Volume One: A Visitor

Chapter IX

Exiled

The black bear crawled out of the bayou bank; she was swimming out, grunting. Ripples poured down underneath her. Dusk sank above the edge of the West, and behind her about two miles back, the Great Wall stood among the tree hills. The tiger indeed followed the news from the Rebellion — Master Bear's spies followed her to where she soared across the sky.

Damn, that little witch who cast me away!

Phantom revolted when pressuring her left shoulder. The soul of General Kai's wife, Huoju's sister, the black bear reflected of Wugu, laid within the necklace the bull wore.

An hour passed on.

Phantom rushed into thick logs and headed Northeast—

Where exactly am I?

The black bear swam her head as she sauntered toward the high ground where rocky steeps towered. Climbing over the ridges, Phantom observed the land of dry and scorching terrain, stretching far down toward the endless horizon, thus lifeless mountains lying in random places. The dense clouds swarmed into North, swept slow and steady as it lightly roared among the dirt land.

A scorching sea.

Specks of sand.

Her feet warmth toward solid and soft structures she trotted. Her heart hammered as she mounted over the towering ridges, her whole veins racing.

The night was whispering its dirt specks, brooming across the land of nowhere. The bear's feet flared, now agitated as you have been walking yourself far enough. Trudging many steps, you hear her endless soil crushes with heavy thumps against a field of dry meadows. The black bear kept her limbs cross forward from bristling as if the breeze from the North swept toward her. Around most of her many paces, as she ignored how far she went, including flaring feet, Phantom luckily not encountered a few bandits. She thought of them from this exile (or a dangerous) land were lethal than the Resistance army they could murder outsiders, for those who are not welcome in this territory.

Phantom's fur began breathing cold. The night was shadowy, yet among the heavens were only gleam stars dancing. Her right claw clenched against the misty snow on edge, and Phantom heaved herself over, the pool of pale rime engulfed her whole back, cooling the bear's rough back.

Rolling to the front as her body greedily sunk the snow into the surface, Phantom raised her head. Blurry, as her view seemed to be tired and swollen. She peered what this faint glow of gray and round stood on the ridge side. There were other glows as well —

Phantom flattened her left cheek into the fluffy ice. One eye of hers now sharpened than the other, met the figure in strange furry garment hurrying down from the round tent's entrance.

Swimming within the darkness of nothingness but warm and floating, Phantom twitched her violet eyes. Her time was not at the moment to suffer in a fancy dream she slept. Many faint shouts swirled over her. It was Phantom, so small and innocent how she glanced to the surface of herself, embracing a tiny bear figure to her face.

One of the giants escorted her from a black bear who wailed his thick cry far down toward ridge hill. Lifted by her brown bear mother with a horror look, the child peeked the farmer who drew his ax, and five red arrows plunged his heart.

Scuttling into one of the silver round tents, the cub's mother wildly seized a sharp metal pole from the bamboo cabinet and dove it into the exterior floor. Wild shouts stormed near as the mother kept stabbing the surface; to this child, she merely thought were men brawling while praising. Smashing the bamboo at the exact size of her daughter's waist, mother sobbed. "Whatever happens: Do not come out or crawl away from here! By the Gods, I love you, Mingling!"

"Momma!"

The child sobbed but could not resist her mother's lips blessing longer than a thousand times of kissing on the cub's forehead. The bear forced her in the hole, and the child saw her mother closing the gap, hearing chimes of enormous iron pots. The cub weakly thrust against the closed bamboo hole.

Voices roared.

Fast paces stormed over tents and paths, and giant steps advanced. Swords struck and swirled; the cub always caught her ears listening to these "sword spar training" as her father educated his experts. This was even more serious than sparring.

While the cub's mother roared and slammed uninvited guests against structures, Mingling sobbed while crawling near pole units toward the tent's side. Unfamiliar chimes pivoted and pelted through conflicts - the cub peeked one of the strangers who indeed improved their persistence than her father's men.

