: "One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it". So even if he avoided it…it would happen anyway. There was no sense in fighting it, much to his vexation.
The snow leopard crossed his arms and scanned the trees with a steady eye, his ears ticking up at the slightest sound. He didn't need to be on such high alert, because the rest of the night passed uneventfully, and dawn came tranquilly, the sun bathing the earth in warm golden glow.
He got up to wake the snoring panda. It was a good day for a trek across the bridge, but if they dallied, there was no way they would reach the other side by nightfall.
Shifu, meanwhile, was occupying himself with a meal from the Long and Feng Café. Po and Tai Lung had been gone for three days. The red panda's students were busy teaching classes up at the Jade Palace, which made meditation nigh impossible what with all the noise, and Wu Lien was conducting her own classes for the whole day. So short of spending a good twelve hours or so doing nothing but playing his flute and reading, the red panda needed something to occupy himself with, or he'd go mad.
There was a scant crowd at the restaurant that crisp morning, where a thinning fog had settled over the bare fields and skirted between trees and walls, but he didn't mind. He sampled Dalang's apple dim sum special, finding it delightfully steaming and spicy, added with the spiced cider and sweet breakfast congee made by Su Lin. Keeping him company was Mei Xing, who had wrapped a shawl around her shoulders to fight off the morning chill, and was enjoying some cider with him. She had the ledger book open in front of her, and was going over the figures once more, as she usually did first thing in the morning.
"How are things?" he finally asked.
"Well enough," she answered, ticking away at the abacus and writing everything down. "Business is staying strong. By Moon Festival, we should be pretty flush…"
"No, I mean, your pregnancy, how is it?"
She glanced up at him and sighed, running her hand over her stomach. "So far, so good." She sighed and looked at the moon gate, rubbing her belly in a reassuring way, though it was clear it wasn't just the child she was comforting.
Shifu lowered his ears; he knew this had to be hard. He had never been in her position, and hoped never to be. Since getting married and having Wu Lien as a near-constant companion, he couldn't imagine him leaving her either, or vice versa. "I'm sorry."
She seemed to know exactly what he meant. "Its silly, I know…but I keep looking at that doorway, expecting him to walk through it and go on business as usual, you know? Its…it's strange not having him around."
"He will be back," Shifu told her. "I know him; he won't stay away long."
"The way is dangerous," she said, eyes still trained on the door.
"He will be fine," the red panda repeated. He reached over and patted her hand. "He's survived worse. He will come back to you, I can guarantee that."
"He won't be back in a few days," she said with conviction. "I can tell. Po means a lot to him; he was his first real friend after prison. He's going to that temple, I know it. If it were me and Su, I wouldn't let her go alone either, baby or no baby."
"But a man's duty is to his family." And that statement alone made him feel sick. He had sent his former ward on a dangerous mission, when his beloved wife was in desperate need of his company. Having Sonam around helped, but the old snow leopard was far from being as helpful or affectionate as Tai Lung could be.
As if following a silent cue, Sonam himself appeared, sitting next to the red panda and cheekily stealing an apple dumpling from the master's plate. Shifu scowled and batted the snow leopard's paw away. "Get your own breakfast!"
"I did," the blacksmith said whilst chewing. "Still hungry."
"I don't care," the red panda stated. "I paid for this meal, and I suggest you do the same."
"Guys, please," Mei Xing begged. "It's too early for a fight."
"This isn't a fight—its harmless ribbing, right old rat?" Sonam smirked.
"We've been over this, cat," Shifu frowned. "I am a red panda!"
"Not with that snout you're not!"
Mei Xing sighed and went back to focusing on the ledger. She was glad Sonam was there, really, but the old male's idea of humor left much to be desired. More to it than that, his manner toward her was confusing at best. Sometimes he lavished attention on her, made sure she was comfortable, well-fed, and well-rested, but other times he was unnervingly distant. They seemed to have an unspoken agreement; if neither felt like talking, the other wouldn't press the issue. The past couple nights since Tai Lung's departure, it wasn't unusual for the old cat and his daughter-in-law to sit in the common room, engrossed in their respective activities, but not speaking a word to each other the whole evening.
That was fine by her; she didn't know any other way. Life with her family had been much the same. The men and women wouldn't mingle, except at meals. When her brothers reached five years of age, they left her mother to work with her father and uncles in the fields, while she and her sisters stayed with their mother and learned sewing, embroidery, cooking, cleaning, and child-rearing, all the things women were expected to know before they became wives and mothers. And when she had married the Headman—or, as Tai Lung called him, 'The Bastard'—he had largely left her alone, except for in their marital chamber, or when she ran into him in the hallways of his large house.
She was the second wife; the Headman's first wife had died young, under "mysterious circumstances", and there were rumors surrounding her death. No one knew the truth, because the poor girl was hardly ever seen outside the house. Some said she caught fever, others said she died in childbirth, still others surmised she had always been a melancholy creature and poisoned herself, and by far the most insidious rumor…that she had been murdered. Considering her personal experience, Mei Xing was comfortable betting money on the latter.
Those rumors persisted, though no one ever accused the Headman of such cruelty, perhaps out of fear of his power and influential wealth. Money may not buy happiness, but it could apparently buy everything else. The Honored Grandmother had never said anything to confirm or deny those rumors, perhaps to save her granddaughter-in-law's sanity. She'd been such a nice woman…how her son and grandson could have turned out to be such cads, Mei Xing would never know. The old woman had died a year before Mei Xing had run away, having outlived all her sons and most of her grandchildren (many of whom had died in a typhus epidemic the year before that), leaving only Mei Xing's mother-in-law and the Headman as her family. Neither of the aforementioned in-laws properly mourned the old woman's passing, but Mei Xing did. She was despondent, visibly mourning for months, and in so doing, earned the respect of many villagers for her devotion to the matriarch.
She hated that standard—were daughters-in-law not expected to truly love their adopted families? True, she had little love for her mother-in-law, and even less love for her husband, but Grandmother was by far the kindest mother figure she had ever known…until she met Aunt Wu, of course.
The female snow leopard set her ink brush down and followed her memories as they led her from her distant past to the present: Auntie had been her saving grace, and Mei Xing didn't know how much longer she would have lived if Wu Lien hadn't brought her into her home. Su Lin, without a doubt, was by far the sweetest and most gentle person Mei Xing had ever known, and Dalang was the kindest any man had ever been to her. Even the neighbor who had saved her life after her last beating had not been as accommodating as the male Amur tiger. It didn't take too long to ally herself with this unorthodox family, and not much longer until she saw Su Lin as a close sister, and Dalang as a protective brother.
Then Tai Lung had shown up.
In hindsight, Mei Xing kicked herself for not realizing sooner that he had been there for a year. She knew Wu kept many secrets, but didn't know how well she kept those secrets. How she could not have known of the ex-convict's presence in that house astounded many people, particularly Tigress; the short-lived "Aunt Wu's Dim Sum and Then Some" wasn't a particularly large building. In her defense, Mei Xing was not the most perceptive at the time. Tai Lung had been found before Wu Lien had found her, and for months after, the female snow leopard had been confined to her bed during her recovery. When she finally emerged to begin working in the restaurant, Wu, Dalang, and Su Lin informed her that she may use any room in the house, but never to open "the first door on the left, at the top of the stairs". If that was the only condition to living there in relative freedom, she didn't care. She wasn't being threatened, or beaten, or treated like a slave, so if all she had to do was to never go into one lousy room…she was okay with that.
She hadn't been thinking that night, when she discovered Tai Lung in that room. She had been distracted, but she recognized him from descriptions she heard in the village. She thought she had been safe in Aunt Wu's. Seeing him there threatened that safety. If attention was ever drawn to them because of him, she would have been cast out, imprisoned, and no doubt her first husband would have discovered where she was…and at that point, being executed for harboring such a dangerous fugitive, or spending the rest of her life in prison were both more appealing alternatives.
That said, she really didn't want to hurt him, and truly didn't mean to stab him the night he'd snuck into her room…well, she didn't intend to stab Tai Lung, at any rate. She'd been telling the truth: she thought the Headman had found her and meant to kill her. She knew killing him in self defense was a guaranteed death sentence, but she'd rather go out by the executioner's sword than die by the hands of the man who had terrorized her for ten years.
More to her surprise, after finding Tai Lung in her room instead of the Headman, was that the warrior was astoundingly forgiving about the incident. She still had the drawing he'd made for her as an apology for hitting her: it was safely nestled away between spare quilts in her wedding chest; she'd even had it framed, and intended to hang it in the nursery once it was completed.
After that, Tai Lung and Po had started training her in kung fu; Tai Lung never said why, but she had her suspicions. Despite her initial misgivings toward the odd offer, she was grateful for his intervention. Due to his training regimen, she became stronger than she had ever been, healthier, happier…and his means of encouragement—though forced, at first—were certainly more than she had ever gotten before. For the first time, she was good at something and someone—a man, no less—complimented her on it.
