Volume Four: Snow and Fire
Chapter VIII
Rose / Two Roads
The Jade Palace Masters and the Nine of Shui Palace trekked to the west road into the Guangxi territory, sighting lengthy rope bridges from the tower ridges in velvet green above them. The travel was not yet long as they expected to cross towards the two paths about ten thousand paces, though walking down this main road was easy for them to know where they could go. To Kai, however, whose cloak went from gradual flutters to his left, once stepping on the small peak hill, observing the next clearing before the bamboo forest, he knew this way before.
As he had a good memory of this nowhere before, as a former warlord, he studied every inch of this terrain, reminded of the old times when he and his army set their war camps across the meadows in the dark. The breeze shifted to the north, altering his large cloak towards the direction; though, he caught sight of shrine stones where the group passed on before entering the vineyard. Three thousand paces later, as soon as the yak was beside his teachers, Chen Xing shifted his back straight, lifting his heavy bamboo pack of sacks.
"Kitten?" Kai came close to him, grasping the tiger's item. "Would you like me to carry it?"
The tiger, stopping to bring his strength back, handed his bamboo sack to Kai. "Be my guest," Xing grinned, his back popping while stretching. "Thanks."
Kai slipped his cape to one side while carrying Xing's pack to the other, and the yak felt its weight like nothing but far lighter.
Seven thousand steps later, the sunlight of rotten pumpkin sank further, the whiff of lavender, jasmine, and blossoms wafting as they arrived at a village of garden yards. Most of those occupying there were antelopes and rams with upward and downward horns, waving at travelers kindly. The warriors stopped by to regain from tiredness as the serpent Viper went for the nearest front of the gallery stands; the smell of fruits and spices in various boxes was as sharp as Tai Lung and Tigress came over to browse with Viper. What caught sight from the serpent's eyes were light green umbrellas with rich crimson and black linings with numerous shapes of scathes and a lotus flower on the crown.
The wolf, Lotus, surveying the serpent before the cobra slithered close to his reptile sister, handed her yuans to the ram seller in her colorful robes of gray and velvet red. The ram smiled and gave the umbrella to the canine; with her grin, Lotus handed it to Viper.
Viper was quite stunned, but her hype lowered. "You are too kind, sweety. I cannot accept this."
"Nonsense, Master Viper," the wolf said, grinning slightly. "The umbrella matches you and the serpents. I had seen a few of them using theirs a while back. Great Viper invited the Nine to his village long ago. It's for you to cover yourself from a sunny sky; not only that, but you are more royalty carrying the umbrella, my Lady."
Not once or ever, Viper used to be a princess under her father's house. She was born majestic but not too proud of herself because she had no fangs like her parents. Fangs or not, she was part of Great Viper's family. Her cherry lips curled with acceptance.
"I am not a Lady yet. But thank you, Lotus," she rounded her tail and grasped the umbrella grip, her head inviting the wolf to come closer. The serpent, Viper, presented her wet and silky tongue in vibration, her cherry lips kissing the wolf with blessing.
On the other side of the gallery stand, Monkey and Mantis surveyed more sweet fruits ahead as they found five dozen bananas. Oh, lucky me! Monkey thought when the two warriors, Hong and Bao, joined them, testing the taste samples for new spices. Farther down the path, Kai and Wolf Boss checked on Xing near the wood fence, who scanned the plain vineyard piled in the dirt as he regarded the farmers planted all kinds of vegetables across the broad yard. For a moment of being wondrous to see the growth progression, soon to invite the rain for the seeds to drink, Chen Xing saw one farmer who appeared to be familiar, somewhat robed in dark cyan and brown trousers.
The farmer had small antlers.
The tiger's heart began to throb, now heavier with the sound of war drums in the distance. Forcing his cool breath under his lungs, Xing almost hollered, but what hesitated him to call was the deer's face was unlike the other one. The deer had a faded ink muzzle, and his eyes were azure. Xing thought the deer he knew were long gone. The former Lu Disciple teacher, Le, was murdered behind the cell in the heart of the dragon prison. And his son, Wang.
No — Wang is gone.
One warmth paw flattened on his shoulder. "Hey. Are you good?" Wolf Boss asked, his tender voice soothing.
"Yeah. I'm alright," Xing answered, clearing his throat. "There's a big cavern nearby from here. We should stop there."