She could not describe a soldier with a long neck and a giant shell, pivoting her dad's warriors. Beside the stranger when whamming most of the soldiers with fire emblem (her dad's crew), she had seen every yak, so tall around her father's height. This giant was bold than the cub's family. With a double-edge pole, the bull with long horns in scathe armor bellowed, slashing other bear giants and yaks.

She sobbed and skulked behind the silver round tent.

Mingling. Look away.

A deep, rough voice entered. Deep inside the black bear, Mingling raised her head to where this heartbreaking tone was as she guided herself toward the dying battle. Only soldiers and the enemies in odd coats lied in the cold. She stared forward without letting her pupils meet soldiers' eyes. Tightly holding her plush toy, Mingling scampered toward the clearing and into the tall, snowy mountains. Snow raged against her.

Ahead of Mingling, the hollow had its mouth of darkness perched by, and Mingling rushed her stroll into the cave. After entering, the screams of snow faded as she went on, farther and farther until the bellow stopped. Light torches hung to her side and stretched across multiple tunnels in front. Cozy surrounded, and far down the tunnels, metallic metals chirped. She assumed that there were people from survivors from her abandoned village or strangers she never met or mentioned before.

Ambling within, she sobbed while lost. The torch caught the shadows of four forms, echoing their demands of what they heard. Spawning to one side, as Mingling gasped, they weren't survivors from her village. Dressed in midnight winter deels, boots, and intricate gray patterns of dragon-like fires, they glanced at themselves in confusion. She could not picture of whom these strangers from, or their banners — whether they fight for China or freedom, Mingling was part of neither.

Swallowing hard from sobbing, the black bear darted her eyes on these strangers, her cloudy thoughts swarming to demand if they were enemies or not. A tall buffalo in the middle of the group, a leader with downward horns, drew his pointy dagger.

A loud, swirl fire from behind the bandits stormed down, and Mingling screamed, skulking to the side as these bandits shut their screams. Thuds and slices splattered. Heat by dark clouds was warm and threatening when getting close to the fire, as the child armed over her eyes, sobbing.

Momentarily, she thought her time had concluded, even when her parents were long gone, slaughtered, or not. Reflecting on her mother, who was the gardener, and her father became a burdener, her intellect shrunk into nothingness.

Looking away as far as she could, the fire brightened closer to where she was, with big steps approaching before crouching. A hoof from the light, Mingling peeked her tear eye, reached forward. The face was menacing and calmed the way this poor little child glanced on and so praised. His eyes color around iris matched to his fire sword. The warrior's face had a faded scar from underneath his left eye through the middle of his black nostril.

August 23, 1210

Both of her ears registered the music of thin showers impacting above the gray tent ceiling. It was too good to be resting. The tent's door, her right eye peeked when slowly positioning to where she could see. The horizon where rime mountains towered beside it, tinged within the depths of the ocean's deep color. Immersible, the bear quite imagined how long she was in a trance, conceivably pleased to see her champion.

This tent was part of her sanctuary when living in the outskirts, away from China — fortune to her residing in someone's house. Many said by meeting toward the outskirts was when you are banished - possibly committed treason with high levels of crime. The Emperor of China sentenced with possible choices for criminals to live: Exile from China or occupy with other prisoners by only constructing every brick placing the next block. By building lengthy boundaries whereas the Great Wall stood in whole northern borders.

Phantom's taste of exile persisted to loathsome. She never meant to soar across the boundary from where Kai's necklace cast her was to a mile of Great Wall at the North.

Instead of loathsomeness living in banishment, the aroma presence of nostalgia made her instant recall living within her familiar place. A pleasant smell of soy sauce engulfed, thus the black pan soft boiling water. Behind the figure was corsac fox. The Mongolian villager, robed in midnight winter vest with tufts, intricate silver square lines on drape shoulders.

A snow canine with tinge gray ears and brown-green iris turned and sat ahead of her.

"Are you alright, my Lady?"

The voice was tender, blended with rocky tone breath. To the black bear, figuring this soldier was aware, filled with care and loyalty, Mingling reflected canine's mind.

Curse that beloved sister who cast me away.

