Chapter Twenty-One: Moves and Countermoves
Morning dew gripped at wood and stone, the heat of day arriving in the Valley of Peace. Citizens, shop owners, laborers and travelling merchants alike went about their business and professions, wholly unconcerned with the goings-on atop the Jade Mountain. And they were likely the better for it, as nothing of note had transpired there for many a day; the reconstruction of the Jade Palace was nearly complete after the conclusion of the rainy season in southern China.
The glazed brick courtyard of the training arena was mostly devoid of commotion, save for the efforts of those trying to heave the head of the statue of Oogway up the nearby stairs. Near the center of the open space, two of the Jade Palace's revered occupants sat locked in a contest of strategy.
"Your move, master."
Shifu looked over the gameboard, which reflected odds increasingly in the favor of the bright green snake sitting opposite himself. A collective of the reptile's pieces were encroaching upon his all-important general, who was protected by only an advisor and a pawn. His large ears flicked with impatience, and he made a quick move.
Viper rapidly analyzed the red panda's strategic position, smiling at him with a hidden pity. Shifu was notoriously dreadful at board games - but especially at Xiangqi.
"You know, I spoke with Po's father yesterday..." the snake said, slowly pushing forward one of her pieces with her tail.
"Which one?" Shifu asked promptly, in perfect time with his arm that had flown across the board to make his move.
"Mr. Ping, of course; Li Shan left to attend to matters in the Panda Village some time ago." Viper answered, surprised that it hadn't been self-evident.
"And?"
The snake again made her move before speaking in her usual respectful tone.
"Well... he was concerned that his son has been gone too long - that perhaps the mission north has gone awry."
In the distance, Mantis' voice could be overheard as he stood atop the stone head being pushed up the stairs.
"That's it - just a few more steps you guys! Is that all you've got?"
"Easy for you to say!" Monkey said, grunting with exertion along with the other workers. "You're not down here pushing this thing!"
The spectacle of it had distracted Viper from the game-board, and looking down she saw that Shifu had moved once more, prolonging the endgame of the contest.
"The goose is overreacting - the three of them were only expected to return less than a week ago. Any number of reasonable complications could have forestalled them."
The reptile looked over the pieces, deciding how best to delay putting her master in checkmate.
"But certainly they could have sent Crane ahead with a message..." she prodded, having found a rather useless move available and taken it.
Shifu's ear twitched again, hastily pushing a piece in an ill-advised direction.
"Nonsense. That would divide their numbers... make them more vulnerable. They know better than that - Tigress does at least."
Viper surveyed the sunrise in the distance before asking, "Master, may I speak openly on this matter?"
The grandmaster nodded, leaning back from the game momentarily.
"I must admit that I share the same concern. It's not like them to return late; maybe something bad has happened..." she said, sliding a piece across the board halfheartedly.
Shifu sighed, "You speak as if I sent them off to fight an entire country, or slay some great demon. Do you doubt your fellow masters?"
"Of course not," she said almost sorrowfully, "but I just have this feeling... that something has gone amiss - a danger that lies beyond our sight."
The red panda resumed the contest with a move of his own.
"I admire the concern you show for your teammates, Master Viper; it is one of your greatest attributes. But do not allow your compassion to breed fear."
"Yes, master." she conceded, bowing her neck as her forked tongue slid between her fangs.
But as she rose from the respectful gesture, her tail pushed forward a piece for the decisive strategic blow. Shifu's most valuable piece was now boxed in entirely, leaving him vulnerable to the conclusive 'Flying General' move.
"Checkmate."
Shifu frowned as soon as she said this, having just suffered yet another defeat to the snake master.
May the gods curse this infernal game!
The red panda longed for the days when he would effortlessly prevail over Po, who had previously held no knowledge of the minutiae of Xiangqi. Although, had he inquired, he would have discovered that Viper was able to match her own father at the game by the age of seven. Between her skill and his own impatience when it came to such things, he never stood a chance.
Shifu's internal vexation was interrupted as Monkey and Mantis ran up to where he was seated.
