Long chapter alert
Chapter Eight- More of the Prophecy
Tai Lung rubbed his head and sneezed. He had landed right in a large patch of hydrangeas, and the pollen from that flower always made him sneeze. Po had landed on his butt, right on top of a rock. Lin was stuck in the fork of a tree, groaning.
"Stupid tree." She wheezed. "Got me in the gut." Po helped the little black dragon down and the three of them took in their surroundings. They were all very surprised.
The entire house seemed to be dark and abandoned. But this garden looked fresh and new. It was also extremely large. Large clusters of fruit trees and bamboo were scattered among the garden, towering over Po, Tai Lung, and Lin. Bed after bed were filled with larger-than-usual flowers of every kind. Between the flower beds were vegetable gardens that overflowed with delicious veggies. Every single blade of grass was bright green and lightly sprayed with dew. All the fruit in the trees and the vegetables in their beds were about twice the size of a normal fruit or vegetable. Some were even thrice the size. It looked like a giant, garden/forest paradise.
"It's so beautiful." Lin said. "What is this place?"
"Whatever it is, it's blocking Dai's aura." Tai Lung said. "I can't sense any presence of any ghost or spirit." Suddenly, he tensed up. "Wait. There is something here. A lot of things."
"Ghosts?" Po asked, ready to face anything that attacked them.
"No." Tai Lung said. "This is different. Ghosts' auras have a certain feeling; a specific sight; an accurate smell. The aura I feel reminds me of nature."
"We're in the middle of a garden." Po said. Before Tai Lung could say anymore, something rustled in the bushes.
Out from the bushes came a strange creature. It wore pants and a shirt that looked like they were woven from grass, which, they might have been. Tucked behind the creature's ear was a daisy flower. It had no fur or hair anywhere on its body, except for a short cropped mop of hair on its head. The skin visible on the creature was pale. The creature was quite beautiful, but evil-looking. Her clothes, hair, even the flower behind her ear, were all black like a raven's feathers.
"What is that?" Tai Lung asked.
"A nymph." Lin said. "It looks like a human, but it's a spirit that is strongly connected with nature."
"What's a human?" Po asked.
"It looks like the girl in front of us." Lin said.
The nymph stared at the group. She stared at Tai Lung, then Lin, and finally Po. She pointed to the Dragon Warrior.
"You are the one." The nymph said.
"The one for what?" Po asked.
"You lost your parents years ago and turned against your master when you realized his other life." The nymph said. "I am Shinjitsu, daughter to the Greek goddess of revenge, Nemesis. It's time that you realized the truth." Shinjitsu turned to Lin. "That is one of your prophecy lines, is it not? 'One will be confronted by his sins'. Now, it is time for that line to come true." Shinjitsu waved her hand, and the scenery changed. Tai Lung, Po, and Lin were outside a large hut.
"What is this place?" Lin asked.
"Wait, I know this house." Po said. "This used to be my home." Po ran around back. He smiled at the sight. Tai Lung and Lin followed and stared.
In the backyard was a vegetable garden. Dotted around the yard were dandelions, some white, some yellow. Standing on the porch of the house, sitting in a rocking chair was a panda woman, sewing a patch onto a pair of pants. The air was peaceful and quiet. Suddenly, there was a crash from inside the house, and a black and white fur ball barreled out of the house, giggling. Another panda, this one a large, burly man, came to the porch, panting.
"Po got a hold of my nunchakus again." The panda man said.
The panda woman chuckled. "Jian, my darling, you need to learn how to keep those things in high places."
"That doesn't help, Meijing." Jian said. "He just climbs up to them." Jian took off after the black and white fur ball, which had stopped and was playing with the nunchakus in a small patch of flowers. The fur ball turned out to be a three-year-old panda cub. His shorts were brown and he wore tiny sandals to match. The cub's eyes were like emeralds.
It was three-year-old Po.
Jian chased his son around the yard for a few minutes before he caught him. Po giggled and swung the nunchakus around.
"Po." Jian scolded gently, taking the weapon away. "No. I'll teach you to use this when you're older."
"Or Master Oogway will teach him." Meijing said.
"Ah, yes." Jian said. He walked over to his wife. "Just think: our son will be continuing our family's legacy."
"Well, your sides of the family are some of the few panda warriors." Meijing said. She smiled at Po, who was all giggles and smiles. "I had a dream once. I dreamed that Po was the greatest warrior of all time, even though nobody thought he could do it."
"Well, Master Oogway and Master Shifu will surely take care of him." Jian said. "I just hope they'll accept him."
"Oogway will not turn down an opportunity to train another student." Meijing assured.
"But what about Tai Lung?" Jian asked. "Oogway told me that Shifu took his rampage pretty hard."
