"People create their own questions because they are afraid to look straight. All you have to do is look straight and see the road, and when you see it, don't sit looking at it - walk."

Ayn Rand

Kung Fu Panda

The Long Night

Chapter IX: Dark Riddles

She is sleeping.

I needed almost the whole night to warm her up. I heated the fireplace, I rubbed her with a towel, which I have found here and I have even hugged her to get her warm once again. And simultaneously I needed to look out for a wound in her side. Big enough that it had killed her without treatment. Whoever was responsible for this, tried to kill her!

But now she is sleeping. I don't know if she is out of the woods. I hope so, but I am not a doctor. At least she is breathing.

While she is sleeping I am sitting in a meditating position close by. I focus if there will come another attack, but it is not happening. In the meanwhile I think about several things.

Why have they attacked me?

Who are they? Are they citizens of the valley?

And why was she almost dead, when I found her? Was this their doing? Or someone else? And why have I found her so close to the hut?

I look at her like she is sleeping in the warm bed I was sleeping the past days. She looks….innocent. Different from her fighting mien the day before. How could she end up this way?

…I scratch my head fur….Worrying about others doesn't fit me somehow….I look back to her…

Her clothes were more used than I thought the first time. Like she would use them for months already without changing. They smell in this way as well. And her body: It is scrawny. Like she had eaten days ago the last time. If I would have the supplies I would have cooked a soup, but in this way I could only melt more ice. It is a little too hot, but soon I will be able to let her drink from it. Even when this is not enough for her. I hope she is able to eat rice.

Another thing crosses my mind: She has old bruises and scars on her body. Whatever happened with her, it has nothing to do with the winter. I become angry thinking of what this can mean.

"Uhhh…." I hear it as clear as a diamond.

I stand up and rush to her immediately. She is waking up, opening her useless eyes and looking around despite this. Her eyes stay by me after I touched her blanket. She can sense me quite well...Is it to See without Seeing…?

"How are you feeling?" I ask her.

I think she recognizes my voice and tries to flee by moving to the wall. "Don't move…" I want to say still, but it happens already: She winces in pain and grabs to the with the towel bandaged wound. "…you are injured, but I treated the wound. You will survive." I hope so at least while I add this.

She stares at me once again. Her milky eyes look very odd…have I looked the same way?

"I will do you no harm." I add once again, "So how are you feeling?"

She eyes me warily. "Good…" she replies finally.

I realize that it is my fault that she mistrusts me. If I haven't played a trick on them….

"That is good…." I say finally and add a smile to this, before realizing that she can't see it.

I scratch the back of my head. There are things which need to be asked and I can't wait till she feels better…but still…

I stand up and go to the kettle, take a bowl of hot ice water and bring it to her. "It is still a little warm, but I think it will be good." I say while she grabs the bowl still warily. She drinks of it slowly, but accepts that I am not poisoning her. Is this mistrust really a result of my trick or is there more?

"I will need to ask you one or two things. Are you ready for this?" I say finally.

She takes another pull of the bowl and then nods.

"Good…then maybe we introduce each other first. My name is Tai Lung. How is your name?"

She waits with her answer. "Zhusai."

"Zhusai….I see. That's why your friends call you Zhu what?"

"Only my friends are allowed to use it!" she snaps at me relatively strong. She moves while doing it and need to wince shortly after it. I sigh and wait a while till I continue.

"Very well…Zhusai…can I ask where your friends are right now?"

"No you can't!" she snaps at me again, but then lowers her head, "No…you can't."

I hear the pain in the voice very well. Let's put this to later…

"Yesterday night five Yaks attacked the hut. Do you know them?" I ask directly.

She takes another pull, while nodding. "Yan's men."

"And who is this?"

She looks at me with hatred in the eyes. "A Bandit. A murderer. An evil man."

Somehow a picture shapes itself in my head.

"And where I can find him?"

She lowers her head once again with a sad mien. "In my village…", and then if she remembered something, "…in the valley. He and his men are there, although they don't belong there."

"Why not?"

She looks at me again…she behaves like she would not be blind…

"Because….they don't belong there." she replies, before she winces, "They have killed…so many….My parents…" I see that she is close to crying and take her in my arms carefully. "Shh….don't cry little kitten. Here you are safe."

"Don't touch me!" she screams and pushes me away. She winces after it immediately. I scratch the place, where she has pushed me….I don't know why I have said nor done this, but it felt right. Her wary eyes prove that it was not…

"I said I am not your enemy." I explain once again. She pants louder.

"No…you aren't…" she admits, "But nothing else…" she adds. I accept this. This fits me more than a caring guy after all.