Acknowledged, Wolf Boss followed the tiger, but Kai continued gazing at the deer. The yak could notice the farmer was almost identical to the other, but he remembered the last time when he and Wang fought against the badger specter in the deer's mind. The boy fought bravely. He thought.
The three waited at the corner of the village outskirt when the whole group caught up to them and began trekking to the hills. Up north, to the nearest area, about half a mile away, was the behemoth cavern, drenched in velvet moss and strings of stems hanging from the top lip. This land felt odd to Kai ever before, and he looked around the cave to see through the nostalgia; the smell of fresh water and blossoms swept in his muzzle.
The group separated into two while unpacking, a few searching for wood to gather and burn; the closest way to search for plenty of wood was beyond the next forest with other bamboo trees. Gladly to get fresh wood rather than buying it at the village, they started the fires in the cavern and had Xing cook the amounts of rice and bean buns.
Their dinner did not take long after they ate well when the silky onyx heaven cloaked the dusk, unveiling the amber moonlight from the eastern horizon. At first, while digesting their meals, a few warriors decided to practice their forms of Kung Fu and Wing Chun. Lotus, wielding her ocean-blue sash, twirled her body to a swimming motion, rounding the stick in countless flows as Mei Mei and Viper educated the wolf in quarters of late winter and spring. Her complex form became fluid in the serpent's eyes as Viper observed Lotus improving her dancing scenarios.
"At least she can handle her bouncing shoes, eh?" Mantis chuckled, and Viper snapped at the insect with a short hiss, giving him a shrink. "Just kidding."
Tigress remained sitting ahead of her firepit, observing Lotus's pose. No minor mistakes — she is improving. Tigress thought. Her mind drifted to something more of her curiosity that she had spoken with her aunt. Chen Ming revealed her niece's identity, and Tigress had been thinking of her name, which was initially long lost before a living family member discovered her. Tigress never thought that her parents spoke to the caretakers and should have kept their daughter's name in their records before her parents were away. All Tigress knew that she had no name but to her kind, which, sadly and ironically, was just Tigress for a female tiger.
Viper had hers. Crane had his. Monkey and Mantis did. What were their names?
Tigress took time to reflect on one of her visits to her aunt's temple, remembering the pleasant smell of blooms in the garden next to the Nine's Barrack.
The light of May shone on the plains before the Shui Palace. The heaven of rich lime and light yellow hued above the web clouds as if the crepuscular beams stroked the towers of Guangxi. Tigress was in her red, sleeveless qipao and black trousers, strolling next to the elder feline in her rich cobalt hanfu. The two striped tigers were on the small bridge from the garden; the ripples underneath them were quiet with light thuds, sensing numerous smells of colorful flowers across the garden.
"Oh, Tigress," Chen Ming droned her fruity sigh. "It would be nice for your father to come by and watch these flowers of mine. He knew I was the gardener."
"You were?"
"I still do. Now and then," the old master simpered as they leaned on the bridge railing, watching the sky.
"What was she like?" Tigress asked her. Her voice toned with curiosity, though arching her eyes. "My mother?"
Her question was ordinary yet impactful to Chen Ming, who closed her eyes of silver, the warmth beam touching her face with grace. She waited for her aunt to answer; compared to her companion, Po pondered his mother after he asked his father what Po's mother liked. Chen Ming raised her silvery drone, much calmer.
"She was a gifted soul, my dear," she answered. "Her eyes flashed from the silvery moon. Xiaodan was cunning and brilliant, a second daughter who thrived with rationality, always persistent as she and I were far thoughtful to one another. We had ups and downs, but we treated ourselves well as sisters. More than anything, I wanted."
"Ups and downs?" Tigress repeated.
"We got along well. Things changed when Xiaodan and I faced our next way of life; no children could ever be ready for responsibilities — a grown-up life. Around our youth days, I was quite soft, and she was relentless. I never forget how your mother was smart. Quite cautious if you are determined to plan before you achieve."
Ming looked towards her. "Your face, my niece. You always remind me of her," she said. "Cunning fits you, but I may say that your personality is just like your mother's. All of it — except your eyes. They are from your real father."
"What was he like?" Tigress asked, glancing at the other tiger on the water mirror below her. "My father?"
"I knew him a little, Tigress," Ming answered with a regrettable tone. "He and I met a few times before and after my sister's marriage. For the first time seeing him, Yong was once a handsome soul, a unique philanthropist."
"Philanthropist?"