"Master Shifu." both said in unison with a bowed salute.
"Yes?"
"Someone is coming." Monkey answered, pointing towards the sun.
The snake and red panda rose up at once, and with the other masters watched as a speck in the distance grew larger - a bird of some kind was steadily drawing closer on the horizon. Seeing the approaching figure, the martial artists assumed defensive postures; Shifu slid his ankle underneath the staff that was propped against his chair, swiftly kicking it up into his grasp. With the Jade Palace already lightly defended, the masters couldn't afford to take any chances.
The bird virtually sliced through the air, white streams of draft springing from the tips of its wings. Approaching the top of the Jade Mountain, the avian dipped its flight angle sharply, coming straight at the four masters. Obviously tired from a long journey, the bird didn't have the most graceful landing - it skidded and sputtered as its legs hit the stone bricks of the courtyard. Wings wide to catch air, it slowed to a halt right before where Shifu and his students were still locked in guarded postures.
He was certainly a strange bird, too. His white beak was short and sharp like an eagle's, but the wings and long legs were much more akin to a crane's. A white upper body was neatly contrasted by black thighs and tail feathers; but most distinctive was the plumage of black quills that formed a crest behind his head, a peculiar oddity that had no equal among the birds they'd seen before.
"You're certainly a long ways from home..." Mantis said, breaking the silence.
The others looked at him, but said nothing, for he had merely given voice to what they had all thought.
"Message..." the avian started, still catching his breath, "I bear a message for Grandmaster Shifu of the Jade Palace."
The red panda stepped forward, and the masters relaxed their stances.
"A message from whom?"
Still half-panting, the bird looked directly at the grandmaster.
"From our mutual friend, who sees much."
"I already spent most of my life listening to riddles - so please don't speak in them."
In response, the messenger grabbed a scroll that had been slung around his back, and held it out for Shifu to take; upon it was the unmistakable jade peacock seal of Gongmen City. He'd received such a missive once before.
"I see." he said, taking the scroll.
Shifu spent the next minute or so pacing about, reading the message with a concerned look on his face, as the others could only guess what ill news the dispatch contained. When at last he had finished, he looked straight up to the strange bird in order to question it.
"How old is this message?"
"Less than two days."
The red panda turned back to his students. It was clear they already had many questions.
"What is it?" Viper asked.
"I must... go to see the emperor. At once."
They were all shocked by the statement, but Monkey was the first to speak his mind.
"Hangzhou is hundreds of miles from here - and the palace is already vulnerable as it is!"
Shifu raised a hand to prevent the rest of them from hounding him with similar concerns.
"I am aware of this - but I must go, nonetheless. I have trained you well, and I know the valley is under capable stewardship."
Mantis stepped forward.
"Will you at least tell us why you have to leave so suddenly?" he pleaded.
Shifu knew he owed them an explanation.
"The Soothsayer of Gongmen believes there is a serious threat to China growing along our northern borders... We might be on the precipice of open war with Mongolia."
"Bah - people have been saying that for years!" Monkey said, waving an arm dismissively.
"No - the Soothsayer believes this is legitimate!" Shifu pointed his staff at the simian. "And I trust her judgement above any imperial official."
He wanted to protest further, but Monkey thought better of it, and bowed to his master instead. Seeing no further words to be said, Shifu went back to his task at hand.
"I must leave now - if needed, I will send for you."
The students nodded in understanding.
"And you!" the red panda said, whirling about in the direction of the messenger, "You are swift on the wing - and I am in need your haste."
"As you wish." the avian responded without hesitation, lowering himself so that Shifu could climb upon his back.
As he settled himself atop the exotic-looking bird, he turned back one last time to his fellow masters, and found himself looking at Viper in particular. Forlorn, she gazed back at him with an unsettling sadness; he recalled her words from before, realizing she had been right all along.
A danger that lies beyond our sight...
The implications of this thought were lost to Shifu as the avian beneath him launched from up the courtyard with incredible force.
The winds were favorable, and they chased the sunrise east.