By then, she had started noticing a change not just in him, but in herself, a realization of odd feelings she had never known before. It didn't occur to her until the day they shared their deepest secrets that she was falling in love with him. Despite her fears, despite her (apparent) marital status, she was falling in love with a dangerous man, a man with a checkered past, a man…who loved her back. Was there really any other explanation? He had defended her honor, saved her life, and ensured her freedom after baring his soul to her, and all in the same day. The change in their relationship dynamic was so drastic, it should have given her whiplash; in hindsight, it didn't matter. Those trysts they shared for months before their marriage meant something more than simple animal attraction; there was something deeper there, something sacred. By the New Year Festival of that year, neither could deny their feelings any longer. They got married five months later, and found out she was expecting three months after that.
She ran her hand over her round stomach, feeling the baby's comforting movements. Her pregnancy was much better than her previous ones; her first had produced a stillborn girl, and the others never made it past the fourth month or so; even with the herbs she took to curb it, she doubted those pregnancies would have lasted anyway, what with her frequent beatings. It didn't help that her ex-husband's family overstressed her, or that food and sleep were sometimes denied; the rationale was that the Headman's first wife had made it through such trials, which meant Mei Xing was "weak". She never bothered to point out that the Headman's first wife had also left him childless.
Wu Lien had changed all that. The female snow leopard's health had been the red panda woman's primary concern since they had met, and as soon as Mei Xing had found out she and Tai Lung were expecting a baby, Wu started her on vitamins, extra food, plenty of rest, and some very light exercise. The kung fu that Mei had learned helped, too. It wasn't until very recently that she suffered from fatigue, which had plagued her in previous pregnancies. When that had started, Tai Lung all but forced her to rest whenever she felt tired…a complete turnaround from her first marriage. Since the sixth month, he was the one who cooked, he was the one who did laundry, he was the one who cleaned, and not her. And she wasn't sure if she was comfortable with that.
"You need to rest, love?"
"Huh?" she shook herself out of her reverie. "Sorry?"
"Do you need to rest?" Sonam asked again. "You put down your brush and were staring into space."
"Oh…that's right," she said absently. "No, I don't think so. I just have a lot on my mind right now."
"Alright…" her father-in-law sounded unconvinced. "But you feel the slightest bit faint, you tell me, right?"
She nodded. "I'm fine right now…though I am a little hungry."
The male snow leopard stood quickly, not giving her a chance to object. "I'll grab ye something; Ping might have some noodles ready for the lunch crowd."
Mei Xing watched him walk over to the counter, a baffled expression on her face. She looked back at Shifu when he cleared his throat. She found herself apologizing, "Sorry…I'm just not used to this kind of treatment. I'm used to serving others, not myself. I feel kind of selfish…"
"Don't," he said curtly, almost an order as he sipped his cider, offering more to her. "This is not the kind of family who would expect you to overtax yourself. A child is a blessing, and ensuring its health and yours is more important than any work the mother 'ought' to be doing. Relax—until the child is born, you're off the hook."
Unexpectedly, and against her will, old feelings flared up concerning Shifu's comments. The intellectual side of her knew he meant nothing negative by it, but she felt it anyway. His words were meant to be encouraging, even if the tone was incredibly curt. She knew those tones of voice quite well; her ex had used them to invalidate her, to break her will. For ten years, her opinions and troubles were dismissed, demeaned, ignored, and denigrated until her spirit was finally broken, like a vase shattered on the floor. Like the Legendary Urn of Whispering Warriors, she was glued back together now, but the cracks were still there.
Her eyes welled with tears, and she blinked several times to dispel them. Get a hold of yourself. You're not back there. This is a different marriage, a different family, a different life! So why couldn't she get over it? When Sonam returned with her soup, she pushed the ledger away and huddled over the bowl, deeply inhaling the briny aroma and letting the heat soothe her nerves.
CRASH!
She and the two old males jumped when they heard the tremendous clamor of shattering porcelain from the kitchen, Shifu jumping up and immediately running to the door. "Ping!" he called. "Ping! What happened?"
The goose quickly appeared at the counter, waving his wings consolingly. "It's all right, everyone—just dropped a few bowls. No harm done, just a bit of a mess! It's okay—go back to your noodles. Everything is fine!" Then he disappeared into the kitchen as quickly as he had appeared at the counter.
Shifu stared after the goose, flummoxed, and wondered aloud to his companions, "…Since when does Ping drop anything?"
Mr. Ping shuffled into the back storeroom and closed the door, leaving it cracked open as he stepped over the pile of broken noodle bowls. Then he turned to the still figure who still clutched the now-empty tray in her nerveless, shaking hands, whose wide brown eyes had taken on a catatonic sheen.
"Su Lin," the goose shushed, "Come on, dear, sit, sit…it was an accident, and accidents happen. No sense crying over spilled noodles!"
Su Lin looked at him silently, wordlessly allowing him to escort her to a few sacks of flour to sit on. His wing patting her on the back, he gently urged, "Just breathe, Su Lin; you're having a panic attack, but it's all right. Just breathe."
The tears finally spilled over and she began to cry, hard, dropping the tray to the floor and hiding her face in her hands. Mr. Ping sighed and patted her back again, "It's all right, listen, it's all right. They're just bowls! I can always get more. What with all that this restaurant makes, its no trouble whatsoever. Besides, those bowls were pretty old; makes sense to 'upgrade' as Dalang says…"
"I…" she sobbed, her body quaking with her crying, "I'm sorry…I don't know what's wrong with me! I just can't get it together; it feels like I'm a hundred miles away. I keep screwing up! I can't get orders right, and when I do, I give them to the wrong people; I drop things all over the place, I get in people's way…how can you even put up with me?! I'm a disgrace!"
"Now you stop that right now," he said sternly…or as sternly as Mr. Ping could get. "You are not a disgrace, young lady. You are just having a bad day. A bad few days…well, either way, you're in a rut. It happens to the best of us."
Still she cried, and Ping was at a loss. He had no experience with this sort of thing. He'd grown up among men, had many brothers, and had only had one son…so, like most men, the intricacies of the female mind were foreign to him. The best way—and only way—he knew to make people feel better was to offer the simplest pleasure of all: good food. If only he'd known how that habit would affect his son later in life… And unfortunately, food was probably the last thing on Su Lin's mind.
"You're just having a bad day," he repeated. "Why don't you take the rest of the day off?"
"But it's so early…" she sniffed. "And you need help around here…"
He waved this off. "It's the middle of the week, so it should be quiet. I have Dalang here, and that should be enough." He tried offering her a sympathetic and hopeful smile, but it died on his beak when he saw just how forlorn she was. Parental instinct told him what was wrong. "He won't be gone long," he soothed. "My Po wouldn't just leave and never come back—he loves this Valley too much!"
Su Lin just hugged herself, tears still streaming down her cheeks. Her brown eyes settled on the heap of porcelain shards in the doorway and let out another sob. "I-I…I'm sorry about your bowls…"
Ping gave her a concerned look, "I know, dear. You said that already." Forcefully brightening up, he nudged her to stand, "Why don't you go out into the market today? It's a beautiful day! A little fresh air, some exercise, perhaps to fill up your herbs for your side business? I know you said you needed mint and acacia, and ginger root…and you can look at the new fabric they've got—they're having a sale, I believe. This is the perfect opportunity!"
She sniffed, taking deep breaths to calm herself. She forced herself not to look at the broken dishes, but couldn't look at Ping either. "I…I guess I have enough money for what I need…"
"Better yet," he said, waddling over to the wall, where a massive chest sat in the corner. He unlocked the chest and opened the lid, taking out a bag of coins. "Here you are! An advance on your pay."
"Mr. Ping," she protested, "I can't take this…"
"That's too bad, because as your boss, I order you to take it," he cheekily replied, "and I order you to turn your bad day into a good day." Now, he finally got the smile he wanted to see from her. "There now, that's much better! Go enjoy your day. Maybe Mei Xing would like to come with you…I know how much she hates being cooped up."
"Her doctor and Auntie wouldn't like it," the female panda said, timidly accepting the money.
Mr. Ping waved it off. "Bah! A short walk around the block won't hurt her! And if she gets tired, she can find someplace to sit."
"Maybe Mr. Sonam might come too," she added.
"A fine idea," he said, reaching for a broom and dustpan. "I'll clean up here. Go wash your face, dry up those tears... Now that I think of it, maybe all three of you could use the distraction…"
Truth be told, Ping felt he needed the distraction, too. As Su Lin slowly ascended the stairs to her room, the goose sighed and began picking up the broken bowls. Thank heaven for this business! Without it, without work, he didn't know how he'd handle this anxiety; his son had never left the Valley before, and though the goose trusted Tai Lung to keep Po safe, that didn't ease his fears.
Ping, too, had once left the Valley of Peace, "when he was young and crazy" as he had told Po…with heavy emphasis on "crazy". He'd been such a fool to leave! He too had been born in this valley, in this village, in this very house, and learned the hard way how dangerous the rest of the Empire could be. And he guessed—probably correctly—that little had changed in thirty years…
Dumping the shards in the refuse pile out back, Mr. Ping returned to the main kitchen and set another pot to boil for his Secret Ingredient Soup. He noticed Dalang chopping vegetables with a stiff back and twitching whiskers, clear evidence of his own anxiety…though that was probably from the tenseness in his marriage of late. Through the open window, the goose saw Su Lin, Mei Xing and Sonam leaving through the moon gate and turn left towards the marketplace, leaving Shifu to sit alone, sipping his cooling cider. No matter what, everyone seemed anxious today.
Yes, thank heaven for work, for any distraction whatsoever.