"He promotes welfare with those he knew," she explained. "With all the yuans he donated for the good causes."
"Was he a warrior?"
"Well, not a warrior, my dear. Yong aids people with their needs," Ming said. "I may not tell you he was wealthy from rich families, but your real father adored my sister at his first glance. All I remember was he left home rather than returning because Yong liked freedom more than being controlled by his family."
"I wanted to know who they were, Ming," Tigress said. "If I could ask you that you knew my mother better than my father. Was there a reason they left me? Left me to Bao Gu Orphanage?"
Tigress could see her aunt closing her eyes again, shedding a tear. Ming held out a scroll with amber handles. "This is your mother's last message before the incident."
Glancing at the old scroll with aged paper, dried with yellow ripples, Tigress opened it and read her mother's ancient Mandarin words.
Ming
My husband's house is no longer hiding. We are about to leave as soon as the assailer ambushes from the trees, hidden behind thick walls of velvet green mosses. Our flower is not safe.
I do not know how long we will survive. But rather than letting the flower wither in the dark, my rose will be in a new home, planted with your blooms. Please, have my rose with you as you are the gardener and her guardian; watch her grow with the light. I love you, Ming.
I love you, Meigui. I hope you find happiness ahead of you. Love from your mother and always.
Xiaodan
"Meigui?"
Tigress's voice raised with concern and loss, looking at her aunt, who palmed her niece's claw on the railing.
"Your name, my zhinu. Your real name," Ming said, her dimples depicting. She looked into her niece's amber eyes. "I waited out at the Jade Palace. I waited for your arrival almost five years; I thought your mother and father could come to Jade Palace for protection. I had prayed to all the gods, the dragons, and the spirit warriors to keep you three safe. Since the incident, my sister was my own until nature silenced her and her mate. But their child still breathes."
Tigress, or Meigui if she preferred, kept her gaze on Ming, whose voice remained tender. "Five springs later, been watching my dragon, I heard a report from the Bao Gu that a caretaker feared for her life and complained about. . . a monster living in the orphanage residence. Shifu was the only one who went by to inspect while I was educating Tai Lung in the Training Hall. Grandmaster Oogway was there with me and my student, wishing for us to continue practicing the dragon forms. Neither of the two told me about the situation; they craved to surprise me.
"A month later, Tai Lung, Grandmaster Oogway, and I waited outside to welcome a new student. From there, on the stairway, approaching next to my brother-in-arms, I never thought I could see someone who I would be the child's guardian. All the gods answered my prayers."
The old feline turned to her, her claw stroking her niece. "You. . . my dear child. Without a doubt, you are my sister's daughter. You have her face; you have his eyes. I know because you, Meigui, came with my sister's cloth with a rose sigil wrapped around you at the front door of Bao Gu Orphanage."
Unable to prevent her eyes from shedding, Tigress lowered her head before Ming embraced her. The warm arms comforting her had Meigui hugged back, knowing she was no longer one tiger of China. "You are not alone anymore, child. We are here with you. Me and my sunzi," Ming kissed her forehead. "We are your family."
Meigui stared at the silky flickers of an orange fire for quite a while, reflecting the long-lost name that her parents used to call her. Thanks to her aunt, Chen Ming, she could ever consider a name that could mean majestic or royalty. Meigui was no royalty as far as she knew; her life as Shifu's daughter in the Jade Palace was impactful. She could only mean to reflect the good parts of her and her red panda father rather than thinking of failures and misfortunes.
Meigui rubbed her tired eyes when her nephew, Xing, was surveying a stack of paintings when reading Li Han's Ascendant Vortex with various counts of episode complexities. Farther down, behind Xing, Kai lay his belly on the soil, resting as he needed to doze early.
"Those drawings, Xing. You have seen anything new?" Meigui asked.
Xing adjusted his glasses after inspecting his new portrait of a lotus flower and Niu's painting that showed a pagoda tower and the Great Wall. "I have," he answered. "Not long ago."
"When did that happen?"
"Last night. Yesterday," the tiger said, shaking his head. "I can't explain. . . Those paintings mean something, but I do not yet know why."
"Are those new?"
"The Great Wall is Niu's. A lotus flower is mine — one day old. I only painted four so far, but only three I could remember recent visions," Xing explained. "I am very much aware of what these lead to, either real or not real."
"Hmm. Would you know which are real or not?" Meigui pondered.
