I have been delinquent with my writing. I am very sorry. I was just not in the mood to do writing of any sort for a while. It's because I juggle so many different hobbies. Anyway, here I introduce a new perspective character: the Wolf Boss! I liked him a lot and wished he had more character development in the movie, but what can you do? He's going to be important later on in the story though. It was really fun to write this guy, and I think my favorite part is his discussion with Hao.
Summary: The paths Shen took in the past seem only to lead deeper into darkness. But through the eyes of those who have woven themselves into his life, a new story unfolds-one leading away from old misery and guilt-that may yet bring him redemption. Slight AU. Chapter 5-A day in the life of the Wolf Boss.
Chapter 5.
Wolf Boss Lang.
Lang rode alongside the stricken-looking lady peacock. Shen had refused to let her ride with him, declaring that no one had any right to occupy space in his carriage. So Lang and the lady followed behind in a simple rickshaw, but the lady seemed to prefer his company to his lord's anyway. Even with the wind blowing in his face, he could smell her fear like it was a slick coating over her feathers. And there was something else too. Lang sniffed deeply, and snuck a glance at her. Her expression, her smell, and the tightness of her muscles all reminded Lang of Shen in his "polite mode." Everything stank of deceit. He knew those eyes, that scent, and he was sure that if he heard her speak, that voice too. Maybe Shen was too busy in his scheming to notice, but Lang realized he could sense a lie faster than he could smell rotting fish upwind on a breezy day.
When they arrived at the mansion, Shen waved Lang to his side without turning around to acknowledge the lady.
"Escort the peahen to a room and set guards there. I don't want her to leave unless I summon her," Shen said.
"Oh, is peahen what lady peacocks are called?" Lang asked. "By the way, I think she's hiding something from you."
"Of course I know she's hiding something, dolt. And don't you dare call that peahen a lady. She's scruffier than you are," his master snapped and strode down the hall to his chambers, leaving Lang and the lady peahen standing in the entryway.
Lang turned back to the lady peahen. She didn't look that scruffy to him, although she wasn't as colorful as other peahens he'd seen.
"Uh, I'll find a room for you. Follow me." Lang scratched at his ear. Somehow, he could just smell a blowup coming the peahen's way. He'd known Shen all his life, and he knew there could be nothing pleasant in store for the lady. He had a servant lead them to a guest room, and the two of them waited outside while the servant made last minute preparations.
"Lord Shen doesn't like it when he doesn't get his way," Lang said, his tail sweeping back and forth in the uncomfortable quiet. "It'll be a lot easier for you if you just do what he says."
The lady only nodded, eyes fixed straight ahead of her. Geez, for a peasant, she seems pretty stuck up. But Lang could still smell her fear and wondered what secret she could possibly be hiding. He leaned in closer and smelled her more closely. She leaned away nervously, but before Lang could say anything, the servant came out and let her into the room, and she shut the door in his face immediately. Lang could have sworn he smelled something in the lady peahen's vest that he hadn't noticed before when the wind was blowing. He growled softly. Shen could deal with that later. He didn't have time to be worrying about the random guests of his lord.
Lang found Shen in his war room, parsing maps and moving figurines around from location to location. The wolf recognized the glint in Shen's eyes that he had when the gears in his mind were whirring full force. Planning already. Shen never had a lick of patience.
"Took you long enough to toss a peahen into a room," Shen muttered, not bothering to look up from the papers strewn about the table.
"The servant had to make it nice," Lang said.
This time Shen did look up, glaring at him with his piercing red eyes. "And so you just let him do as he pleased? I made you my second in command for a reason, dog. Or are you too stupid to realize that means you give orders and servants follow? Not that you're doing a particularly good job with giving orders either, judging by the utter uselessness of the people you have in my fireworks factory handling my weapons."
"Right, about that, Lord Shen," Lang began, "if there is a problem with my subordinates, take it out on me, not them. Wolves follow the pack leader and Hao would not act without having my okay."
"Don't presume to tell me what I can and cannot do!" Shen spat, his feathers ruffling. "I will punish whomever I see fit to punish."
"I'm only trying to look out for my men. They work hard and they're doing everything they can," Lang protested.
Shen leaped onto the table and paced toward him, white fury radiating from every feather. Lang took a step back and half-consciously raised an arm to his neck. The last time his master had come at him with such a look in his eyes was when Lang had been unfortunate enough to report the sighting of the panda in the Valley of Peace.
Shen thrust his face into Lang's. "Everything they can? Do you know what I saw when I visited the factory? Wolves and gorillas milling about like the morons they are. Not a single fire was lit. We came back to repair the cannons. I did not see any repairing happening."
Lang backed away farther, staring at Shen and hoping the defiance he felt didn't reach his eyes. The lord who was once his best friend—no, still was a friend—quivered slightly, and Lang found himself remembering the days when the young peacock's body would shake under the force of his coughs, and how too much excitement could send him into tremors. Finally, the wolf sighed, scratched at his ear and said, "Yes, my lord. Don't worry, we'll work double time to make up for the delay."
Seeming mollified, Shen craned his neck upright and smirked. "Too right you will." As Lang turned to leave, he added, "The wolves may answer to you, but don't you forget, dog, to whom you answer."
"Yes, sir," Lang muttered and shut the door behind him.
The evening was cool and the streets were bustling with people closing up shop and heading home for the day. Lang easily pushed his way through the crowd of people who were eager to avoid a wolf. He found the barracks where Shen's soldiers settled and raised his nose to find the scent he was looking for. The scent trail led him to Captain Hao, who was resting on his bunk with a cold pack pressed to his face. A she-wolf and two pups standing near the bed bowed as their pack leader approached, and Hao raised a hand in acknowledgment.
"How are you doing?" Lang asked, crouching down at Hao's side.