Miles away, at the entrance of the Thread of Hope, Tai Lung and Po looked out over the spans and rickety bridges with mixed calm and trepidation.
"I have to be out of my mind," Po said warily.
Tai Lung shouldered his pack and grunted as he cracked his back. "It won't be so bad…just hold fast to the ropes, and don't look down." He turned to the panda and frowned. "What did I say about looking down?"
"I don't think I can do this…" Po said waveringly.
"Po," the snow leopard curtly said, "You rushed headlong into battle against me, then took on Jiao Shen a year later, not to mention the bandits last year, and the assassins a few months after that. Crossing this bridge will be child's play compared to all that."
Po looked out over the ledge, squinting as he tried to ascertain the length of the span. The spans between the rock spires eventually disappeared into the clouds and fog that were slowly fading with the rising sun. He wasn't sure if he should be glad or nervous that the mists hid the bottom of the Devil's Mouth from view.
"So how long is it?" he asked.
Tai Lung turned to give him an odd look, "That's a rather personal question…"
"The BRIDGE, Tai Lung," Po snapped. "How long is the bridge?"
"Oh…" the snow leopard sighed with relief, laughing uncomfortably. "Sorry, for a minute there I thought this was going to be some of that 'male bonding' your father was talking about."
Po scowled. "Please don't use the words 'my dad' and 'male bonding' in the same sentence ever again. Now, how long is it?"
"We're still talking about the bridge, right?"
"TAI!"
"A few miles, Panda, it's a few more miles. Bloody hell, can't take a rutting joke…" With that, the snow leopard boldly took the first steps onto the newly-constructed first span, confident in the fresh wooden boards. What worried him were the older planks near the middle. The last one, the final link to the other side, was more recent, courtesy of Jiao Shang's escape from his callous father. I salute you, my good man. "Come on, panda, best be off. We want to reach the other side by nightfall…"
But Po hesitated, swallowing hard. He had a newfound appreciation for his ancestors, and all the residents of the Valley, who had at some point or another crossed this very bridge. "Thread of Hope" was a very astute name…the term 'hanging by a thread' certainly came to mind, and all negative connotations thereof.
Po kept a white-knuckled grip on the ropes, setting his jaw painfully as his heart rate spiked. Even by taking his friend's advice by staring straight ahead gave him a profound experience of vertigo; he dared not look down into the mists, even if the buffeting winds that whipped at his clothes made him freeze in his tracks.
Tai Lung, however, was yards ahead of him, holding on to the ropes with a light grip, his fingers barely touching the flimsy barriers between him and what was sure to be a fatal fall into oblivion. Po envied the snow leopard's nonchalance, and his lack of acrophobia, but more so resented his friend's superior strength lest the winds throw him off the bridge entirely.
Po's greater worry was how his own weight would affect his journey across the spans to the other side, which was hidden behind the mists that still blocked his view of the mainland. If he could break a floorboard in the dormitory, the boards beneath his feet would result in something much, much worse…
Somehow, he made it to the first spire, finding it hard to breathe from the altitude, but also from his rising panic attack. Tai Lung, who had made it across with nary a care, watched his friend worriedly as the panda wheezed, pressing his hand over his heart.
"Po…" he said, "Are you alright?"
The panda answered him by hunching over and vomiting. Tai Lung made a face and backed away as Po coughed and shuddered, his face an unhealthy mix of green and grey. The snow leopard sighed, "There's no reason to get so worked up about it…"
"I really don't think I can do this…" Po said weakly.
"Remember what I said before we started?" the feline asked. "Think of this as another battle, only this one is much easier to win." He was trying to be helpful, but even he had to admit that he had his own trepidation crossing this bridge. The winds were much stronger than the day he fought the Furious Five, but he wasn't about to say that to the acrophobic panda. Any show of bravado, he reasoned, would surely encourage his friend to make the crossing with limited anxiety…but if the sudden physical sickness was any indication, that anxiety was worse than the snow leopard could have predicted.
"How about this," he suggested, "You go first, and I'll come up behind you. It'll encourage you along, and if something happens—which it won't—I'll be right there if you need help. Sound fair?"
Po closed his eyes and sat down, trying to control his breathing and rapid heartbeat. "I…I guess I got no choice, right? Gotta cross this bridge sometime…"
"That's right, you do. No sense delaying the inevitable." Tai Lung offered his friend his canteen, which Po sipped from; from a small medicinal bag, the snow leopard produced a bag of candied ginger, which he handed off to the grateful bear. "We'll rest a bit, but we can't tarry long. You settle your stomach; I'll look over the map. As soon as we get to the other side, we'll need to find someplace safe to camp."
"Aren't there bandits right there, at the other side of the gorge?"
"Yes, but this bridge is patrolled by the Crane clan, and is guarded on the other side by Imperial Scouts—and word I hear is that most bandit activity has dropped off since the beat those wolves back a year ago." Tai Lung sat cross-legged and pulled the map out of his pocket, spreading it out on the ground. He used rocks to hold the corners down, lest a stray breeze blow it away. While Po recovered, the spotted feline ran his claw over the red ink line that marked the road they were to take.
As far as a route, it was pretty straightforward. After crossing the gorge, they would cross the border into the Guizhou Province, then cross the border into the newly renamed Yunnan (formerly "Dian Province", before the new governor had taken office), and follow the trail called the Bing Yuan Road—the Soldier's Road—which led along Sichuan's southern border, in the foothills of mountains. Then they would quickly pass through Northwestern Yunnan before reaching the border of Tibet. Their destination was at the top of a mountain, just over the border into the Tibetan Autonomous region.
He frowned, stroking his whiskers as he thought. The majority of the trip would take them through mountains, with exception to the trail running along the Yunnan-Sichuan border. Compared to Guizhou, Yunnan would be a cakewalk, but that didn't make it easy. As he thought this, he remembered that his wife was from Yunnan…and in order to make to Hunan, she had to cross the same mountains he would be crossing soon…while she was starving, exhausted, and terrified for her life. It broke his heart to think of it, but perhaps he would come to respect her more for her tenacity.
Po cleared his throat, bringing the snow leopard back to the present. The color had more or less returned to the panda's face. "How's the path look?" he asked.
Tai Lung sighed, "Arduous, but doable."
Po looked over his shoulder at the map. "Looks like a lot of mountains…" he paused. "I guess if we're going to a mountain, this oughta be good practice, right?"
The snow leopard smiled at his friend's positive spin, and rolled up the map. "Quite. Think you're ready?"
The hopeful smile died on his lips as the panda looked over the next span…and at the other bridges before them that disappeared into the horizon. Po sighed and shakily stood. "Ready as I'm gonna be…"
Mr. Ping had been right about the market. Su Lin felt much better being out in the sun and fresh air, and not stuck behind the restaurant's walls. There were too many things there that reminded her of Po, and thinking of him leaving so suddenly hurt more than she could have ever expected. She loved him, true, but did he love her back? His running away to Tibet—along such a dangerous route—said more than words ever would. He was mad at her—had to be—otherwise why would he leave like that? Why would he go on such a long and dangerous journey?
The female panda found it difficult, for the first time in her life, to look on the bright side. Dalang had mentioned something about a kung fu master who could teach Po new moves, expand his abilities, perhaps help him lose weight. This distressed her—she loved him, just the way he was! How could he not see that? Sure, he was big, but most pandas were. In fact, she thought with a smile, his portly physique reminded her of the Laughing Buddha. She would never tell him, but sometimes she wanted to rub his belly, as if doing so would bring her good luck…and this thought alone made her giggle.
"Nice to see you smiling again, love," Sonam remarked. "Thought with your lover gone, you'd sink into despair…"
"Sonam!" Mei Xing scolded, jabbing his ribs with her elbow. "Give her some time!"
"What? I'm just stating a fact!"
Mei Xing sent him a sharp look and stepped up her pace. Catching up with the female panda, they hooked their arms together to walk together. "Don't listen to him," the female feline said. "He's just being a grump puss this morning."
"Its okay, I don't mind," Su Lin said. "He's right though…I feel so lost without Po…"
"And that's what bothers me," Mei Xing confessed. "I've never seen you like this."
"I know…" she sighed, despondent. "I know that Tigress thinks I'm overreacting. Auntie hasn't said so, but I know she's thinking it."
"They're worried because they care," Mei Xing said. "And I'm worried because I care. Su, don't throw yourself away like this, it's not like you. I'm serious—this isn't good for your health."
"You're worried about Tai Lung," the female panda said. "How come you're not…"
"How come I'm not crying my eyes out every night?" she answered bluntly.
Su Lin flushed, staring at the ground. She heard her friend sigh. "Su, I have faith in my husband. Yes, I'm worried, but I can't let it get to me; I've got too many other things to worry about. I accepted a long time ago that I won't always come first, no matter what my position in his life. Besides, I know his destiny is important; I'm not resentful that he left to seek it out. I will be resentful if he doesn't come back." She paused, "But I know he'd never do that to me. And Po would never do that to you. He loves you too much."
"I don't think that's true anymore…" Su Lin said, then realized far too late she had said too much. Mei Xing's silence told her that her friend was, if not shocked, at the very least concerned.
"What makes you say that?"