I can't believe I'm actually doing this.
Tigress stepped forward into the arena, the orange glint of sunset blending right into her fur. The training grounds of Khanbaliq were of a rather rudimentary nature, lacking the auspicious glamour of the official contest venues common in China. The ground was constituted of a loose layer of dusty soil, but the tiger style master reckoned it would suit her needs well enough. The area was in contrast to the dense city that surrounded it in every direction, offering an unobstructed view of the clear sky above, and flanked by taller structures where citizens could be seen meandering about along the balconies and parapets.
In the center of the grounds the Mongolian princess stood, arms crossed, waiting for her - but she was not alone. Drawing closer, Tigress realized that her eyes had not deceived her at the Khan's feast - it truly was the golden cat master, Mei Ling, that stood just to the right of Yuelen. She did not carry the same aloofness in her bearing like the leopardess, but instead was more tentative, watching the approaching tiger with caution.
Tigress knew of Mei Ling, of course; for how could she not? She had been the prized jewel of the prestigious Lee Da Academy, one of the most talked-about masters when the tiger had first been introduced to Kung Fu. Despite this, the two had only met once before at a brief gathering of students from various martial schools, and at a time when the master of tiger style was a mere novice. She surmised that, like Crane, the golden cat was presumably her senior by the better part of a decade; if age had dulled the skills of the brown-furred cat or not, remained to be seen.
In the back of Tigress' mind, questions began to fester about why Mei Ling was in the Mongol capital in the first place; but these quickly fell away amongst the drove of strangeness that seemed to pervade Khanbaliq to its core.
"She arrives at last." Yuelen said as the tiger master joined them.
Mei Ling chose to salute with a bow to show respect to her fellow martial artist, which Tigress returned, more out of subconscious habit than anything else.
"You've been dragged into this madness as well?" the tiger mumbled.
The corner of Mei's mouth curled upwards briefly in response. The Mongolian either had a crafty tongue, or some leverage to dangle over the golden cat's head - probably both, in all likelihood. As for the leopardess, she was eager to test herself against the strength of two Chinese masters in a free-for-all combat of her own design; but she held her tongue, trying to at least project an aura of patience and collectedness in the presence of the two older fighters. Conveniently enough, the striped cat was eager as well, likely just to put the quick-witted princess in her place.
"Let's get this over with."
"That won't do - I haven't even explained the rules yet." Yuelen contended.
"Rules?" Mei Ling asked, not quite annoyed but rapidly getting there.
"But of course! Certainly you've noticed the circle by now..."
The two Kung Fu masters had not, in fact, noticed the wide circle indicated on the ground around themselves; upon looking, they saw such an indentation denoted by small stones in the dirt, but it was an easy thing to miss.
"What's it for?" Mei asked.
"To keep things... interesting." Yuelen said with a slight grin. "The rules of this fight are simple: yield or step outside the circle and you lose. Last cat standing wins."
"You sure that's all?" Tigress said with intrusive skepticism.
The leopardess thought for a moment.
"No grabbing of the tail or ears." she concluded.
The other felines quickly nodded in agreement.
The terms were set. It was understood that the fight would begin soon, so the cats went about preparing themselves. Mei withdrew the spear she kept sheathed on her back and began to slowly twirl it about herself, as the Mongol walked back a short distance to where her own double-ended spear was planted into the dirt. All the while, Tigress just stayed where she was, stretching and loosening her limbs.
She once again questioned why she was even doing this, acting like some obedient servant of the Khan's daughter; but immediately she thought again of how it was this same troublesome girl that had left her to die, and her anger committed her to the fight. Her resolve was tempered - she desired nothing less than to humiliate her enemy, and even the revered master of Lee Da would not be allowed to deny her. On some level, the tiger was beginning to enjoy this. There were many concerns, a multitude of uncertainties weighing on her... but fighting? Fighting she could handle just fine.
The three cats were now all within the circle once more, facing each other down. The deep onyx of the Mongol's robes were almost harmonious with the soft red and midnight blue worn by the other two, but the aesthetics of the spectacle they were about to initiate was beyond their thoughts.
