MuscialNinja15, thanks again for your review but I think you've misunderstand the last part of the chapter. It's not something dangling above Crane, it's something that sneaked up behind him and picked him up by his legs. Hope that clears things up.
"Is everything going smoothly in the foundry?" Xian asked.
"Weapon production is well underway." Shifu replied. "We've got enough material to arm a hundred men."
"Let us hope that will be enough. What news from the scouts?"
"They haven't returned yet."
"What's the progress with the defenses?"
"There has been a sentry posted on every square inch on the outer wall."
"We'll need ballistas up there. Ordinary crossbows won't be enough."
"Understood."
"Did you move Di Tan and the injured into the guestrooms as I asked?"
"Yes."
"Good. Have Crane and Mantis not returned with Su, yet?"
"No, they should be back by now. I've sent two men to check on them."
"Any sign of Tujiu or Colonel Sao?"
"None, I'm afraid. They've both either fled or are hidden somewhere in this fortress."
"Damn." Xian snarled. "The coward probably plans to run for it once things go to hell."
The emperor and the grandmaster scanned the plans of the fortress between them. They had found the plans while cleaning up the destroyed study, safely tucked into a thick crate in the corner while nearly everything else had been turned to ash.
Aside from the central tower and the two smaller towers on both sides, there were four sentry towers made entirely of stone, each one stationed at the four corners of the outer wall. The plan was for a catapult to be place at the top of each tower, and each catapult would be manned by a team of four men.
Also at this very moment, the construction of a more than a dozen 'huts' was underway in the massive courtyard of the fortress. It was an unusual but hopefully effective plan of Xian's intended to use the Yeti's size against it. Each hut was made of a combination of stone and wood, thirty feet long, fifteen feet wide and eight feet high. While the huts would serve to shelter the soldiers, they would also help to turn the tables in the soldiers' favor should a battle commence. The huts had been carefully designed to ensure that the Yeti would have difficulty moving about in the confined space, allowing the numerous and smaller soldiers a chance to overpower it.
With luck.
"This is ridiculous." Shifu muttered.
"I beg your pardon?" Xian asked.
"With the defenses we're setting in place, you'd think we were fighting against a whole army."
"Well, we are." Xian smiled grimly. "A one man army who has been one step ahead of us ever since we stepped foot into this cursed place."
"You said that Su may have figured out a way to find its hiding place."
"Yes. It's unbelievable, I know."
"I thought the same thing when Po was chosen as the Dragon Warrior."
"At this rate, I will never find anything surprising about pandas again."
"You said it."
The two men paused.
They locked eyes for a long time.
"Master Shifu, I want to ask you something." Xian spoke. "What if…" He broke eye contact. "What if it turns out we can't win this? What do we do then?"
"Let's not dwell on that, just yet." Shifu replied.
At that moment the door opened, and in stepped Eagle Jr.
"Emperor Xian, I have some bad news." He said.
"What is it?"
"We've searched everywhere for Tujiu and the colonel. No sign of them."
"Let's hope they don't do anything stupid. What's the real bad news?" Shifu asked.
"The scouts have just returned. That snow storm hasn't changed course or dissipated. We've probably got about an hour, two at most before it hits. If your students aren't back by then they probably won't survive the night."
There was silence as the news sunk in.
"What about Monkey?" Shifu asked.
"If your students haven't found him by now, we'll just have to pray he found shelter."
Shifu pinched the bridge of his nose. His students could be anywhere in the mountains by now, and they probably aren't even aware that a storm was on the way. If they are not warned in time…
"Master Eagle Jr., find Su and bring her here. It's time to find out what she has to tell us."
Eagle Jr. bowed and left the room.
Shifu saw Xian's questioning look.
"If they remembered what we know about this creature so far, Po and the others will most likely be searching for Monkey in the western area of the mountain. The same area where the Yeti's lair most likely to be located."
"And?"
"And that means there is a chance that my students may either come across this lair or stray near it."
"So you want Su to help us find the lair, so we can use it as a starting point to find your students and warn them about the storm." Xian said, understanding almost immediately. "Even if this works, how can you be sure your students will be able to get back to the fortress in time?"
"I don't. But Tigress is a smart girl. If they can't make it back, she'll think of something."
"Face it, Tigress." Po said as he rubbed his aching feet. "We're lost."
"We can't be lost!" Tigress retorted. Unlike Po, she wasn't resting.