Later I give her something to eat of the rice and need to look out that she doesn't eat too fast during her condition. She was really hungry.

She explains me also that Yan is controlling her village now and also all the villagers. He has sent her and the three others to spy on me, because he has one part of each family in his pocket…except her. She went with them, because they were friends. But the others couldn't flee without risking the life of their family.

And when they came back without any proper information…he has punished the others and then sent her to lead the way to me for the five Yaks.

"And your wound? Where did this come from?"

"When we reached the hut….in the middle of the blizzard…they stabbed me….I don't know why…I couldn't prevent it."

I nod. I have a theory, but I will not tell it to her.

"And your eyes…they don't seem to create problems for you…" I mention the other topic, which is part of my interest. She glares at me.

"I am blind." she replies angrily.

"Yeah you are." I admit. Whatever else I could do?

"But…I have no problems with 'seeing'." she explains…it sounds like she is confused as well about it.

"Because you are using 'See without Seeing'." I explain.

She looks at me confused. "What is this?"

I sigh. "A technique…." how much should I tell her? "…I can use it as well."

"You can? …are you blind?"

"Was. But not anymore."

She looks surprised. "How….how have you healed it?"

I shrug. "Don't know…I think it was a temporal thing from the start…" I scratch my ear.

She looks down. "I see…." I realize now, what she was thinking: Could she overcome it as well…

I sigh. It doesn't help create false hope.

"Where have you learned 'See without Seeing'?"

She doesn't lift her head. "Don't know….It was there one day…" she replies a bit blushing.

"I see…that is probably the reason why you still can't sense things through the air properly…"

"Through the air?" she asks surprised.

"Yeah,…this is a degree from this skill. I needed some time to learn it back then."

"Can you teach it to me?" The question came so suddenly that it took me back. Her mistrust seems to be gone like it was never there, while she looks at me with this milky eyes….and they are sparkling… and the fighting mien has returned...Can I teach her?

"It is better to sleep…during sleep your wounds will heal better." I reply to decide it later.

She nods not-willingly and it doesn't last long before she sleeps once again.

For the next two days we have our peace, because the blizzard doesn't want to end. She sleeps most of the time, but gets stronger as well. She is still very hungry and my supplies with food are coming closer to an end. Hope they will be still enough for us both.

At least since I mentioned that I was blind she begins to trust me…although she bugs me about the teaching thing on any occasion…

At the morning of the third day, when the blizzard has ended finally, Zhusai sits up from one moment to another. She looks out from the window, but I still can see the panic in her face. I realize that she seems to have heard something. I focus and learn what it is: A small group has assembled outside. Bigger than last time though. It is only a few steps away from the hut. I look at Zhusai, who still looks panicky...are they responsible for her wounds that she recognizes her voices so fast? I clench my fist.

Slowly I leave the place of my meditating and leave the hut. Outside are some Yaks – one or two even from the other day like I see – and in the middle an Ox. He has expensive looking long horns, expensive, but warm clothes, a trained body, which went on the easy street for a while and two axes in both arms. His look is…arrogantly…I don't know why, but in my eyes he doesn't look strong.

"So it is really you…" the Ox says to me. While I come closer, I see that not far away from him is a female Owl: She has violet eyes and wears a violet garment over her owlish body. Her eyes look….knowing. …She is different than him. She can't be underestimated…She is strong.

"You know me?" I say acting dumbfound.

"You are Tai Lung.", the owl says, before stepping forward.

"Yes he is…no wonder my men couldn't win against you. The most feared Kung Fu Warrior is standing in front of my nose." the Ox says. Obviously Yan.

I grin evilly. "So I am found out what? What will you do now, ox?"

He chuckles. "First I thought to eliminate you…But that you are Tai Lung changes everything. What would you think of working for me? As a bodyguard? The payment is really good and I promise you that you will not get such an offer somewhere else."

I thought the Owl, who seems like his bodyguard, would react on this, but she looks like before. No rival thinking what?

"You are the guy who tyrannizes a complete village is this not a fact?" I counter.

He seems to be surprised.

"You know about this? Where from?"

"That doesn't matter. He will refuse your offer, Yan." the Owl says while stepping closer to me. I get tensed.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. Look into his eyes. There you will see everything you need to know. He will not work for a bandit lord like you. He is not interested in money or a lazy life like you. So let me fight him finally. For this you have hired me or not?"

So this is it.

"Yes, you are right Fenghuang. Deal with him."

Fenghuang? I know this name.

"So you are the strongest of the older Furious Five what? One of Shifu's old comrades…"

"It is always nice to be recognized, don't you think?"