Su Lin looked over her shoulder, back at Sonam, who had respectfully fallen a good five paces behind the females to allow them some privacy. Catching the panda's look, the scarred old snow leopard fell back even further, feigning keen interest in a stall of decorations for the upcoming Moon Festival. The female panda then took Mei Xing aside to a secluded corner where she confessed,
"The night before he left, we had a date, and while we were alone…" she paused, biting her lip. Mei Xing was listening raptly, giving her friend her full attention.
"Yes…?"
"We…I…" the panda squirmed in discomfort. "I…I thought we could…would…you know…should do it."
"Do what?" Then it sunk in, her amber eyes widening. "Wait…do it? You were going to…?"
"No, we didn't," the panda sighed, frustrated tears forming in her big brown eyes. "I chickened out—I just wanted to show him how much I loved him, and at the last minute, I thought about Mama, and I knew she wouldn't be proud of me taking a man to my bed before I was married. I thought…I mean, she would think…if I knew a man before I was even engaged, that would make me a…a…"
"A harlot?" the snow leopard said with a raised brow. Su Lin guiltily looked up at her friend…and realized the implication the snow leopardess had taken.
"Oh, Mei! I didn't mean that you—"
"No, no, it's okay. I've heard similar sentiments from the villagers," the feline said, casting a sharp glance at the general crowd. "Its common knowledge I was divorced, and apparently a divorced woman who remarries while her ex-husband is still alive is automatically a harlot." She giggled, "Doesn't bother me anymore, because I know if they ever said that in front of my Tai-Tai, he'd put them in the ground."
Su Lin cracked a smile, knowing that statement was all too true. Then she sighed again. "But I know that's why Po really left…I pushed him away, and he looked so mad at me! Not that I blame him…what with me leading him on like that. But if I had given in anyway, there's no doubt he would have lost all respect for me."
"That's not true and you know it!" Mei Xing hissed. "Po loves you, and sex isn't as big a deal as people make it out to be. Granted, it's nice—very nice—very, very nice…" she imparted with reddened cheeks and a naughty smile, but quickly recovered, clearing her throat, "But it's not everything."
"But you and Tai, um…made love before you were married," Su Lin said with an innocent blush. "Many times, as I remember. Weren't you worried what people would think?"
Mei Xing thought about this. At the time, neither she nor Tai Lung really cared about it; it felt good, so they did it. That's how it was, at first…but the more time they spent together—outside the bedroom, of course—the less it seemed like empty copulation and more like they were sharing something together, that it was a connection. That it felt right. That night, that first time they lay together in each other's arms, Mei Xing had the feeling that they weren't doing it because of 'oh hey there's a battle tomorrow and this is our last chance'. They were doing it because each of them was missing something, and that act, that ancient, almost sacred dance, somehow gave them what they needed.
"Let me put it this way," the female snow leopard said. "For ten years, sex was never a pleasurable experience for me. The first time with Tai, I was a little scared because I thought it would hurt as much as it had before. But it didn't. He didn't hurt me…well, he sort of hurt me, but not in a bad way."
"There's a good way to get hurt?"
She smirked, "Oh yeah, there is. But Su, the thing you need to understand is…making love isn't just about making babies… It's the ultimate expression of love, and sometimes people don't use it right. The ones who do it without any emotional connection are the real harlots, at least I think so."
"But what about your reputation?"
"I was already divorced, so who really cared?" she shrugged, putting her hands on her hips. "I was free to do what I wanted, damn the consequences. For the first time, I could do what I wanted without fear of being beaten or killed for it; I could feel for the first time. I guess what I'm trying to say is…" she paused. "It meant freedom for me."
"…So what does that mean for me?" Su Lin wondered aloud.
"Do you love Po?"
"Of course I do!"
"And he obviously loves you."
"If you say so…"
"And I do. So you love each other, and probably want to get married eventually…so what's the problem?"
"It's just…well, its custom."
Mei Xing sighed. "Su, think about our friends, and ask yourself this question: since when has anyone we know ever followed custom? Auntie, prime example; Tigress, better example; Viper and Crane married outside their species; Shifu's training regimen is so scary not even the Imperial army is willing to use his methods; Monkey gave up working in his family business to follow his dream; Mantis is a bachelor for life…and I don't blame him; Dalang defied and abandoned his family to become a chef; and Sonam…" the feline looked over to where the old snow leopard was gazing disinterestedly at a recipe for mooncakes. "Well…enough said."
"I just want to make my family proud of me," Su Lin said softly.
"Su Lin, we are proud of you."
The female panda paused, surprised by her surrogate sister's answer. It was silly, she knew, but she had never truly called Aunt Wu, Dalang or Mei Xing her "family". Su Lin's family all lay in a cemetery in Chengdu. That was how she had always seen it. Her family—her real family—was gone, and as the sole survivor, it was her responsibility to honor her family in this life so that they could be happy in their afterlife. She could not go to Chengdu to clean their graves at Ghost Festival or New Year's, but she left offerings for them all the same; in place of cleaning their graves, she cleared the final resting places of complete strangers who had no living relatives. She did absolutely anything to ensure her family was taken care of…but as the youngest daughter, the stress of that was perhaps too much. Society never expected her to fulfill such daunting responsibilities…and apparently neither did her "new family".
"Have you talked to Auntie about this?" asked Mei Xing.
The panda turned her big brown eyes back up to her. "No, I haven't."
"Maybe you should," the snow leopardess offered. "Catch her at lunchtime, ask her for advice. I know when something's bothering me she makes me feel better."
Su Lin nodded slowly and sighed, looking out at the market. Perhaps that would be a good idea. She had known Wu for a good half of her life, and the red panda was usually the voice of wisdom when she needed it most. When she felt Mei Xing's hand on her shoulder, she expected to be brought into a hug…only to find the snow leopardess looking very pale.
"Sorry," she said breathlessly, her eyes looking unfocused. "Just started feeling…really tired…"
Su Lin's instincts kicked into gear and her inner doctor took over. "Didn't you eat something before we left?!"
"I had a bowl of noodles. I thought I'd be fine…for a short walk…" She was breathless, looking paler by the minute, and the female panda knew at once that they had gone too far.
"Sonam!" Su Lin called. "Sonam, Mei needs to get home, now!"
The old male was by his daughter-in-law's side in a second, holding her up and letting her lean heavily on him as he turned back to the house. "Told you not to strain yourself, but will you listen?" he snapped. "I knew we were going too far…when I tell you to let me know when you're feeling drained, I mean it!"
Su Lin watched as the snow leopards walked back home, and in particular she watched the female with concern. That fatigue attack had happened far too quickly this time; luckily they weren't that far from the Long and Feng. She knew that Sonam wasn't truly mad—that was just how he showed concern. Mei Xing, of course, would take it all personally; Su Lin made a mental note to tell Auntie to visit the pregnant feline later.
Overriding the instinct to follow the cats back home, the female panda turned to continue her shopping. Sonam could handle getting Mei back safe, and if Shifu was still there, he could help too. Mei would be fine; all she needed was some rest and something to get her blood sugar up again. And anyone could treat her for that.
Besides, Mr. Ping had a good point: Su Lin needed to clear her head. As addled as her mind still was, she doubted she'd be able to give Mei Xing the treatment she deserved. Even as she carried on down the way, her mind was still in a fog, no matter how she tried to focus. One thing at a time, she told herself, One thing at a time.
He made it across! One step at a time—slowly—but he had done it! Po collapsed to his knees and kissed the dirt as soon as they reached the other side of the gorge. "Whoever is up there, I love you all!" he prayed loudly, offering prayers to whatever deity had been kind enough to help him cross the bridge.
Tai Lung sighed and sent him a long-suffering look. "It wasn't that bad!"
"This coming from the guy who isn't afraid of heights!" Po griped, kneeling on the ground.
"Are you going to be sick again?"
"Nah, I think I'm okay. That was really, really rough…"
Tai Lung sighed and looked up the path ahead. The passage across the Thread of Hope had taken much longer than he had liked, and it was now nearly dusk. He knew that they needed to find shelter, or at the very least, a place that bandits could not ambush. It was foolish to continue down this mountain path in the darkness. Not only did they have mortal threats to worry about, he had a vague feeling Mother Nature was only beginning to toy with them.
"There's a guard tower up there," Po pointed out.
Tai Lung saw it, but felt dread filling his gut. Even though he'd been forgiven and pardoned in the Valley of Peace, that didn't mean the snow leopard was perfectly composed around lawmen and soldiers. The first time he had been through here, three years before, he had just gone right by with nary a care—he'd been so focused on his goal and had gone by so fast, the scouts barely saw him until he was halfway across the bridge. In recollection, perhaps that was for the best. Let's face it, I'm not exactly Mr. Popularity, he thought ruefully. But enough time had passed—three years was sufficient enough for his new reputation to spread past the bridge, right? Who knows, perhaps these guards were pleasant fellows.
This assumption would be the first of many incorrect hypotheses he would have over the course of that trip.
The rhino guards that Jiao Shen had murdered were replaced by two large bulls—bigger and beefier than him, to be frank—and neither looked kindly upon him. They were clearly of the same family, but were not twins. While they were cordial to Po—even reverent—they regarded the snow leopard with cautious, suspicious stares. They had likely been informed by their superiors—the Crane Clan—that the Master of the Thousand Scrolls was no longer a threat, but twenty years was long enough time for legends and fables to cloud their judgment of this man. Which meant that no matter how rude they were to him, Tai Lung had to be on his best behavior.