"Well, maybe another student that's kind and gentle will soften his heart." Meijing said. Jian smiled.
Po smiled, too, until he noticed a pair of glowing eyes in the bushes, and that's when he realized something.
One will be confronted by his sins.
Jian tensed up. He turned to the yellow eyes in the bushes as they emerged, revealing a werewolf. It must've been quite young, because it was only the size of a grizzly bear. But its eyes were yellow and bloodshot, its claws overgrown, and it was foaming at the mouth.
"Run!" Jian yelled as the werewolf charged. Jian shoved tiny Po into Meijing's arms. Jian took the nunchakus and swung them, clubbing the werewolf's head. "Take Po and go to Oogway! He'll protect you!" Jian and the rabid werewolf engaged in a furious fight as Meijing ran as fast as she could. Adult Po, horrified, ran after her. Tai Lung and Lin followed close behind. Then, Lin heard Jian cry out, and she was shocked to see the panda on the ground, blood coming from the bite in his arm. Lin snarled and ran forward, giving the werewolf a head butt that launched him ten feet into the forest. Lin was shocked, but she remembered Meijing and little Po and urged Jian to run to them.
Meanwhile, Meijing was running as fast as she could with Po in her arms. Adult Po and Tai Lung were running after her. If Meijing could hear them, she didn't turn around to find out. But when she did turn around, she ran faster. Po and Tai Lung found out why: another werewolf was after her. This one wasn't rabid, thank heavens, but it was chasing her. Meijing ran faster, arriving in the Valley of Peace just as the sun was setting. Nobody was in the streets where she ran, and Meijing made a beeline for the palace. She and her husband were a lot more in shape than most pandas, and she made it to the top with the werewolf far behind her. She pounded on the doors, which were now locked. By then, the sun was behind the horizon, with only a few rays to give light.
"Somebody help me!" Meijing cried, hearing the werewolf getting closer. Po started whining, and Meijing could see he was about to cry soon. Meijing gave the door a hard shoved with her shoulder, but they still wouldn't budge. So, with Po in one hand and using her free one, Meijing punched a hole right thru the doors. The doors unlocked, and Meijing burst thru. She got halfway thru the courtyard before the werewolf suddenly, jumped in front of her. Meijing stared at the werewolf in horror.
"Help!" she screamed.
"Nobody will hear you, panda." The werewolf growled. "Hand over the kid, and I'll let you live." Meijing stared at Po in her arms.
"Never." She hissed. The werewolf growled and lunged. Meijing gave it a kick to the jaw, and it flew back. Meijing snarled fiercely. The werewolf lunged again, and Meijing prepared to kick him. But the werewolf dodged her kick and bit her leg hard. Meijing grunted, and tried to punch the werewolf away, but the stupid dog bit her other leg just as hard. Meijing went down, still clutching Po to her chest.
Po and Tai Lung could only watch with horror. They had tried to stop the werewolf, but it was as though they were ghosts; nobody could hear, see, or touch them.
Meijing was snarling at the werewolf. "Just give me the kid." The werewolf said. "It'd be a shame to destroy such a pretty face." Meijing growled, holding Po close. The werewolf snarled and lunged…..
…..only to be met with Jian's fist.
The werewolf flew backwards, but the rabid werewolf joined his friend and the two of them circled the pandas. Jian stood in front of his wife and child.
"You'll regret it if you don't hand over the kid quietly." The werewolf said. The rabid one just chuckled gruesomely.
"Stay away from them." Jian said. The rabid werewolf lunged, but Jian jumped over his family and punched the werewolf away, grabbing his fur and launching him further. Jian heard a scream ring out, and he turned and almost screamed himself.
The werewolf that had been in front of him had lunged and bit Meijing's neck, snapping it and killing her.
"NO!" Po screamed. He tried to run to his mother, but Tai Lung held him back. "Let go of me!" Po desperately punched Tai Lung, but the snow leopard was too strong. Lin, who had finally returned, jumped onto Po's shoulder.
"Po, there's nothing you can do." She said gently. Only then did Po calm down.
Jian stared at his dead wife with horror. Then, his horror turned to rage, and he lunged for the murderer. But the rabid werewolf was back, and he attacked Jian from behind. Jian went down, the rabid werewolf biting and scratching him. The werewolf just stood by and watched, smirking slightly as Jian screamed with pain.
"That's enough!" the werewolf barked. The rabid werewolf got off, revealing Jian as a bloody mess. The werewolf smiled. "I told you to do a simple task, and now you'll pay with your refusal." The werewolf walked over to baby Po, who was still huddled next to Meijing. Lin suddenly ran forward. She could hit the rabid wolf, so she can protect Po. Lin stood in front of the cub, snarling menacingly. The werewolf jumped back.