The bear and fox perched ahead of the firepit that engulfed dying embers, and woods harshly muttered to its crackling bones. Using his wooden pole, the fox spread tiny logs as the fire inhaled the cold air naturally. Phantom clutched the snow sheet in between her chest, glancing the fire embers.

This occupation moment was the opposite of seeing this black bear mourn and weak. Nevertheless, the fox immediately recalled one of his vital pieces of training he and Phantom educated. Not only for survivability to him, being a fox to skulk behind, and advance against dangerous paths, but to rank with leaderships and believing in triumphs. His mentor, a long-time companion, was rightfully relished her apprentice and other students of the snow fox's.

"You seek the only fox who had his group of canines, lost half of his men after they, including their leader, submitted to the Emperor of China." The Mongolian fox went on. "Huangdi sent most of them to those borders, highly guarded by Resistance armies." The black bear bore her clay mug of hot tea, sipping while her whole fur trembled. "You looked terrible back there. I was anxious to lose you, Master. Luckily, my strong men and I guided you in here. You were out for at least a day."

"I am grateful you have given me your comfortable place to rest." Phantom tugged the snow blanket close to her chest. Her voice was tendering, restoring her deathly boldness tone.

"My lady. I stashed your battle armor to the Blacksmith about five house shelters down to your right." The fox patted the bear's silky shoulder. "Your scathes are redeemable to re-design shapes and the looks of your preference - something you should dress as our Prince Huoju would have relished. As planned for your six hundred and sixtieth birthday -" the fox handed the concept design paper to Mingling, "the Prince of Darkness could have given you this as your present."

The black bear observed the scroll of final armory progress. It was the diagram of a full-body, dressed with drapes in a neat scathe of dark violet fire chest. Round-spike shoulders, which adjusted the bear's height of her head, and outer linings, matched her eye-color of purple.

A clawless grip had modified with a shiny black hook, viciously average around another claw of Phantom's paw. Mingling palmed her quivering lips. One of the fox's soldiers announced outside of the front door. "I'll leave you here, my lady." The fox brushed Mingling's shoulder and left.

Both of Mingling's eyes traced her silky drops. Her tears impacted the scroll toward the face of the enormous Prince of Darkness below the final armory progress.

At a young warrior, Mingling stood aside from his teacher who surveyed other soldiers - young adults in training robes of black and red belts. The black bear's turn was the time when she faced her adversary, a cunning red-orange vixen. Even facing against a small opponent, any size as the Prince of Darkness commanded his students did not matter.

Mingling pawed her fierce claws as if the vixen spun under her opponent's feet, soaring and almost clouted her foot near Mingling's head to the side. The bear bowled to one side while vixen wildly hammered her feet; she elbowed her muzzle.

Retreating after vixen inspected her warm clot from the muzzle, she roared. The fox sprung and clobbered her feet ahead of Mingling's arms, guarded above the bear's head. Exposing the bear's defensive limbs, vixen battered her paws toward ribcages. As unpredictable to control balance was when Mingling wobbled severely, vixen grasped her whole right arm and swept her front foot forward.

The Prince of Darkness crossed his arms, observing one of her valuable students. Regarding this spar, Huoju would see only half of his students be vital. The other half might fail to prove themselves worthy. He speculated his bear student how a mysterious teacher from the Prince's side had the assumption that she would reckon to be Huoju's right-hand ally.

Mingling rose, dodging as the vixen walloped her left foot blow onto the robust platform. Gasping in awe from her opponent who taunted with horridness, the black bear curled her lips downward. The vixen made her sudden move, scurrying and -

Mingling's opponent chortled and fell forward. The Prince of Darkness unfolded his limbs, bizarrely widening at the scene of this smothering fox who clenched her throat. Many students rose in confusion. Their eyes heeded at the other; one of the students gasped.

As seen toward the black bear's eyes no longer colored her original eyes of dawn, her eyes of violet iris glared down to vixen. Most of the students endured their position without interfering with their teammates. Giving a scowling look, Mingling ignored their shouts, satisfying to eye on her odious vixen who tortured the bear thousand times worse. Each of vixen's smothering breath, her red tears dripped on her cheeks.