Damn it.
"Tibet, huh?" the first bull asked. "Most folks going that way aren't pilgrims. Only merchants and outlaws go there…and I'm not sure which of the two is worse."
Tai Lung didn't like the look he was getting from him. "Believe what you want," the snow leopard said, "I'm not trading, or running from the law. I've been a good boy."
Po could feel the tenseness in the room and quickly changed the subject. "Has there been a lot of activity around here?"
"It's been pretty quiet," the second bull, and more amiable of the two, said. "Which usually means that they're regrouping. Lookin' at the logs," he said, thumbing over his shoulder at shelves of journals and ledgers, "Most baddies take a break until after Moon Festival. By winter's first snow, though, they've largely dropped off."
"I've heard the snows make them more desperate," Tai Lung said pointedly, accepting a cup of tea. The bulls weren't being nice about it—it was just a common courtesy they offered to those who had crossed the bridge. To those who were going to cross to get to the valley, the rule of thumb was to offer a shot of liquid courage…and a few prayers.
"Depends on how deep the snows get," the first bull said.
Po downed the green tea, grateful for its calming effects. Nodding to Tai Lung, they showed off the map they had been given to ask about the road ahead.
"You're taking the Bing Yuan Road?" the first asked incredulously. "Are you nuts? That's the worst path."
"What are you talking about?" Po asked. "It takes us right where we wanna be."
"I'm just saying…" the first bull said with a pointed look at Tai Lung. "You might want to consider a different path."
"Anything you have in mind?" the snow leopard asked, again not liking the looks he was getting.
"We don't, but you can ask at the Xiao Tou—"
"Don't tell them that, you fool!" the first bull chastised the second. "They'd get into even more trouble there!"
"What's the Xiao Tou…whatever?" Po asked.
The second bull ignored his kin's reproving glare and answered, "It's a den of thieves and assassins. The Bing Yuan Road—the Soldier's Road—is crawling with Imperial ranks and other lawmen. Most people take that road because it's so secure."
"Are you encouraging us to take a smuggler's road to avoid the law?" Tai Lung asked with great curiosity.
"Well, actually, yes. This time of year, it gets really backed up. If you want to reach Tibet before the first snowfall, you might want to take a less congested route."
Po said, "So we just avoid the Bing Yuan Road—no big deal. There's gotta be other ways to get to the Phoenix Temple."
That was when both bovines burst out laughing. Panda and snow leopard shared a look, and both shrugged at the other. "What's so funny?" the panda asked.
"Are you serious? That place doesn't even exist!" the second bull laughed. "You gotta be out of your minds to go that far, at this time of year, to look for some fortress that isn't real!"
"But hey, if you wanna risk your necks for a stupid legend," the first bull snickered, "Be our guests."
Po saw his friend's face fall, and he quickly excused them. "We should probably be going. Thanks for the info. Oh, and where's this Xiao Tou Inn?"
The second bull pointed down the path. "About five miles down the road, and a mile north. It's sitting in the middle of this lake, in the valley of four mountains. It's called Lake Compass, because the mountains in the exact cardinal points. The place is marked by a bunch of red banners—you can't miss it."
"That will take us all night to get there," Tai Lung whispered to Po. "We still have to find some place to camp."
The first bull overheard him. "You could always ask Mrs. He; since her son got married, she's got that spare room."
Both panda and snow leopard blanched. They knew that name all too well, and remembered its bearer with even less affection. "You know, I think we'll take our chances with the road…" Tai Lung said.
"What's the matter?" the first bull mocked, "Afraid of her?"
"Uh, yeah," Po said. "You weren't at Master Crane's wedding—we were."
"Nothing against Master Crane's mother," Tai Lung covered. "But I'd rather not spend the evening listening to her insult her daughter-in-law's family."
"She won't be happy you passed through without saying hello," the second bovine said.
"She'd be less happy to hear us say nice things about Viper," Po muttered. If the bulls heard him, they probably didn't care. Taking that opportunity to bow and leave, Po and Tai Lung carried on down the road towards the Thieves' Inn.
"I don't like this idea," Tai Lung said. "Perhaps those guards are right about the Bing Yuan Road, but to take the same route as outlaws? That just screams 'shady'."
"Don't think about that, okay buddy?" Po said. "Maybe those guards had a point—sticking to back roads might be better, even quicker."
"I'm not sure I'd place all my trust in them."
"Well duh, but I mean…they gotta be telling the truth more than outlaws would, right?"
Tai Lung felt it best to hold his tongue on that matter.
Back in the guard tower, the second bull watched their retreating backs before turning to his kin. "Think they'll take the advice?"
The first bovine snorted. "If they don't, it's no skin off my nose."
"It should be—if it weren't for Tai Lung, we wouldn't have this job. Had the Jiao taken over the Valley of Peace, we'd still be grunts hauling supplies all over the empire. At least this post has benefits." He paused, then looked back out the window, finding that the travelers had disappeared into the darkness. "Did those soldiers come around again?"
"Who, the captain and his goons? Yeah, but they'll be back later."
"It's weird, isn't it? It's like he's expected them to leave all along. He's been hounding us for months, asking if we've seen Tai Lung leave."
"Not our problem."
"But are we going to tell him?"
"What, that they were here? I guess it would hurt us more to lie about it, wouldn't it?"
"I don't like it," the second bull said, hushing his tone as if the person they were speaking of could hear him. Sitting back at his desk he glanced over the open scroll he had purposefully hidden from the panda and snow leopard. Holding it up, he shook his head at the obscene sum printed beneath the picture on the scroll. "Ten thousand yuan…why the emperor raised the reward, I don't know. I mean, if Tai Lung defeated Jiao Shen, he can't be all bad."
"Doesn't excuse his crimes all those years back."
"But he went to prison for it, he served his time…"
"And killed a thousand of the emperor's men while breaking out of it; face it, he's rotten to the core, and if the Emperor wants ten thousand for him, dead or alive…" the first bull paused. "Shoulda just killed him while he was here. Sure, wouldn't get the bonus for bringing him in alive, but it would be a mercy to him. No telling what tortures he'd face before the execution."
The second bull shivered, rolled up the scroll and put it in a drawer with other wanted posters. After a pregnant pause, he looked over at his cousin to ask, "Since the Dragon Warrior's with him…do you think he's a target too?"
The first bull paused as well, looking concerned for the first time that night. After a moment, he looked out the window. "For his sake, I hope not. He's a good kid, and a real hero. Doesn't do him any good to be associating with the likes of him…" after another pause, he asked with a hushed tone, "You slipped the note to the kid, right?"
His kin nodded, quietly replying, "I recommended the Pass. Bypasses all the others, and is quickest way there."
"Good. And you put in the advice for dealing with the thieves, right?"
"Right."
"Good. That should do us fine. But when that horse captain comes by…mum's the word, got it?"
"Got it."
True to Tai Lung's prediction, it took them most of the night to make it to the inn. It was uneventful night, fortunately, and they made excellent time. They found the inn situated in the middle of a shallow lake that was nestled between four mountains. Like the one guard had said, the four mountains were nearly directly in line with the cardinal points of a compass, and the aptly named Lake Compass lay before them, its waters shimmering in the early morning light. Passing through one narrow strait down an even narrower path at the foot of one mountain, they paused in the golden light to look down at the Xiao Tou Inn.
Directly in front of them, a jetty jutted out into the middle of the lake, where a moderate-sized tavern stood on stilts just off the shoreline. The zig-zagging bridge leading up to the thieves' inn looked worn and rotten, with broken boards dotting the causeway. Po didn't like the look of it at all, suspecting his weight might encourage the boards to break as soon as they stepped on them, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he had seen this place before.
Tai Lung eyed the spot with a similar skeptical eye, but perhaps not for the same reasons as his traveling companion. Before they stepped onto the jetty, the snow leopard gripped his friend's thick arm and whispered, "Remember, we are just getting food and directions. We are not staying overnight. We get in, get out and keep going."
"Why?" Po asked. "It doesn't look that bad…"
Almost on cue, one of the shuttered windows flew open and found a large crocodile being flung into the lake's deep waters. From the open window, jeers, catcalls and snarls poured from the inn like pus from a wound, and the sound of breaking bones and splintering wood echoed off the peaks…
"Maybe we should keep going?" Po suggested.
Tai Lung sighed, looking regretful. "I wish we could, but we need to know an alternate route to Tibet—one that takes us away from the authorities—and there isn't another town for miles. As much as I hate to say it…we need to stop there for a meal, too."
"And directions."
"And directions," he nodded. Both paused, still eyeing the inn with concern before Tai Lung sighed before stepping onto the jetty. "Might as well get this over with…"
The wooden apparatus was sturdier than it looked—both of them were amazed Po hadn't fallen through, even on the most rotted boards. By the time they made it to the inn's door, they shared one last look before entering.
"We get in, get out, no questions asked?" Po asked.
"Exactly; oh, one last thing," Tai Lung hissed in his ear, "No eye contact. Absolutely none—these people consider eye contact a challenge to fight. Keep your head down, and for heaven's sake, don't draw attention to us."
Tai Lung pushed open the door.