"No weapon?" Yuelen asked of Tigress, confused at her unarmed state.
The tiger just stared at her.
Why use a weapon when you can be one?
"Suit yourself."
And then there was silence. Stances were lowered, weapons readied, and the eyes of the felines scanned each other with maximal awareness. Content to stick with her rigidly defensive style, Mei Ling refused to make the first move. She had fought the princess once before; the tiger was an entirely unknown quantity - and if the stories were true, she had little chance of besting her. Ultimately, Mei had no interest in winning this fight, but to give anything less than her best effort would be shameful.
Across from the golden cat, Tigress had grown tired of all the forestalling. With a low-pitched growl, she leapt between the other two, prompting them to attack. The tiger master planted a nasty mid-air kick to Mei's jaw before going straight for the Mongol, having to block the shaft of her spear almost immediately. The leopardess seemed to welcome Tigress' challenge, striking with both bladed edges of her weapon in sequence - although these were effortlessly denied by the striped feline.
Mei Ling had been dazed by the initial hit, perhaps because she hadn't been expecting such a spirited strike from her fellow Chinese master. Now that she understood Tigress wouldn't be giving her any such courtesy, she committed herself to not holding back either. Before the tiger could land any good hits on Yuelen, the golden cat thrust herself back at the striped cat, who was now stuck blocking spear strikes from both sides.
Knowing the seriousness of her predicament, and with a careful eye on the boundaries of the circle in the dirt, Tigress knew she needed to get out from between them as soon as possible. Dodging a thrust from the golden cat and ducking under Yuelen's high slash, she recoiled back and landed a double palm strike to the leopardess' chest. The spotted cat flew back a short distance but managed to stay within the boundaries of the circle. As the two of them surged forward once more, Tigress shoulder-rolled out near the edge of the area, content to let the other felines duel for a moment.
The two spear-proficient masters seemed unbelievably well matched; it was only mere seconds before their parries gave way to traded blows. Yuelen lured Mei with a false hack, flipping her weapon around to slice at the golden cat's ankle. Feeling the piercing sting of the blow, the champion of Lee Da struck back by bashing the mid-shaft of her spear straight into the leopardess' face.
The Mongol staggered backwards, warm crimson from her nostrils staining her white maw-fur. Raising a paw to her nose and finding it coated with her own blood, the leopardess was filled with newfound rage.
That bitch will pay dearly for this.
But before she could re-engage with the brown-furred feline, Yuelen was blindsided by an unbelievably powerful kick to the side of her head, Tigress having returned to the fray. For several moments the princess couldn't even hear on her left side, but refused to let the strike fell her completely. Tigress brushed aside her retaliatory attack with a wrist block, and scored yet another hit at the leopardess' underarm.
But yet again, the tiger style master was denied a singular point of attack as Mei Ling struck at her from behind once more, this time even more eager to settle the score with the striped cat. And thus the fight continued, each combatant thwarting the others with strength and acrobatics in equal measure.
As public displays of aggression are wont to draw prying eyes, just so had arrays of spectators gathered on the overlooking ledges and prows of the surrounding buildings; a panda was now among them. Po had no care for why the fight was happening, as such subtleties were not nearly as interesting as the epic display of martial prowess taking place before his eyes. He did his best to follow each combatant, despite the fact that they all moved with erratic and dizzying agility.
"Yeah!" he blurted out, Tigress having just scored an impressive blow.
As he subconsciously jabbed at the air with his fists in time with the fighting, the panda was oblivious to the elderly gentleman who now stood with him on the ledge of the building.
"A shame that they choose to fight when they have so much in common..." the argali sheep said, pacing up beside Po with the aid of his walking stick.
"Hm? Oh yeah - sure." the bear master answered absentmindedly.
He hadn't turned his eyes away from the arena for even a second. Another burst of fighting below prompted the panda to strike an impressive pose. But his wonderment was to be interrupted.
"You are the one... the great warrior. These lands have not seen your equal, not since Oogway contended with the Deng-Wa Warlords in ages past."
