It's so good to be back!
It has been so long since I have posted anything, or actually written anything in a while. My life has gotten really busy and chaotic these last few years. Firstly I had university, which I graduated with good marks. Then six months after graduating and getting my first nursing job, Covid-19 hit. With being a nurse I got very busy, was under a lot of stress and it impacted my love of writing, resulting in a massive writers block. Then I've also gotten my own place and have been busy redecorating. I'm still very busy now, so I do apologise in advance as they may be delays in chapters being released for this story, but I vow that this story will be the one I actually finish.
I've actually been planning on writing this story for some time. I got inspired to write a Kung Fu Panda story after the Netflix Dragon Knights series came out. That ignited my love of the films and I decided to write my own sequel to the third film, this was before I knew a fourth film would be coming out. Initially I was ideally planning on writing the whole story before releasing it, due to my track record of starting stories, getting writers block, or life getting in the way which means I don't finish them. However with there being lots of speculation of what the fourth movie is going to involve, I decided to at least get the first chapter out before the first trailer or teaser is officially released with this disclaimer.
Firstly, the usual I don't owe anything from Dreamworks.
Secondly, I have been writing and planning on writing this fan-fiction for nearly a year now before I knew (or anyone else) knew about the fourth film and this is currently before I know officially what the fourth film is about. So at the moment everything in this story is based on me not knowing any details of the fourth film, this sequel is my own writing and all ideas are my own. I have heard a rumour of a character appearing in the fourth film which I didn't think would appear in the film, who is actually in my story, but I don't think the ideas and plot I'm going with will be the film. Again this is just a rumour, I don't know anything for certain yet. I have heard their has been a trailer leaked, but I have not seen it. Plus, I have heard it's a fake anyway. If I do not finish the story before the fourth film is released (which is very likely in my case) I will promise to be honest and mention if I have taken anything from the plot of the fourth film.
So without further ado, please enjoy the first chapter of Kung Fu Panda: The Warriors of Sun and Moon.
Chapter 1: When a Gift Becomes a Curse
Long ago in ancient China, stood Gongmen City. This city was once ruled over by peacock rulers who brought great joy and prosperity to the city, after they invented fireworks. It was now under stewardship of the Kung Fu Council, who were also know as the Masters' Council. They were a group of renowned kung fu masters who vowed to watch over and protect the city.
In the midst of this city, in a house that viewed onto the waterway that ran through Gongmen City, lived an old goat know as the Soothsayer. It was a modest place with a small, but comfortable combined living and kitchen area. In a corner of the room, the Soothsayer had placed all her tools, herbs and supplies that she required to see into the future. There was also a small, but reasonably sized bedroom at the back of the house, that was separated from the living area by a two panel wooden door, in a deep shade of brown that was embroidered with a ornate decorative yin and yang symbolic design.
The Soothsayer had lived in that house for the past three years. She had once taken residence within the Tower of the Sacred Flame alongside members of the Kung Fu Council, before it was destroyed. Even though plans and construction had commenced to restore the tower to its former glory, as a show of resilience and in honour of the noble peacocks who had once ruled over the city and Master Thundering Rhino who had lost his life defending it and the city, she had declined to move back into the tower upon its completion. She had also declined to live with the Kung Fu Council in their new accommodation. She decided to settle into a new home away from the council, the tower and memories of her past. She had planned to leave the city behind entirely, but the Kung Fu Council were insistent that they wanted her to remain close by in Gongman City for her protection, as her gifts were greatly sought after by those with good and bad intentions.
It was in this house, in the small bedroom where the Soothsayer had just awoken from a vision. It was not a new vision that appeared to her. She had seen this vision once before, nearly fifteen years ago. It had not bothered her since, but now it had returned. It was not uncommon for her to have a vision of the far future and then receive another vision just before it came to fruition. The same thing had happened just before Lord Shen had returned to Gongmen City, after his many years of exile.
The Soothsayer thought about Shen a lot. She couldn't help it. She had helped to raise him during his childhood and despite the cruel way he was to others and to her, she couldn't help but feel grief at his passing. Even if it was three years ago, the grief could still feel as fresh as if it had happened yesterday. When she thought about her emotions and thoughts on that day when Lord Shen was defeated by the warrior of black and white, it brought mixed emotions. At the time, she was happy that peace had been restored to Gongmen City, but the boy she loved and helped to raise, who would late become the Peacock that could not be saved from himself, was gone forever.
She always wondered if the path Shen took only happened because she gave his parents that vision, that he would overhear. She had not wanted to, but they begged and eventually ordered her to, meaning she had no choice. She had tried to warn them of course, as she knew that those who saw a glimpse into their or others future had the potential to seal the fate they were trying to escape. But Shen's parents had ignored her warning, like so many had done in the past.
It was just as the elder of her village had once told her parents when her gift of foresight was discovered.
"A gift like hers can become a curse, if it is not respected."
She was only a child when she got the gift. When the visions of the future started disrupting her dreams. Some brought sights of great joy and happiness; others brought visions of pain and misery. She would tell her parents her dreams, but they thought that was what they were. Just dreams of things that would never come true, but they always did. Still her parents were not convinced and thought it was just pure coincidence.
That was until one fateful year, when all the seasons fell into place. It had all started with a female goose that lived in her village. She was childless and getting older each year. She was reaching the end of being able to have a child and as she had not been able to have a child after many years of trying, she considered herself to be barren. After hearing rumours of a child that could see into the future, she came to see the girl just before her bedtime. She asked the young goat if she could see a child in her future. The young goat then went to bed that night, and in morning she told the female goose her vision.