"Those things happened twice. Not from me or Niu," he said. "Remember Wang and his jombies attacked us in the Valley?"
"I do."
"The boar was wincing in the cage, naming two objects that repeated painting in his head. He said, 'Quill and ball.' A porcupine quill came right when a pointy jade was beneath my foot before Wang came with his zombies," he said. "After a few weeks of Deng Wa's incident, Master Ox and I met the Righteous Seven's fortune teller to see my brother's future."
He stared at the fire, the feeling of wariness and concern filling his mind. "After all this unthinkable happening, it was all in Lao's nightmare that frightened me and Niu's father. I do not know what it was, but whatever we saw, it's—"
His fearful words trailed off as Xing washed his thoughts away, the warriors gathering around Tigress's firepit, one by one. Kai was the only one still resting while listening to his teacher. Xing's aunt asked her nephew.
"What was the second object?"
"After I got knocked out and went to a different place, not from here, but in. . . Mongolia," Xing began, remembering every inch of the unknown terrain with frost lake and fifty yurts across the opening. "I ran across the battle and went in someone's yurt; Niu was inside, but he wasn't there. The yurt was dark, but the light from above shone on the table with a purple cloth covering something inside."
Chen Xing rocked back and forth, grasping his knees. "What was in it?" Mantis said, hopping near the tiger's right foot. "Under the tablecloth?"
His sister, Lotus, held her paw on Xing's forearm dearly, soothing Xing's tension. "When Wan Wu was in there, removing the tableclo-"
"Wait. Wan Wu? The Wu Sister?" Monkey widened his eyes.
Xing nodded. "I don't know what she was doing in there. But Wan Wu removed the tablecloth, and I saw what the boar named the last object. He said, 'Ball.' A ball, so shiny as it reflects like water ripples, was on the table. And. . . the bear slaughtered Wan Wu and her spy."
Minor shocks and concerns showed from their faces — never thought their companion could see dreadful things in his mind. "I thought the Wu Sisters were behind bars," Viper reflected. "Was one of them dead?"
"Wing Wu was murdered by Temutai inside Gongmen Jail," Tigress said, glancing at the group. "Only the two Sisters submitted and went to prison after the battle."
Chen Xing's aunt made her eyes sharp toward him. "Are you certain you saw Wan Wu in your vision, Xing?"
"With my own eyes," he answered. "Master Ox used to contact with one of his friends in the Emperor's Army. I asked him if he could message General Bear and find out if Wan Wu was there alive." The tiger lowered his eyes to his feet in dismay. "He hasn't answered me yet ever since. The moment when Master Ox's eyes were closed before the Nine of Shui Palace packed to travel to the Prospery Valley, I knew something had gone wrong; I never had a chance to speak with him further, so I kept my term to never mention to Master Ox about the foreboding future and Wan Wu's fate."
Snuggling her head on his, Lotus held him dearly with her one arm. "I'm not gonna let that bear get to you, Cookie," the yellow-eyed wolf worded. "Do you hear me? Nobody will harm my brother — my Cookie. If those lowlives want to fight you, they will come and fight me first."
"Bold words, daughter," Wolf Boss praised Lotus, sitting next to Xing, grasping his upper shoulder. "I am with you, son."
The insect, Mantis, hopped towards the tiger. "If she ever comes to you, Xing, I'll throw her around like a rag doll."
"As you did to Po last time?" Xing asked.
"Uh. . . No."
"You liar," Viper chuckled.
"I mean, yes. It was awful."
The leopard, Tai Lung, sitting beside his feline sister, stood up. "The night is passing. It's time to rest."
"It is," Tigress notified. "We will travel in the morning. Good night, everyone."
Monkey grabbed a small pot and poured water into the pit, the fire hissing the embers before the light hastily ebbed to darkness. The moonlight was lit; Hong volunteered to have a watch, willing to observe their surroundings. One turn for each four hours as another could fit in a role after Hong. Wolf Boss was no stranger to having his gifted smell that he would smell unfamiliar strangers near the small camp. Xing was the last to approach his rest area next to his student; the tiger grabbed Kai's cloak and covered him. He could see the yak corner his grin and have Xing pat his shoulder. He lay down flat with Lotus, and the rose pendant heightened the female throbs of zen.
The dawn of lime and yellow appeared, with bird chirps and insect wings buzzing. Without knowing her warm surroundings, Lotus was in Kai's cloak, yawning and stretching. She thought she could hear two voices lingering in her dream, which she enjoyed swimming in the river lake at night with bright stars and a dark azure horizon. There were Kai's and Xing's.