"No, not really." I disapprove. She chuckles: "Not proud that you were Shifu's disciple once?"

"Would have never considered that someone like you fights for money." I ignore the obvious verbal attack.

She chuckles again and then turns her head to the ox. "You can go now."

"What? I and my men have come up the whole way to see your fight and you…" Fenghuang glares at him, "Eh….by proper thinking…Men we go back to the village!"

And so they go away and we are left behind.

"You are not interested in money, isn't that so?" I ask after a while realizing it.

"No of course not. I am a Kung Fu Warrior. Our destiny is it to reign over such pitiful insects like him."

"So why are you working for him?"

"Because I wanted to meet you, Tai Lung. I think we have the same enemy."

I realize something: From where has she learnt where to find me?

"Ah is that so? And who may this be?" I reply not showing her my discomfort about this.

"Po, the Dragon Warrior of course. He stands between our both destinies don't you think?"

I consider this. "I don't think so. I've changed."

"Don't make me laugh. You used your whole life to gain power superior of others and you used it against the insects already. You are not much different than Me." she smirks evilly, "And Po is denying this path we chose. We need to stop him. Annihilate him. Prove him that his path is wrong and was the whole time."

I think she has not heard of the thing with Tian Yi…still my reply is clear. "Maybe once I was so, but not anymore. I have found my peace with the world. I am Tai Lung and I have found my destiny already and it is not to take part in your conspiracy."

She keeps silent. Somehow I begin to feel uneasy….like there is something I am missing.

"I see….very well…then you are standing in my way as well, Tai Lung. Prepare to die!" she says and charges me.

I get into a battle posture immediately, but still can dodge her first attack only by a narrow margin…

I dodge to the sides and back. She is faster than me and her wings….they are odd.

I jump back a bigger distance and realize what is odd: I have scratches around my body, where she had hit me almost. The tips of her wings are sharper than knifes….I land on all my fours. I grin…interesting.

She charges me again, but this time uses her flying ability to her advantage. She attacks with her claws, but I am able to dodge them easily, because with them she is not so fast like before. Finally I can grab one of her claws and pull her down with force. Before she can change to a counter attack I jump at her and we fly on her back hard. Before I can attack further, she vaults me over her shoulders with her claws. I land smoothly and go directly to the counter-attack. Now she is in the defense and needs to dodge my punches and kicks. I try to hit her head, her chest, her waist, her wings and everything else, but she is still the faster one,…she even can hit me with counter-attacks!….at least no serious hits, but I dislike it. I get a hit against my cheek….need to take her speed into account…I have an idea.

After another bad aimed punch, she does what I have expected: She attacks my face with one of her wings. But she has not expected my other prepared fist who breaks in one swift swing her wing knifes.

"Ahhh…..!" she reacts to the pain, before I jump at her. Now she can't dodge my attacks anymore and I hit her with one punch and another. Then to end the fight I stretch out my forefingers and try to paralyze her, but when I touch her, she…vanishes.

A Dark shadow emerges from the position she has stood right now, whirls around my stretched out arm and then flies away to the blue sky.

I look up at it without a word. I know these shadows. Tian Yi! This is one of his spirits.

But this is impossible. Tian Yi has lost his spirits during his being in the Abyss. From where did this one have come from? And why has it looked like Fenghuang moments ago? …Has she died?

…I sense her and look to the door of the hut. She stands there in the snow not far away from my position with eyes and mouth open wide. Even when she is blind her gestures are the same like I know. It is obvious that she was not blind her whole life….

"How much have you sensed with your other 'Seeing'?" I ask her.

She gulps. "Much….you are strong." she replies in a broken voice.

"I know….I don't have the reputation of the most feared Kung Fu Warrior for nothing, you know?"

I curse mentally. I didn't need to approve to Yan's words…I look at her, but she comes closer to me without fear in her face. Instead I recognize tears on her cheeks. She rushes to me and I bow down to her…maybe it is the pain in the wound?

"That is not fair…" she mutters.

I don't understand.

"If I would have been so strong….my parents would have….maybe…."

Now I understand. I hug her once again. This time she doesn't push me away. No words are needed and so we stand for a while. Perfect silence.

I look at her….an innocent kitten….completely alone. Have you thought this as well, when you found me, Shifu? I lower my head, before something crosses my mind. "Today your village will be freed." I tell her.

Tai Lung is back in action :D Hope you like it as well like the Easter Egg for LoA watchers ;) I appreciate it still when you would review this chapter.

"Kung Fu Panda" (c) DreamWorks Animation

I own nothing except for the written word.
Characters you don't know are from me. The Idea is also from me.