Immediately, Po's cheerful mood was gone, and he turned to the old goat who now possessed his undivided attention. The ongoing fight became a mere afterthought.
"Who are you - and what do you know of Oogway?" he demanded.
For a brief moment the argali looked at the panda in contemplative silence.
"I am called Subutai, shaman of the Khan's court. In another time, the tortoise and I were allied against a mysterious evil - an evil I now fear may rise again."
Po shook his head in frustrated disbelief. "That's impossible, that conflict was over two centuries ago!"
"My kind are gifted with long life, and we see many things that others do not... often before they happen." the shaman answered, the bear glaring at him with mistrust. "Do not act so surprised - you've encountered one of us before, have you not?"
Po nodded slowly, despite his reservations. He should have noticed the similarities sooner.
"But why tell me this? What does this have to do with me?"
Subutai seemed to have not heard this, lifting up some of the panda's chest fur with his staff and revealing the wound there. His gaze studied the Kung Fu master in a manner akin to examining a scroll.
"What a strange life you lead, panda..."
"You didn't answer my question." Po swatted the staff away, annoyed. "Why did you call me the one?"
Sighing, the goat outstretched the arm that he had previously kept behind his back, and revealed that he was holding an unusual lotus blossom - one stained with the stark hues of black and white.
"Because I foresaw your arrival here. In his ambition, the Khan wanted to see the future - so I showed it to him." he answered, offering the strange flower to the Dragon Warrior. "But what I still do not know... is what my prophecy was meant to reveal."
The shaman's eyes followed Po's digits eagerly as the panda reached to take the lotus; but what happened next overtook them with iced dread. The very instant Po touched the leaves of the floret, a sudden and unnatural gust of wind rushed over the balcony where the two stood; the delicate petals were whisked away to oblivion. In shock, or just plain disbelief, the shaman stared at his own palm as if nothing had happened.
"What... was that?" Po managed to say, equally unsettled.
"I- I do not know."
Subutai backed away, looking troubled; Po was left with more questions than answers.
Meanwhile, the fight below wore on. Mei Ling lunged forth at Tigress with an overhead slash as she was busy fending off the princess, and the tiger narrowly sidestepped the bladed edge of her weapon. The Jade Palace master countered with a forward leg-sweep that was barely evaded by the golden cat, but nonetheless left her vulnerable. Seizing on the opportunity further, Tigress managed to punch Mei's weapon out of her grasp and successfully disarmed her.
But leaving her back to the leopardess for too long came at a cost, as Yuelen ambushed her from behind. The Mongol pinned the shaft of her weapon against the tiger's throat, trying to choke her. Tigress futilely fought against the superior position of her adversary for a few moments; then she realized the obvious solution. Grabbing Yuelen's arms, she lifted the leopardess upwards like she weighed nothing and threw her forwards overhead.
Mei Ling dodged the falling Mongol and struck at Tigress; a flash of golden brilliance. With a sonic blast that shook the dirt below, Mei's Chi-enhanced punch was strong enough to set the Jade Palace master off of her footing. Fibers and fractals of the gilded energy revolved around the tiger for a brief moment as she skidded backwards, absorbing the attack. The glow dissipated gradually over her striped fur.
"Impressive..." Tigress admitted. "But you've just lost."
Knowing the golden cat had just drained whatever energy she had left, the tiger master pressed the offensive to exploit her weakened state. She vaulted above the Lee Da master, somersaulting through the air and striking downward with terrifying force. It cost Mei everything she had left just to evade the stifling scourge of Tigress' Wushu acrobatics.
And it was a futile effort. As soon as the tiger had hit the dirt, she launched forward again, expertly feeding her inertial momentum into a spin-kick. The move was unavoidable, such that the golden cat was decisively knocked outside the circle, defeated. But as Tigress expected, there was no time to celebrate this partial victory.