"Don't you dare touch him." Lin said.
"Then you'll die too!" the werewolf lunged once more…..
…..only to be stopped by an elegant staff.
Oogway and Shifu stood in front of the three pandas and the dragon. Lin took the opportunity to run back to Tai Lung and Po.
"Leave." Oogway ordered. "Unless you want to fight us." The werewolves were smarter than that, and they ran off.
"Know this, old men!" the werewolf cried. "When the boy turns eighteen, we'll be here to kill him!" The two of them disappeared, and Shifu turned to Jian, who was still a bloody heap on the ground. His breathing was raspy. Shifu knelt down next to his friend, inspecting his wounds with worry clearly etched into his face.
Oogway walked to Po and Meijing. Meijing was still clutching Po, making sure he was okay. Oogway rested a hand on Meijing's head.
"Your child will be safe." He whispered. "I promise." Then, Meijing's body seemed to relax, and Po curiously wandered over to the tortoise. Oogway took the fuzz ball of a cub and held it in the crook of his arm. Oogway walked over to Shifu.
"He needs a doctor." Shifu said. His voice was almost fearful, but Oogway could tell that he was trying to be calm.
"Shifu, he's beyond help." Oogway said gently.
"I will not allow him to die!" Shifu yelled. Jian groaned, and Shifu turned to him worriedly.
"Shifu…..he's right…." Jian whispered. "Please……Po is all I have left……..take care…..of him…..He needs……a father…."
"But-"
"I don't care……about Tai Lung……" Jian said. "That's…..the past……please……make sure……he's never….harmed…..promise me….." Shifu looked at Po, who was staring with awe at Oogway's long claws. Shifu smiled weakly.
"I promise he'll be safe." Shifu said. Jian sighed and closed his eyes, dying peacefully.
Po stared in shock at his dead parents. He almost ran to them, but Tai Lung was still holding him back. Tears streamed down Po's face. Then, they scene changed once more, and they were back in the garden with Shinjitsu.
"Now, you see the truth." She said. "I hope you've been educated." With that, she disappeared with only the scent of daisies. Tai Lung and Lin stared at Po.
"I'm not sure how that's a sin." Tai Lung said.
"When I found out about what happened, I blamed myself." Po said, choking back a sob. "I'm the reason my parents are dead; the werewolves just wanted me, and they killed my parents to get me." Po turned away from them. "I wish I had been killed with them!" he screamed.
Then, Po completely broke down, sitting on his butt and sobbing. Lin and Tai Lung didn't know what to do.
*****
The Five and Mei were a bit bruised up, seeing as though they had crash landed on hard, stone floor. Mantis had gone zooming thru the air and ricocheted around a suit of armor until it crashed to the ground. Everyone stood and brushed themselves off. Thankfully, none of them were hurt, but Tigress was pretty steamed.
"If I fall down one more trap door, I'm going to flip!" she hissed.
"Tai Lung told me you did that a lot as a cub." Mei teased, trying to lighten the mood. But Tigress wasn't into it. She glared at the lioness.
"Shut up!" she screamed. "You're bloody husband almost killed my father!"
This time, Mei got angry. "I was just trying to help." She said, trying to keep her voice calm. "I didn't mean to insult you."
"You insulted yourself by marrying a murderer." Tigress seethed.
"Tai Lung is not a murderer!" Mei screamed. "He is a greater warrior than you'll ever be!"
Tigress lunged, attacking Mei. But Mei never forgot her kung fu training, and she fought right back. Viper, Crane, Monkey, and Mantis didn't really know what to do, so they stayed back. Mei and Tigress fought all over the trophy room, knocking over shelves and breaking glass cases. They kept going until Viper suddenly felt a cold presence. Before the snake warrior could say anything, there was a mighty roar.
Immediately after, everyone froze. Mei and Tigress even stopped fighting.
"What was that?" Crane asked.
"Everyone get together!" Tigress ordered. Everyone, even Mei, formed a circle facing out, ready for anything. For a long, almost terrifying, tense, moment, there was silence.
Then, the doors of the trophy room blew open, the doors flying off their hinges. Everyone turned and saw a ghost dragon in the doorway. It growled deeply and roared again, blowing back everyone's fur (feathers in Crane's case, and Viper and Mantis just get blown backwards a little). The dragon lunged, aiming straight for Tigress. The others tried to protect her, but were swatted away by the ghost dragon's tail. The ghost dragon grabbed Tigress in its claws and started to walk off.
"Drop her!" Mei shouted, jumping towards the dragon. The dragon turned and growled. It lunged.
A/N: Jian is sword in Chinese. Meijing is beauty in Chinese. Shinjitsu means Truth in Japanese. Perfect for the situation. Read and Review! Longest chapter of the story! But it had to be done!