The narrow rectangle of light poured across the floor of the darkened inn, where bandits and assassins, thieves and murderers watched their arrival from behind walls, tables, and dishes, from over heavy shoulders and from under cloaks' hoods. The proprietors were rabbits, and one of whom had his lapel in the grip of a scarred crocodile, the tray in the rabbit's hand shaking hard enough to rattle the bowl of noodles.
The pair exchanged a look and Po ventured forward, asking the rabbit, "Who owns this joint?"
"I-I-I do…" he stammered.
"Good," Po said. "What's the special?"
The rabbit cast an uncertain eye at the crocodile who still had him in his clutches. "N-n-noodle soup and s-s-s-six dumplings, for five fen."
"That's a steal," Tai Lung said. "Pay the man."
Po reached into a small money bag he kept inside his robe and extracted ten coins. "Two specials—we'll be at the table in the corner."
Tai Lung was impressed; he half expected Po to try to act too tough, but instead, the panda exhibited restrained curtness, with just enough politeness. And even smarter was pulling out the small money bag. True, they had much more on their persons than that, but it wasn't wise to draw attention to that in a den of thieves. And lastly, choosing a table in the corner—against the wall so no one could sneak up on them, facing the door, and close enough to an open window in case they needed to make a hasty retreat—was by far the smartest decision he'd made. Perhaps the panda wasn't as naïve as the snow leopard had originally thought.
They sat at the table, storing their knapsacks under their feet as a pretty female rabbit came and poured them tea; she seemed surprised that they declined the offer for alcohol. Once she had left the teacups with them, Po whispered to his friend, "How was that?"
"Not bad," he said. "You just might be catching on…but don't overdo it. The less you say, the better."
"Yeah…but I think they're already paying attention to us…" the panda said, indicating the unruly crowd.
"Of course they are," the snow leopard warned, blowing lightly on his tea to cool it. "They're sizing us up, trying to see if we're threats."
"What if they wanna fight?"
"If they want to fight, we get the hell out of here."
Po was depressed, if the frown peeking out from under his wide-brimmed hat was any evidence. Tai Lung nudged him. "Buck up, there'll be plenty of opportunity later…"
The waitress quickly returned with their meals and started to leave when Po hailed her back. "We're trying to get to Tibet, but our map's outta date, you got any newer ones?"
The doe was clearly used to shady characters, but she didn't seem to be threatened by the panda, or the snow leopard for that matter. "I'll check if we have extras. If not, I can find you directions. I'll be right back."
"Take your time," Tai Lung said, out of politeness more than anything else, and stuck a wonton into his mouth. Po quickly joined him, picking up his bowl of noodles and quietly slurping the broth. The whole time they were eating, they felt the glares and stares of the other patrons; most seemed curious, but a few were maliciously glowering at the newcomers. It wasn't doing much for their appetites as anxiety churned in their stomachs, but both warriors forced the food down, knowing this was likely the last good hot meal they would have for a while. Still, despite the glares and unspoken threats, none of these seemed to draw Po's attention more than two yellow-robed canines wearing flowers on their heads and speaking to nonplussed crocodile bandits.
"What's with the guys in the yellow robes over there?" Po asked, pointing his chopsticks at them.
Tai Lung glanced over, cursed, then hissed, shoving the panda's head down, "Don't look, you idiot! They'll come over—oh, damn!"
Po looked back and saw that the yellow-robed monks had spotted them and were on their way over to their table. They were carrying a basket of rolled parchments, and smiles that looked beatific from a distance, but as they came closer, took on a look of desperation seen only in the eyes of failed salesmen.
"Am I missing something here?" Po warily asked his companion.
"Po, they're Buddha's Witnesses," the snow leopard groaned. "They're Extremist Buddhists."
"Isn't that an oxymoron?"
"You'd be surprised; every religion has its nutters. Keep walking, preacher man," Tai Lung snapped when the monks got close enough. "We're not interested." When they didn't immediately back away, he snarled, "I mean it, bugger off."
"But Brother," one of them smiled, as if his life was in no immediate danger. "We only want to spread the message of Enlightenment and a breaking from the endless karmic cycle…"
"I'll take my chances on my next life," the snow leopard said flatly, raising his soup bowl to his lips. "Now go away."
"But Brother…"
"Look, mate," the snow leopard said through gritted teeth, slamming the bowl onto the table, "I am not your 'Brother', and I am not interested in your 'message'. And neither is my comrade. And if you pull your brochures out of that basket I'm shoving it into a place that will hurt—a lot."
The lead monk only smiled—which only served to expand the spotted feline's irritation—and said, "I can see you are one with a lot of pain in his life…"
"Life is pain, and anyone who tells you differently is selling something. Now piss off."
"But—"
Tai Lung growled and visibly weighed his options: to maim or not to maim, that was the question. Fortunately for him, the matter was settled when Po answered,
"Don't mind him—we're on our honeymoon, and he didn't get much sleep last night, right, schnookums?"
Before Tai Lung could recover quickly enough to berate the panda at the implication of their orientation and marital status, he became suddenly aware that the space formerly occupied by the Buddha's Witnesses was now conspicuously empty. Looking over to the door, he saw the two monks had gone as far as to abdicate the inn completely, rushing like yellow bats out of Hell to the out-of-doors, shrieking something about "heathens" and "hell-bound souls".
"I can't believe that worked," the snow leopard gaped.
"You're welcome," Po said triumphantly, returning to his wontons.
"I should kill you for doing that," Tai Lung said, resting his arm on the back of his chair. "But now I don't know if I should be mad or grateful."
"Again, you're welcome," Po said smugly, popping another wonton in his mouth.
"How did you know that would work?"
"Easy," the panda explained. "Dad had a cousin who got a lot of solicitors like that. One asked him 'Have you found the Enlightened One' and he asked 'You people lost him again? We can't trust you with anything!'."
Tai Lung chuckled. "I bet he scared off a few in his time."
Po paused because his mouth was full, then he swallowed, then he spoke: "You kiddin'? The time they showed up at New Year's, and the whole family was there, right? He answered the door and got the spiel, and he replied 'Actually, we were about to sacrifice our goat neighbor to Yanluo Wang, but you're welcome to stay for dinner'."
Tai Lung laughed, shaking his head. "How fast did they run away?"
"It was a pretty quick retreat," Po chuckled. "I didn't think anyone could run that fast—"
He was cut off when a heavy fist slammed onto their table, rattling their dishes. The pair looked up into the low-browed visage of a very angry bull.
"Oh bloody hell…" Tai Lung muttered.
The bull glared right at them, snorting through his flared nostrils. "Fairies, huh? We don't like your kind 'round here."
"We figured that," Po said. "And obviously, sarcasm's lost on you."
Tai Lung nearly choked on a wonton and swallowed hard. What was Po doing?!
The bull glared. "I'm thinkin' you want some trouble, little man."
"And I'm thinking you're not burdened with an overabundance of schooling," Po said with a disarming smile.
Tai Lung gaped at the panda as dread settled in his gut. The panda was going to get them both killed!
The bull pulled back and cracked his knuckles, "You say one more thing, boy, and I'll whip ya like your daddy never did!"
"Wow," Po said, leaning back nonchalantly. "Your childhood must've really sucked. Do you need a hug?"
"THAT'S IT!" the bull roared, raising his fist to bring down on the panda. Tai Lung panicked when he realized Po wasn't moving, but before he could move to prevent a certain mortal blow, the bull's feet fell from under him, and a split second later he was propelled through the air and straight through the wall. Po and Tai Lung stared in awe at the bull-shaped hole in the outer wall, then turned back when a silky voice purred, "You're right; sarcasm is completely lost on the likes of him."
When the pair turned around, they both froze. They knew their faces from the inked depictions plastered on walls throughout the valley, featuring the elfin façades of the three petite spotted females that stood before them. Their leader, sporting eyes like garnets, stood front and center, arms akimbo, and her sisters—undoubtedly, for the family resemblance was unmistakable—flanked her, the middle child sporting verdant green eyes, the youngest' eyes blue as a northern sea. Their weapons gleamed in the low candlelight, hanging ominously from their belts, revealed only by the parting of their long black cloaks. There was no doubt in the kung fu masters' minds that the ones standing before them were the infamous Wu Sisters.
"Um, thanks…" Po hesitated. The eldest sister arched a delicate brow as her younger sisters peered at them with curiosity. Po decided to break the awkward pause the only way his father had taught him: "You wanna sit? We can buy you a drink or an appetizer or somethin'."
The red-eyed female blinked, but her expression was otherwise indecipherable. Her tone betrayed her surprise. "…You're offering us food? When we barely know you?"
"You should know," the blue-eyed sister said, "We were taught to never accept anything from strangers."
"Momma raised no fools," the green-eyed sister said, buffing her claws on her tunic.
"Hey, we owe ya for takin' that guy out."
"Don't bother," the eldest flippantly waved. "He had it coming."
After another pause, Tai Lung and Po exchanged significant looks, then Po turned back to the sisters, stood, and bowed. "I'm Ping," he lied, then pointed to Tai Lung. "And this is my friend…Sonam. What're your names?"
Completely taken aback, the sisters shared a significant, stunned look, before introducing themselves. The eldest pointed at herself. "Tian."
The middle, sylvan-eyed sister answered, "Jiang."
The youngest, with the lapis eyes, gave a small wave. "Zhu."