Anticipating a slash from behind, she ducked forward to avoid yet another determined ambush from Yuelen. The fur on her neck felt the draft of the leopardess' weapon cutting the air. Tigress flipped around to properly face her opponent. As the Mongol rushed forward with a low thrust of her weapon, the tiger kicked at a downward angle with perfect timing - snapping the spearhead clean off. She quickly got caught up in the moment, unsheathing her claws and reducing the rest of the spear to mere splinters with a single stroke.
Undaunted, Yuelen kicked into the tiger's chest, springing backwards. Flipping in midair, she had unsheathed a pair of daggers before touching the ground. Blood was still flowing from her nostrils; the leopardess hissed provocatively.
Outside the circle, Mei Ling knelt to watch the others; but her attention soon drifted to another Jade Palace master, the avian that had been watching them discreetly all along. From where he perched high atop one of the buildings, their gaze met momentarily - Mei felt a shame she could not define. By now, the fight had kicked up no small amount of dust into the air. Each subsequent breath was accompanied by increasingly weighted soreness. Tigress watched the space between herself and the princess tentatively. Adrenaline, like the daylight, was at last beginning to fade - and replacing it was rage.
Yuelen moved to strike and the combat was renewed. Tigress took a half stride forward and evaded the first of her opponent's knives and caught the leopardess' other wrist, imposing enough force on it to make her drop the blade she held. Pivoting on her back leg, the tiger master tried to hurl the Mongol outside the boundary; but Yuelen dug her own claws into the striped cat's arm to thwart this effort. This, of course, did not make the impact with the ground hurt any less for the princess. Groaning as she lifted herself from the dirt, she looked back at the wrathful tiger.
There's no winning this...
But she had also seen the golden cat, still distracted by something above them all. An idea brought a smirk to her face. Reversing her remaining blade in her paw, she rolled to the side and launched the shiv - directly at Mei Ling.
Without hesitation, Tigress dove to the side, deflecting away the dagger headed for the golden cat. Standing up, the look on the Mongol's face assured her she didn't even need to look down. She knew she had stepped out.
"You cheated."
"Did I?" Yuelen said, smiling in an innocent way.
Tigress let out a frustrated exhale as the princess walked away proudly. The grateful look she got from Mei Ling was some small consolation, however.
As the leopardess exited the training grounds into the foyer of one of the overlooking pagodas, she heard a familiar voice.
"Proud of yourself, sister?" Zhenjin asked, descending a nearby stairway. "I hope you do not expect to win on such... technicalities in every fight."
"Ah..." She turned towards the male tiger. "But you see, winning is the only thing that counts; it matters little how it is achieved."
Although he would never admit it outright, Zhenjin was often afraid of his sister. Maybe that was why they fought so much, his fear and her jealousy. Maybe it was because he was just as afraid for her as well.
He sighed, shaking his head.
"Your ambition... it poisons you - just like father. Between the two of you it could be the death of us all."
Author's Notes:
- I finally got around to bringing the rest of the members of the Furious Five into this story; I now realize I probably waited a bit too long to introduce this plot element with Shifu
- Regardless, it was nice to freshen things up a bit by returning (however briefly) to the Jade Palace
- The game Shifu and Viper play, Xiangqi, is more commonly known as Chinese Chess, and I think the differences in rules are really interesting; I wanted to highlight that Shifu is actually pretty bad at board games (due to the impatience and all)
- The strange bird that shows up early on is a Secretarybird (also called Sagittarius); native to Africa, I thought it would be fitting that an acquaintance of Soothsayer would be a mysterious outlander
- The second part of this chapter was the result of a request by Taciturn Watcher nearly a year ago for a "three-way cat fight" - so for the record I do take recommendations/requests... it just takes me forever to get to them XD
- As for the fight itself, I feel it might have lingered on a bit long; but at the same time, its not everyday that I get to pit characters against each other like this, so I really enjoyed myself :)
- At this point I seem to be consistently hitting an update interval of about 2 months which I know isn't great but I suppose could be worse - a big thanks to those of you who hang around for them!
- If I don't update again this year, I'd like to wish everyone a happy holidays! Thanks for reading!