"When winter becomes spring, you will have a child. When summer comes, you will have two children, when autumn leaves fall, you will have three and on the first day of winter you will have four. Two of blood; two of heart."
It was already spring when the prophecy was told and when the goose failed to have children that spring, she thought the prophecy and the girl to be false. She even sullied the goat girl's reputation and name, which meant for a long time, no one believed the young girl and her visions.
But by the next winter, when the goose truly thought her time to be a mother had ended, a egg appear. And on the first day of spring, the egg hatched and she finally had a daughter. Then when the summer months came, so did another egg and she was blessed again with another daughter born in the summer. Then one day, as the late autumn leaves danced off the trees, she discovered two abandoned eggs in the forest. A late autumn leaf then fell onto one of the eggs and it hatched straight afterwards, revealing a boy. The female goose had never wanted to adopt in the past, but having her two girls had helped to change her mind and her heart. So she took the baby boy and the other egg home, and when the first day of winter officially came, the other egg hatched and she had another son.
In total as the four seasons had passed, she now had four children. With each child hatching during each season. Her two girls were created by her and her husband, and her two boys, although not related to her or her husband, became her children in her heart.
After all these events, she was convinced of the young Soothsayer's abilities and positive words now spread about the amazing child with her amazing gift of foresight. The Soothsayer was then brought in front of the elder of her village, who confirmed her gift and that is when the elder gave his warning so that she, her parents and others in the village would show caution with her abilities and not abuse them. Not only for the girl's sake, but for theirs.
Over time, her gift brought much joy, and yet, so much pain to others. As she became a woman, it all became too much. She decided to step away from that path and wanted to be more than what her gift defined her to be. That is why she left her village and became a nanny. She had always loved children, but had never found someone to love or have children with. Being a nanny was the next best thing for her.
Her path of being a nanny eventually led her to become the nanny to the young Lord Shen, and although she tried to keep her gifts hidden, secrets can only stayed buried for so long. So when Lord Shen saw the darker power in the fireworks, his parents consulted her. That is when she told them that if the young peacock continued down his dark path, he would be defeated by a warrior of black and white. She could never have imagined what Lord Shen would do next. To this day, she was still haunted by what he had done. The young Lord had set out to change his fate, but what he did next only sealed it.
After Shen was banished, she decided to leave the path of being a nanny behind her and she became a soothsayer full time. No matter what she did, her gift would always define who she was. Therefore, she decided they was no point trying to be anything else. It is why she was referred to as the Soothsayer and not by a name. Not many around Gongmen City knew her real name, only a rare few did and even then, they respected her wishes not to reveal her name.
Years after Shen had been exiled and after the passing of his parents, her services were required in a far away city, where she traveled to with a escort from the Kung Fu Council. One of the rulers of the city had strange dreams and requested her help in deciphering them. This then lead to a new prophecy being foretold, a prophecy that did not not bode well for the husband and wife rulers. In their anger and fear, they ordered their guards to seize her. If it had not been for her escort, she may not have made it out of the city. She would later hear that the two rulers did the unthinkable to escape their fates and once again, the guilt from the pain her gift brought to others consumed her. But now after having this dream and vision again, she realised that they had not escaped their fates. They had sealed it.
The sudden sounds of banging and smashing, snapped the Soothsayer from her thoughts. Wondering what had caused the noise, the Soothsayer got out of her bed with the help of her wooden cane, put on her glasses, straighten her clothing which consisted of eight layers of cloth, all with different patterns and colours, and once ready, she ventured into the main living and kitchen area. When she arrived, she could see that by the large window of her home that viewed onto the city's waterway, that there was a huge figure standing their, whose size towered over the Soothsayer's own size. She could not get a good look at their appearance, as they were hiding in the shadows, their appearance sheltered by the darkness.
Before the Soothsayer could react, she felt a painful prick in her neck. Soon her whole vision became blurry and the whole room began to spin. Whatever had infected her system was affecting her senses and making her feel very drowsy and dizzy. She then lost her balance and fell forwards, but was caught by the intruder that was in front of her, and they gently placed her onto the ground.
Two male black vultures then emerged fully from the darkness. Their black feathers, and dark faces, beaks and robes had helped to camouflage them in the darkness of the night. The male vulture who had caught the Soothsayer, checked to see if the poison they had used was working as it should. After checking her over, and certain the Soothsayer was on her way to being fully unconscious, the vulture looked over to the other male black vulture and gave him an approving nod.
"Good work brother, but we must hurry. We do not want to keep the royal family waiting. Gather everything, we don't know what she will need."
While waiting until the Soothsayer was fully unconscious, the two vulture brothers gathered up all her belongings; including her tools, herbs and supplies. She would need then to tell the future to the royal family, who had broken many rules and boundaries to acquire her knowledge. Once the Soothsayer was fully unconscious and when everything had been gathered up, one of the brothers took control of carrying the supplies, while the other took responsibility of carrying the sedated Soothsayer. In one swift moment, the two brothers with the Soothsayer in tow, flew out of the window and vanished into the night sky.
I hope everyone enjoyed the first chapter of my story.
To help with visualisation, in Kung Fu Panda 2 when Lord Shen and his army are passing the houses on their ships before they attempt leave the harbour, that is where the Soothsayer's house is. Also fun fact, this was not the original opening chapter, that chapter is now chapter 2. I promise to try to get the next chapter out ASAP, but I have a lot of night shifts coming up at the hospital where I work, so there may be a small delay.
Thank you everyone. Please leave a review if any improvements are required and stay safe everyone.