"Well there you go," Po beamed. "Now we're not strangers anymore."
Tai Lung almost laughed. He wanted to groan at the seeming prevalence of all pandas being overly trusting…but in this case, this had taken the most dangerous assassins in China by complete surprise, dissolving whatever malcontent or ill will the female snow leopards had originally intended. He even noticed a smile tugging at Wu Jiang's lips. Po offered again. "Food? Plenty of tea, too. We won't take up too much of your time, promise."
The sisters shared another look, the youngest looking to Wu Tian for a decision. The red-eyed female finally relented, stealing a chair from a nearby table. "All right, sure."
"What're ya drinkin'?" Po asked. "Tea, or something a little stronger?"
"Tea," Wu Tian curtly said. "We don't drink."
"Devout Buddhists, are you?" Tai Lung asked ironically. The three sisters smirked simultaneously, as if the trio were amused by his sense of humor.
"We wouldn't go that far," Wu Tian said with a suggestive smirk. "But as far as vices go, we're pretty clean."
"So who are you," Wu Jiang suspiciously asked, quickly changing the subject. "Complete strangers—have never seen you before in these parts…"
"We're just passing through," Po said, ordering a round of jasmine tea for the table. "Goin' on a pilgrimage, if you catch my drift."
"Ah…" Wu Tian said with interest. "So I take it you two are monks?"
"Pilgrims," Tai Lung glared.
"Ah, looking for inner peace?" the red-eyed sister teased. "How curious you end up in a place like this…"
"Just asking for directions, love," the male snow leopard mocked.
"Weird," Wu Zhu said. "I thought only women did that."
Both males scowled, to the delight of the Sisters. Wu Zhu giggled, her blue eyes shining with mirth, but carried the sharp edge of steel. "So where are you bound, pilgrim?"
"Tibet," Po said. "We're trying to find the quickest way there…"
"Oh, is that all?" Wu Tian pulled a piece of parchment from her tunic and spread it on the table, pointing out a thin red line on the map. It passed through Guizhou, but deviated from their original path to cut through southern Sichuan and the very tip of Northwestern Yunnan; and even better, it bypassed mountains altogether. "Take the Red Bird Pass; as long as you don't deviate from it, it will put you in Tibet, just on the other side of the Yunnan border. After that, you're on your own."
"You're being unusually accommodating…" Tai Lung said suspiciously.
Wu Jiang smirked, "Just doing our part, Brother. We siblings-in-arms must look out for each other, shouldn't we?"
"We appreciate the help," Po said. "How far away is this Pass?"
"About a mile north of here," Wu Jiang pointed through the bull-shaped hole she had made. "There'll be a big gate made of red sandstone—you can't miss it."
"Oi," Tai Lung objected when Wu Tian started folding the map. "I think we'll need that!"
"No, you won't," she smiled, and for some reason, Tai Lung swore he had seen that secretive grin somewhere before… "Just walk up the path, take a right, take the third left, and there's the beginning of the road."
"It's a hell of a lot faster than taking the Bing Yuan Road, or the Blue Dragon Pass," Wu Zhu said with a derisive laugh. "I can't believe anyone's stupid enough to take it anymore!"
"Erm, why is that?" Tai Lung asked. "We've heard both are rather reliable…"
"For people who behave themselves, sure," Wu Jiang said. "But the Imperial Guards run both those roads, and, even if we weren't wanted criminals, the toll gates would rob us blind."
"The Red Bird Pass is the fastest way to Tibet. The beauty of that," Wu Tian smiled, "Is that once you're over the border, you can get away with murder."
This inside joke made her little sisters grin and laugh wickedly behind their hands. Po sent Tai Lung an uncertain look; Tai Lung said nothing.
"So, uh, why's it called the 'Red Bird Pass'?" Po asked.
Wu Tian stood to leave, silently signaling her sisters to do the same. "Some legend or another, that a phoenix used to live along the route, or it's the route that goes to some 'mystical temple' with magic and treasure and nonsense like that," she scoffed. "Don't believe the bandits—there's nothing out there. Just mountains, mountains, and more mountains."
"Are you sure?" Tai Lung said, sounding disheartened.
"Trust us," Wu Zhu said with conviction. "We've hid out there enough times to know…there's nothing there. Maybe a few monks and some small villages, but nothing to get excited about."
"If you want a place to 'pray'," Wu Jiang said, "Right over the border from Yunnan, and you're set."
Wu Tian cast her garnet-hued stare between the two males and smiled again, "Have a pleasant trip, gentlemen." With this dismissal, the sisters raised the hoods of the cloaks and moved to the door.
When they had departed, Po cast a look around the dining room and saw that the nasty looks had not abated. Nudging his friend, he whispered, "Think we should get going?"
Tai Lung had appeared lost in thought, and being startled from his musings his fur stood on end. Seeing the glares as well, he nodded. "Let's get the hell out of here." They left a tip (which they were sure would be swiped by the clientele anyway) and hastily departed. When they had made it safely across the jetty and to the bank of the lake, Tai Lung glanced back over his shoulder, then peered suspiciously up the slope they had taken.
"You okay, buddy?" Po asked.
Tai Lung felt a chill and shuddered. "I don't know. Let's get going; I've got a bad feeling about sticking around here much longer…"
Back at the gatehouse at the entrance to the Thread of Hope, the two bulls were enjoying their morning tea when their door slammed open. They immediately reached for their weapons, but had to slow their surging adrenaline when they saw who was there.
"Captain Zang," the first bull said. "Wasn't expecting you for another couple days."
Captain Zang Deshi—a massive black horse with a long inky black mane and white star on his forehead—strode into the gatehouse, his hooves clip-clopping on the floorboards. Behind him were three others, a massive bull elephant, a bay-colored equine of slighter build, and a young tiger, the last of whom the first bull thought looked astoundingly familiar…but the black-coated equine officer didn't allow him the chance to think it over any further.
"I'll be brief, gentlemen, for I know you're busier this time of year," the Captain said. "I have in good confidence that my quarry passed through here last night."
"Which one?" the first bull asked. It did him no good to toy with this warhorse; Zang Deshi was nearly as tall as the elephant behind him, and almost as muscular as Tai Lung, and bore himself with a regal air that was associated with men who came from a long line of impressive military lineage. The decorations on his armor said enough to that—who knew how many generations of warriors was in his bloodline? Besides that, for a horse, Captain Zang was not as free-spirited and lively as his species would have suggested. In fact, he could be downright cruel if he felt the situation called for it.
"I'm a bit more patient today," Zang glared, "So I'll let that slide. Where is Tai Lung?"
"Dunno."
"You don't know?"
The first bull shrugged. "Yeah, he came through here, but I don't know which road he's taking."
"My men noticed he was not traveling alone," Zang said, whipping his head to indicate his scouts behind him. "There was a panda with him."
"The Dragon Warrior," the second bull said.
Zang arched a brow, visibly thinking. "Indeed? That's interesting…Where were they headed?"
"Tibet," the first bull said, despite his cousin's warning glares not to say anything. "Though if you ask me, I'm not sure there's much to worry about. Believe it or not, the panda was able to defeat him—if Tai Lung was really a danger, the Dragon Warrior wouldn't travel with him, would he?"
"Whether or not the snow leopard is dangerous is not for you to decide," Captain Zang glared. "Recall that you were not posted here because of your ability to think. You are guards, simple, brainless guards, and don't forget that. It is not your job to think or form your own opinions—your job is to follow orders, or lose your head. Am I clear?"
Apparently Zang was in one of his cruel moods, so he grudgingly replied, "Yes, sir."
"Now, you will tell me which road they are taking."
"If you saw them come and go," the first bull boldly replied, "surely you know that already."
"They're avoiding the Bing Yuan Road!" the second bull spoke up before the Captain lost his temper. "They were going to take one of the smuggler's roads, but never said which one."
"And you didn't try to capture him?" Zang asked with an accusatory tone.
"Our job is to guard the entrance to the Thread of Hope," the second bull reminded. "Nowhere in our job description does it say we arrest outlaws. And even if it did, we don't have the authority to do so, nor the cells to hold them."
Zang rolled his dark eyes and wearily replied, "It's called a 'citizen's arrest', gentlemen."
"What citizen is stupid enough to try and fight Tai Lung?" The second bull's only saving grace was his sincere tone and countenance. Had he been abrasive as his kin, no doubt he would have been court marshaled in a heartbeat…or perhaps killed. "Besides, if we called for reinforcements, no one would have gotten here in time to catch him. We had no choice but to let them go."
Captain Zang appeared to agree with his logic. If the entire Anvil of Heaven had been destroyed in mere minutes by that one snow leopard, what chance did two guards have? The powerful warhorse instead asked, "Did they say why they were going to Tibet?"
"They were pretty mum about the whole thing—only stayed about fifteen minutes. Look, if you want someone else to attest for Tai Lung, you could ask Mrs. He…"
"I'm not interested in that woman's opinion of him. My job is to bring him to justice," Zang snorted. "And to justice, I shall bring him. Quon!" he barked.
The young tiger jumped and came forward; the second bull looked at him sympathetically. That tiger was just a kid; what was he doing chasing a dangerous man? He watched as the youth received his orders to begin tracking the two warriors, then the three soldiers departed, leaving Zang standing in the doorway. The warhorse did not look pleased.