"Oh, you know, no worse than in the war," Hao replied with a toothy grin. It was a weak smile though.
"In the war, our enemies were the ones beating the hell out of us, not our own leaders." Lang grimaced as he looked around the rest of the barracks. Nurses were everywhere, tending to the wounded. Even after the battle, some of the injured survivors had died due to fatigue or infected wounds. The last thing Lang needed at the moment was Shen attacking and hurting perfectly healthy soldiers. It was a good thing Hao had only been knocked in the head a little. He'd be back on his feet after some bed rest. Still, the principle of the matter was what concerned him.
"Yeah, well, what you gonna do," Hao said in a tone of resignation. Lang could see his resentment as though it were written on every hair, and he knew it wasn't toward him. The wolves, his wolves, may not have been the most organized, clever bunch, but Lang knew that they were undyingly loyal. Shen was right. These wolves answered to him. The only reason they obeyed Shen without question was because their pack leader obeyed Shen without question.
"I tried talking to him, but that guy needs good timing. He was pretty grouchy today, but eventually I'll get through to him," Lang assured the captain who bore his teeth in skepticism.
"Yeah, right. Why the hell would he do anything for us? We all hear how he refers to you. I don't know how you can handle a bird, and a damn peacock at that, calling you 'dog.'" Hao spat the word like a curse.
"Hey, we would be living like dogs if it weren't for Shen. You weren't around yet, but once upon a time, he was actually a likeable guy. He raised us up and made us important. He treated us with respect and after that, I promised myself that I would take care of him and be loyal to him, and a wolf-"
"Never breaks a promise, I know," Hao finished. "But what do you do when keeping one means breaking another? I also swore to protect my pups and my mate, but how can I do that when Lord Shen is always rampaging about, demanding this and that? Face it, Boss, we're objects to him. His cannons are worth more in his eyes. We're just the guys that push 'em around and light the damn things because he doesn't have enough hands."
What Hao was saying was true, Lang admitted. And really, what was he to do when he was duty-bound to care for his wolves as well as obey Shen? He wasn't sure how his pack could still feel so loyal to him when he led them into war and came back with half their number.
Lang laid a paw on Hao's shoulder. "Just hurry up and get well, ol' fleabag," he said. Hao grinned again and gave a thumbs up. Lang made his rounds visiting other injured wolves and their families, but had to stop after a while since there were too many to speak to in one night.
The night air licked his face as he stepped out of the barracks. Lang wondered what time it was. Glancing into the lighted windows of houses, he saw families eating dinner together, seeming oblivious to the political turmoil that China was undergoing. He swiped at an ear, wondering how long ago he had ever been that blissfully ignorant. Back at the mansion, Shen was probably having the most awkward, uncomfortable meal ever with the lady peahen, and Lang was simply not interested in walking in on that. There was one other matter he could take care of before he returned, and Lang bounded away toward Gongmen Jail.
He could see his wolves crawling all over the walls and rafters of the prison. Shen had done some emergency renovations before locking each one of the Furious Five it and set up guards on every inch of the premises. Now the security was tighter than ever. That ought to please the peacock, thought Lang.
Shen had set up the prisoners so that they were as far apart from each other as possible. The last time the kung fu masters had been captured, they all helped each other break free of their bonds. Lang knew his lord would never again make the mistake of letting them work as a team. He stalked from prisoner to prisoner. He passed by Ox, Croc, Mantis, Monkey, Viper, Crane…each of them ignored him completely, and Lang was satisfied by their dejection. Understanding people was not exactly Lang's strong suit, but he had his suspicions that their despair was the most powerful thing holding them at bay.
At the end of the hall sat one of the most threatening of the masters. The tigress was handcuffed and wrapped in chains, but when Lang approached, she looked up sharply and glared at him. However, there was no threat in her eyes, but rather a desperate attempt at defiance, and Lang realized she was hiding the same hopelessness, which was so evident in the others, deep inside herself.
"Everything going well here?" Lang asked one of the prison attendants.
"Yes, sir. We have patrols going all night, and none of them have seen anything out of the ordinary," the subordinate wolf responded.
"Cowards."
Lang turned around toward the tigress. "Nah, I don't think so. More like, you guys can make hell break loose here, and we don't really need that right now," he said.
"If Shen is so concerned with who is stronger, why won't he just stand and fight instead of hiding behind hostages?" she snarled, white teeth glowing in the torchlight.
Lang had to laugh. "Because face-to-face, you are stronger than he is! Why the hell would he play the game your way?"
"When you play with people's lives, it is not a game anymore!"
"Hah, you think I don't know what it's like to be a pawn in Shen's game? What makes you think you're special and that you know more than I do? Truth is, Miss Tigress, you don't know the half of it." Lang was starting to feel fed up with her attitude. For all her skill, the kung fu master was an idiot if she thought she understood exactly where the lines between good and evil fell. If there was one thing living with Shen had taught him, it was that nothing could be defined simply in terms of black and white. Who the hell did these kung fu people think they were who acted like they had no dark side? And who the hell did they think he was when they judged him as though he had no light?
"What more is there for me to know? I've seen what Shen has done. What could I be missing that justifies all the wrongs he's committed?"
"Whoa there, I never said anything about justifying. But you might want to consider the other side of the story before you hate someone for being a monster." Lang turned away, no longer in the mood to deal with the prisoners. Security was perfectly fine, and he had nothing to worry about here.
What concerned Lang were his loyalties. How could he keep both his oath to his pack and his oath to Shen when the two were so at odds? And day by day, Shen seemed to grow increasingly unhinged, his restlessness threatening to consume him like acid. Lang growled, feeling suddenly exhausted. The world seemed to be falling apart around him, and what could a lone wolf do to stop it?