Mingling huffed and jerked her head; vixen bent her back forward. Her neck revealed dark blue bruises as she held her throat while the other reached her paw mercy.

The bear's shoulder weighted down to sudden relief. Huoju's hoof palmed her first, and vixen unleashed her breath, coughing and crashing her body to the ground. "Send Lingling to the doctor. You're dismissed, all of you." The Prince's harsh tone declared. As advised to do so, students supported vixen Liming, departing their way from both Huoju and Mingling. The bovine eyed on his student. "You must control your mind, my yuèliàng."

"What did I do wrong?" Mingling sobbed.

"You nearly murdered your vixen partner," Huoju answered.

She turned to the bovine. "I hate her! She tried to slit my throat before the trial!"

"Then, there will be sympathy between you both after Lingling's recovery." He eyed on Mingling's forearms, which bruised with damaged fur, brushing her injury. "Did she hurt you?"

She hardly tried not to give a flinch or a mean look to her teacher. "I warned her not to oppose me."

"What I meant was Lingling plunging her knife toward you."

"She cannot hurt me," she shook.

"As understandable you seek revenge, there is no such thing to you and Lingling clawing at your throats," Huoju added. "Apart from intimidating yourselves, you and all students attend your necessity to each other. This Great War is inevitable, and Oogway's Rebellion will expose my battalion's weakness."

Huoju's hooves glared into soft embers where the bear's injuries had dissipated. This burn did not twitch Mingling as she shut her lips, facing her feet. "The scroll you were not supposed to scrutinize in my library chose you on that purpose. My Master seeks triumph to us both," Huoju bent his knees, fiddling Mingling's silky claws. "If his concept is essential to fulfilling our destinies, then I crave you to be on my side. Be my wupo. Be my moon."

Be my moon.

By the time she had awakened from myth memories, she would have desired to be in the past instead of seeing her partner vanquished. Indeed, she was vulnerable before the trial. With her thumb stroking a thin paper of the bovine face, Mingling's tears slipped through her cheeks.

"Whenever you are ready, Master."

The bear heard her student's presence before waking herself in eternity. Instead of exposing her weak feelings toward her servants, Mingling returned her aggravation pose. Ready, indeed.

Inside the Blacksmith's tent, four foxes towered beside the bear. They adjusted every armor plate Phantom dressed while she spread her limbs apart. The white fox only watched how her armor applied to her whole body. The soldiers carefully tightened strings to close up other scathe plates.

An elder white fox with his muzzle wrinkles and pale cinnamon eyes, he bore the cap with a silver hook that fitted Mingling's clawless wrist. Indicated to be precise and elegant rather than messy, the Blacksmith measured her whole left claw and wrist before advancing these soldiers to dress her new battle armor.

Observing her new "hand" with a sharp tip, Mingling gave a taste of liking the cap's sides that said, "My sun." These words referenced her partner, who made the bear in black as vicious Lady of Shadows, raised her as the bear's affection.

"Where will you go, my lady?" asked her loyal companion.

"For now, the path of mine leads to seeking justice. Enemies will see the truth to where my only triumph warrior was dead. Judgment to find my Master's killer who destroyed my world — my Huoju. I loved him because he was my champion. I slept with him because nightmares dissipated its existence. I cared for him because he treated me well from abusive —" she clenched her claw, "— cowards. His father's enemies rebelled against him without surrender."

Many foxes hesitated their muscles, revealing their heads they pulled away; some shivered, and others trembling their fingers. The bear in black proceeded. "When I return to China, for those who faced the wrath and against the Prince of Darkness, I shall drag everything they cared. To know what is like how that mortal bastard took my love away. They will experience the witch who can rip their hearts in pieces."

"Perhaps, my lady, retaliation does spark with fire. Let's say you as the fire, scorch everywhere you go as the unstoppable warrior," the white fox determined. He fiddled his fingers ahead of his belly as he bent his head to one side curiously. "What about water? Waters flow and slam against fire, but with the steam builds bloodshed. You suggest vengeance is good, but that does not mean revenge will bring — Huoju back."

"Perhaps. And perhaps not," Mingling was certain.