"If I find you have misled me, there will be swift repercussions."
"We told you what we know."
"All of it?"
"All of it."
Zang glared at the guards a moment longer, watching them for any signs of deceit. Once he was satisfied of their sincerity, he turned on his hoof and marched for the door without a single goodbye. The guards didn't let out the breaths they had been holding until the door had slammed behind him.
The day before the assassin was to meet them, Lang could not have been more nervous. True, there were many things he needed to be concerned about, most notably keeping his head down and keeping from getting the snot kicked out of him, but he couldn't deny he was extremely nervous about the whole affair. Lord White Wolf's rapidly swinging moods didn't help, and the lack of support from the Half Dozen was about as helpful as a bucket of spit. Until the assassin arrived, Lang just had to keep his head down, do as he was told, and avoid any confrontations.
Unfortunately for him, confrontations seemed to follow him like flies to a carcass.
Today, for example, he was carrying firewood across White Wolf's compound, preparing the household for the coming winter. It wasn't a particularly large home; in fact, it was rather small for someone with White Wolf's wealth. Unlike other rich men, the warlord was the stingiest son of a bitch Lang had ever heard of. He could have afforded a bigger, nicer place, sure, but that meant spending money, which was the one and only thing he coveted and loved. To call him a tightwad was an understatement. Still, the small wolf didn't mind the small size: it meant less area for him to clean.
As the omega, his place was pretty much guaranteed. Firewood duty, dishes, refuse removal and the more-reviled chamber pot duty was primarily what the wolf was expected to do. He owed White Wolf a lot of money, and the only way to conceivably pay him back was to become his slave…for however long it took to pay off his debt.
The Half Dozen, on the other hand, were hired goons—for there was really no other way to describe them. He supposed Lan Duo and Tan Lan weren't so bad; the grey and tan wolves (respectfully) stood up for him on occasion, even though he was sure it was only for self-serving purposes and not from any conceived sense of camaraderie. He mostly avoided Yu Wang, the light grey wolf having an attitude and lewd conduct that bothered the omega to no end. Xu Jiu was alright, as long as he had food and drink to assuage his temper. But Bao Nu…well, the less said about that wrathful beast, the better. Zi Hao, the only black wolf in the sextet, was by far the most aggressive, which seemed true across the board for any wolf with that colorization, and Lang avoided him at any cost, though he suspected the Half Dozen's leader went out of his way to kick the omega around.
Currently struggling with overloaded arms, Lang stumbled across the courtyard, desperately holding on to the bulky logs for fear of dropping them. He knew he shouldn't have overloaded himself, but the sooner he got this task done, the sooner he could get to the others, and if he didn't complete all his duties by the end of the day, he'd be in for it. He lost the battle and dropped one log, which he tripped over, and slammed into someone. The force of impact caused him to drop his armload and fall hard onto his back, winding him.
As he lay catching his breath, Lang quickly realized with increasing dread who it was he had bumped into. A fearsome snarl exited the injured party's maw. Lang yelped when the other wolf yanked on his ear and twisted hard, causing the omega to drop the other logs.
"Worthless!" the older wolf snarled. "You aren't worth the money I paid for you, you useless sack of flesh!"
Lang cowered at the feet of the white lupine, kowtowing and pleading for mercy. "A thousand pardons, I beg your forgiveness, sir! I did not mean to disturb you, please forgive me!"
Lord White Wolf glared at the unfortunate slave before kicking him in the head. Lang sprawled on the ground, futilely covering his head as the warlord took out a cane and began savagely beating him. "Forgiveness! I'll give you forgiveness! This is the best you deserve, wolfdog! You sniveling, disgusting halfbreed!"
"I'm not a halfbreed!" Lang shouted. The caning immediately stopped, and the omega felt his heart sink into his gut. He had talked back to White Wolf…and he was probably going to be killed. He didn't bother looking up and begging for mercy again, because he wasn't going to get it. He heard the warlord growl and drop the cane, then the sound of steel sliding out of a sheath, and Lang readied himself for the killing blow…
"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bunk, didn't you, Sir?"
Lang sucked down a gulp of air and chanced a look up. Lan Duo stood just off to the side, arms crossed over his chest and regarding his employer with a cool look.
"You'd do well to mind your damn business, Lan," White Wolf growled.
"You don't pay me enough to do that, boss. Leave the kid alone, he's harmless. So he dropped a log on your foot, big deal."
The warlord pointed an accusatory finger at the cowering omega. "Little bastard needs to learn his place."
"Why bother?" the grey wolf shrugged. "Zi Hao beat that into him the other night. Why should you have to exert unnecessary energy?"
White Wolf snorted and sheathed the sword; Lang let out a sigh of relief.
"I should just kill him; he's not worth the money I paid for him," White Wolf snapped, his sharp white teeth gleaming in the afternoon light.
"True," Tan Lan said, popping up next to him. "But you and I both know that's a poor investment." The tan-furred wolf mentally calculated, "As it stands, he's already worked enough to pay five percent of his purchase price. So at the rate he's going you'll have him for…approximately twenty more years."
Lang lowered his ears; twenty years? He'd be dead before then! And if he died before his debt was repaid, his family would have to pay it all back, and he knew that meant guaranteed slavery for them too.
"What use is that to me?" White Wolf asked.
"You don't have to pay him—free labor is a bargain in anyone's book," the tan wolf smirked.
White Wolf glared at the cheeky canine. "I'd kill you for insubordination if you weren't such a good accountant."
"Which probably explains my New Year's bonus," Tan Lan grinned.
"You got a bonus?" Lan Duo gaped. "You bastard! I didn't see a single fen."
"It's your own fault," the white-furred warlord snapped. "You want a bonus, do some actual damn work!"
Casting a passive look at the omega, he sneered and smacked Lang in the head. "Pick this up, and get your tail moving! If I see you dawdling, it's the rat treatment for you."
Lang paled and felt sick. Of all the tortures White Wolf was known for…using the combination of starved rats and hot coals had to be the most horrifying. He swallowed hard as Lord White Wolf quitted the scene, marching back into his house and slamming the door behind him.
Once he was safely out of earshot, Lang smiled with relief up at the two taller wolves. "Thank you…"
"Don't mention it," Lan Duo flatly replied.
"No, really, I—"
"Ever," the grey wolf glared. "If Hao finds out we stuck up for you, he'd kill us and skin us, and not necessarily in that order."
"So why did you help me?" Lang asked.
Lan Duo sighed and shook his head as if the answer should have been obvious. "Because White Wolf never kills anyone himself if he can avoid it, which means one of us would've had to do it. Then we'd have to drag your dead weight to the refuse pile, then clean up the blood…"
"Probably have to replace the paving stones, maybe the entire courtyard," Tan Lan nodded. "Blood's a bitch to get out of everything. And that would cost us a pretty fen."
"Completely not worth it; killing you would've been, like, work and effort," Lan Duo remarked, looking slightly sickened at the thought of exerting more energy than was necessary. "And didn't I tell you something about learning to keep your mouth shut?"
"But I'm not a halfbreed," Lang glared.
"'Course you're not," Tan Lan said, arms akimbo, "But don't tell him that. Hell, he thought my name was Tan Lung for a few months, but I wasn't stupid enough to correct him when he got it wrong."
"You're not smart," Lan Duo said. "But you're smart enough to want to live, right?"
Lang nodded.
"Accept you're a slave, kid," Duo said, turning away. "Accept that nothing will change that, and that'll make the rest of your life much easier to handle."
Lang hung his head, fighting back the wave of despair and crushing depression that forced the breath from his chest. Nothing would change. He should have run the night he'd gone to the Wolf's Head, but he knew that was foolish. If he had run, his family would have suffered for it. Despite his species' reputation, Lang was neither selfish nor self-serving. His family was his pack, and packs were fiercely loyal to one another. It had taken all his nerve to tell his parents not to help him, to forget about him, to disown him. He didn't want to drag them through the mud; they were better off pretending he was dead.
He envied the Half Dozen. Oh, he would have given anything to be as strong as they were, as smart, as wily, as good a fighter. In fact, to be a warrior as fearsome as Zi Hao would have been his greatest aspiration…had he still hopes that dreams came true. But it was never going to happen; he would die here, a slave, more miserable than a mange-ridden dog, and whatever dreams he may have had before were as useless as the leaves falling onto the courtyard floor.
With these miserable thoughts in mind, Lang started to pick up the logs, careful to stack them so he could see where he was going. But while he struggled with his load, he couldn't shake the feeling he was being watched. With this in mind, he hurried to complete his chores. He needn't have worried. White Wolf was not the one watching him with extreme interest.
No, Lang's spy was perched in a tree overhanging the compound walls, hidden behind the golden yellow leaves. The spy's spotted tail twisted and curled as his blue-green eyes crinkled with a smile. The omega did not yet know it, but things were about to get very interesting…
Not much to say here. I'm not entirely happy with this chapter, but hey, things are rolling along.
FYI: The line "Life is pain, anyone who says otherwise is selling something" is a nod to one of my favorite movies "The Princess Bride". And of course, as many of you know I am a huge Firefly fan, Po's line "Clearly you're not burdened by an overabundance of schooling" is one of Mal's witticisms...and said comment quickly degenerates into a bar fight. Good times.
Please read and review!