"Tigress, this area doesn't resemble anything on the map. We're lost."
"We can't be!" Po had never seen Tigress so distressed. She was staring at the map as if she were expecting it to come alive.
"Geez, calm down." He said. "Viper can take care of herself."
"Not in the middle of a storm, she can't!"
"What?" Po stood up.
"Po, the wind is picking up. It's getting stronger and colder by the minute. In case you're not getting it yet, a storm is coming."
"Aw man." Po moaned. "If Viper gets caught in it…"
"She's a reptile. It will kill her!"
"Okay, I get your point now. Where do you suppose we start looking?"
"The crevasse we travelled through was relatively straight. We might be able to find her if we follow the opposite direction we came through underground."
"A good idea. Once we find Viper we should find a cave or something."
Tigress didn't reply. She was already setting off across the landscape.
"Hey, wait up!" Po cried and ran after her.
"Hold still!" Di Tan scolded as he tightened the fresh bandages around the crocodile soldier's tail. "Goodness gracious, you're worse than my youngest when he gets a splinter!"
The soldier grunted in displeasure, but obediently lessened his struggles. A minute later the bandage had been freshly changed.
"You know, the medic said I was lucky." The soldier said. "If that bit of wood had gone any deeper I would have lost my tail."
Di Tan nodded in agreement.
"Lucky than most others." The soldier continued. There was a different kind of pain in his eyes. "The murders, you know."
"Oh heavens, yes. I heard about that." Di Tan replied. "I'm so sorry about your comrades. I'm guessing that some of them were your friends?"
The soldier nodded.
"Hey, goose…"
"My name is Di Tan."
"Di Tan, sorry." The soldier corrected himself. "What does that monster have against us?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"If you heard the stories, you'll have heard about how all the guys killed were ripped limb from limb. You know, the kind of sick stuff only a demon does."
"Please don't go into details, I have to start preparing dinner soon."
"Okay. Anyway, I witnessed one of the earlier attacks. Me and a few of the guys were hidden behind some rocks, so luckily that thing didn't notice us. But while I was watching it rip those men to bloody pieces, I sensed…" the soldier hesitated, as if he wasn't certain of what he was about to say. "I sensed emotion. There was a lot of anger in that thing's attacks. Like it had a grudge against us."
"A grudge?"
"Di Tan, that creature hates us. It hates us a lot. You've heard the stories. You've seen what it did to us. I don't think that thing is just trying to protect the fortress. It has a score to settle."
Di Tan suddenly realized that his feathers were dampened with perspiration. Whether he liked it or not, the soldier's words made a lot of sense.
He quickly turned his attention back to the bandages.
"These are as tight as they'll be without causing further pain." He said. "Rest well and you'll be back in action in a few days."
The soldier nodded.
Di Tan practically ran from the room and into his own guest room. He poured a cup of water from the bedside jug and sat down on the bed. He took a sip. The water had been standing so long it didn't taste as good as he wanted it to.
You've heard the stories. You've seen what it did to us. I don't think that thing is just trying to protect the fortress. It has a score to settle.
Di Tan shuddered.
He looked towards the open window.
What the-
The dark figure he had seen peeking out the side of the window disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared.
Di Tan leapt from his bed and rushed to the window. He nothing but snow collecting on the stone balcony.
"They're right." He whispered. "This place is cursed."
The wings clutching the cup began to tremble.
Su watched in horror as the Yeti flung Crane into a pile of barrels with a sickening crash. The pile collapsed like toy bricks, hiding the avian from view. Mantis let out a shout as the Yeti turned its attention to him, and the bug leapt out of sight before it could try to attack.
The panda cub had just reached the top of the stairs and the light of the hole in the wall when she heard Crane cry out, and had just found her way around a stack of crates when she saw the terrifying scene unfold. And all she could do was hide behind the crate pile and watch.
The Yeti didn't go searching for Mantis straight away. Instead it muttered; "Damn, that warrior's probably gone for reinforcements." And turned to the pile of small barrels full of gunpowder. It pulled a large leather sack from its belt and began filling it with powder kegs.
What are you wanting powder kegs for? Su wondered, her intelligent curiosity briefly overcoming her fear.
The collapsed pile of barrels where Crane lay hidden from view was on the other side of the crate pile where Su was hiding. If she was quiet, she could sneak round and see if he was okay.