The bear's servant hummed. "What will you do now?" he wandered with such care and honesty.

"My partner had always spoken to me when building a great army. Not as always difficult to convince these barbarians, thieves, or gangs to unite and become the unstoppable force."

One of the servant's students gestured; only half of them nodded to their Master, and the servant whistled his command. Dismissing many students, the fox approached as the black bear rotated to see her armor and herself. "How do I look to you?"

The fox and black bear looked at the bronze mirror of themselves, which copied their movements and identical forms of their garments. Phantom's student spread his lips wide enough. He clasped Mingling's claw. "You are Prince Huoju's queen, my master."

"May the Gods of yours bless your heart."

The fox and black bear departed from the tent, sauntering amid the snowy plain hill of twelve gray tents perching on all sides. Conceivably, as the black bear thought of the nostalgia land of Mongolia, some of the paths laid these fire camps, some with iron pans hanging above the fire using its hooks.

Residents - snow fox's soldiers - on both sides of the path, bent their heads. "My lady." Each of them titled the bear, respectively.

The snow around the fox and black bear were gentle, rather than from yesterday's gale that Phantom reminisced her journey. With a clear view, mountains peeked as the rime above ridges carried winds. The amid of every mountain lay its river clouds, falling from heaven.

"There is this precious piece I crave to salvage in Mongolia. Before I find it, there will be occasions to address a Khan warrior, requiring his army to trek toward the South." Mingling said, clasping claws behind her back. "Without a command, I am useless, even when some enemies might have swords that blessed from the sky. A falling star from the realms brought a blessing metal that can slaughter my servants, Huoju's people, and Lord Commander's army."

"You are not the only one here aware of the metal presence, Master," the fox replied. "The blessing blade that casts five times sharper than regular swords can rip us all in dissipation."

The snow fox ceased to a halt, eying on Mingling's solar red eyes. "You will need men, strong and quick, and silent as the wind if we are heading down to the Great Wall."

"Forgive me asking my intrigues to your gratitude and devotion. What is your ambition again?"

The bear turned to her loyal student. To the student, he pondered if this question was yet to be a test. Sometimes a few masters' minds might have forgotten to approve his/her student's tasks. "The fox deserves an allegiance to your side. The fox foresees the picture of guidance."

"Leadership," the bear figured, as her warmth, pale breath stroked ahead of the canine. "You have your persistence to become an alpha fox who shall outrun the wolf."

Not for long, their ears registered the wind that repeated its sturdy flaps across the snow hill country. Among the rime horizon of Mongolia as the clouds shed apart and revealed the sun, which beaming down to where both warlords were, spotted a black condor soaring down.

The messenger spread his snow tattoo wings to a halt, his talons widening his sharp gray nails as he cawed. Landing in front of the two, the condor messenger bowed his head with his wings bent. "Good day, Lieutenant Fèngxiàn," announced the green-eyes condor messenger. "I bring a message from Khan's successor. He invites you and Mingling to his mountain yurts, around the two-day hike."

The black bear steadied her chin before glancing at her student in determination. The fox's back became bristled as he owed her plenty of answers. "While you were resting, my lady, I urged my messenger to notify your long-time companion that you are here in Mongolia. Your companion seems soft and truly respective to Prince Huoju's Commander." Fengxian grinned.

Returning her pose toward the hawk messenger, Mingling pulled her grin. "This successor of Khan's, who wishes to invite us, is admirable to recall his colleague. Inform Khan's successor: An old companion of his will arrive there soon."

"As your command, my Lady," the hawk messenger bowed and soared away in a fierce glide.

Author's Note:

There will be plenty of elements of Mongolia as I am interested in their clothing, tribes, weapons, and their Khan. There's likely going to be some historical events during the early thirteenth century by the time there were three dynasties (Western Xia, Jin, and Song) in China. With fictional purposes, thus interest in Genghis Khan, I only write what I envision of The Mightiest Warriors Series, likely adventures wherever the gang and my OCs travel.

I hope y'all look forward to seeing Phantom's journey embarking a small start to regain her resilience!

7/5/2020