I'll go behind the pile, then it won't see me. Man, it looks even bigger than it did in that burning building.
Su gulped. Her heart was racing faster than ever, and it took all her courage to move from her spot behind the crates and start tip-toeing around the pile. When she reached the other side, she heard Crane moan. She froze. The Yeti had probably heard that. Five seconds passed. Su heard nothing that indicated that it had moved from its spot by the powder kegs. Su took a chance and turned her head around the corner.
From her new view of the barrels, she saw the tip of a wing just sticking out from behind the barrels. Su slightly turned her head. The Yeti had its back to them both. Keeping a tight hold on her spyglass, Su ran out from behind the crates and stopped just behind the barrels. She froze again. The Yeti made no movement. She had gone unnoticed.
Su went down on all fours and crawled over to Crane, who was lying sprawled on the stone ground. She reach out and gently shook one shoulder. No movement. Crane was out cold.
Oh man, what am I gonna do? Mantis, where are-
"Hyah!"
Su jerked her head upwards over the pile of barrels.
Mantis had just leapt out of nowhere and struck the Yeti square in the back of the head and fell back to the ground in a combat stance.
"Come and have a go if you think you're big enough!" Mantis yelled.
The Yeti merely shook its head and turned to face him.
"Mantis, no!" Su whispered in pure terror.
The bug didn't hear her. With a yell he shot through the air like an arrow, this time aiming for the Yeti's chest. The second he made contact, he began jabbing at various parts of the Yeti's legs with his forearms.
"Pressure points!" Su whispered, smiling slightly as she realized that the Yeti must surely be disabled… and that was when its hand reached down with similar speed and closed around Mantis before he could retreat.
Su stopped herself from squealing just in time as the Yeti pulled its arm back and flung Mantis at the wall.
Smack!
With a tiny groan, Mantis fell from the wall and landed right next to the unconscious Crane.
"Oh man, omanomanomanomanoman…" Su whimpered and crouched back down behind the barrels.
That monster beat up both Crane and Mantis without even trying! I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die!
She heard a grunt right above her.
Su let out a single sob.
"Mommy." She whispered.
She slowly stood up and faced it.
It looked even taller up close and towering over her. This was far worse than their last encounter in the burning building. Back then, Su had been dizzy from the smoke, and the Yeti had looked like something her imagination had made up. But here, there was no doubt that it was as real as the air she was hyperventilating now.
The Yeti stared down at her, its eyes glancing every now and then at the two motionless masters behind her. It seemed to be considering what to do with her. Would it kill her like it killed all those soldiers? Or would it deem her too insignificant to bother with? It was holding a very heavy looking large crate under one arm, obviously intended for finishing off the two masters.
Su hiccupped at the sight of the crate, and she clutched the spyglass even tighter. That was when it caught the Yeti's attention.
"Where did you get that?!" It demanded angrily.
"W-What?" Su half-sobbed. She really wanted her mummy and daddy right now.
"Where did you get that spyglass?" It snarled.
"I-In an as-astrol-l-labe!" Su whimpered, unable to do anything but answer at that point.
"Give it to me."
"N-No."
"Give it to me!"
Tears began to stream down Su's cheeks.
"G-Go away!"
"Give me that spyglass and I'll spare you and your friends behind you."
Suddenly something clicked inside Su's head. The Yeti had made that kind of promise before.
"No you won't." This time she didn't sob.
"What did you say?" Su had spoken too softly for the Yeti to hear.
"You won't spare me!" Su snapped. Her tear stained cheeks flushed. Her paws shook as she gripped her spyglass, and it wasn't from terror. "You won't spare any of us! You said you would leave us alone if we left, but then you killed that medic! You lied to Master Po and his friends and you're lying to me right now! You're a liar and a bully and I'm not giving you my spyglass!"
"I don't have time for this!" The Yeti growled and leaned down towards her. "Give me that spyglass or I will take it from you."
In response, Su screamed.
She tilted her head back and let out the loudest, highest scream she could muster.
Please let someone hear this.
She took a deep breath, about to scream again when a massive hand wrapped around her body, another holding a large finger over her mouth.
"That's enough out of you! Now give me that-"
Before the Yeti could finish, Su summoned all her strength and tossed the spyglass as far away as she could, and heard it clatter somewhere in the distance. She shut her eyes tight and waited for the next thing to happen.