Lotus lifted herself and turned to one side, seeing Kai and Xing farther out of the cave mouth. Do these guys wake up early? She thought, rubbing her eyes, clearing her foggy sight. The wolf could see the yak's hoof grasping around Xing's right shoulder and hugged him comfortably. "He was a good warrior," Xing said, his shattered voice merging. He cleared his throat.
"All soldiers praised him. I did, too, and so did Oogway and my old friends," Kai said, soothing him.
Lotus could not figure out what Kai and Xing spoke about, but her dad, Wolf Boss, interrupted her with his paw nudging her arm. "Good morning," he simpered.
"Morning, Dad," she beamed, yawning again.
The Nine of Shui Palace reassembled their sacks before they left the cave, walking towards the path. Kai knelt where he had sat last time with Xing, stroking the grass soil as the old stone rested within, labeled, "Here, the Unknown Warrior rests, who fought for honor." The yak knew who the soldier was because Kai had buried him half a millennium ago. He could not know who made the stone for the fallen warrior, but Kai remembered the last bitter moments of the wounded soldier dying in his arms before saying goodbye to his General. After the burial, which took him almost a day to dig the body three feet deep, Kai searched for a pile of rocks near the brook, placing the rest on the soil before pinning the broken staff with a rented green sash.
There was no staff or the ribbon banner, but the soil had been surged throughout many moons.
"I will be seeing you again, my soldier," Kai said, grieving. "When I am ready."
Kai joined the others as the soft winds shifted, his cloak fluttering to the left. Farther down the broad road, two crosspaths revealed, leading to the north side and the northwestern path. The signs were the sigils where the two groups could go: the north had a lime-green serpent, and the northwest had a gray sow. Both were the names of the Serpent Village and the city of Hajin Province.
"This path is where we split up," Tigress uttered. "Great Viper's village is that way."
"And Hajin Province is over there," Chen Xing pointed. "That is where the Nine went there before."
"Xing? Is something wrong with your eyes?"
The feline saw her nephew's silver eyes dry but still hued with light red. "Oh, it's nothing, Tigress. I slept real hard."
"Yeah? You were beating the shit out of the bear in a dream?" Mantis asked on Tigress's shoulder.
"Yeah, it was worth it," he simpered. But Kai knew he was lying but did not want Xing to admit what he had wept about. Not a dream or a nightmare because the tiger hated every bit of bad dreams: the Prince of Darkness who scorched the forest into a firestorm, and the Lady of Shadows who flooded his eyes into darkness; no light, but only blindness that the screams lingered at every foot. Lotus saw Xing and Kai; she was the only one who saw her brother drying his eyes.
What were they talking about? Why was my Cookie crying? I'll have to ask Xing later.
"I wish I could come with you, Viper," Tigress hoped, her amber eyes looking down. "I want to give you all the comfort and share my grief."
"Tigress. . ." Viper curled her tail and stroked the feline's cheek.
"My nephew will take my spot," Tigress assured. "He will be at the funeral for me."
"I wish. . . I wish there were more time for me and my dad."
"Be with him for me, sister."
The feline and the serpent embraced longer before they let themselves go. The group did the same as they shared farewells. The cobra, Fanshe, was held in Bao's behemoth hands before he curled his body around the ape. "You behave with our sister, Bao. Hong will be looking after you," Fanshe said, nudging his head on his brother. "Everything's going to be okay."
Bao did not answer but bobbed his head anyway.
Chen Xing and Tai Lung met and shook their claws. The leopard's digits were far more dominant than the tiger's. "Stay out of trouble, Master Tai Lung," the tiger grinned.
The snow leopard chuckled with his thin chuffs. "I will make sure of it, Master Xing," he grinned and looked at Kai. "I suppose we will meet again at some other time?"
"Likewise," Kai nodded.
"Hajin Province is about a three-day hike. If by running from here to there, it's about a day to catch up," Xing said.
"Then we will get there before the bandits," Tigress promised. "Wherever Viper goes, you follow her to the village, nephew."
"Gotcha," Xing notified, hugging his aunt. "Good luck, Meigui."
"You too."
The groups began to split. Tigress's team led on first to the northwest, sprinting without hesitation. Bao was the only one slow on fours but kept up the pace as he figured out to dig deeper into the forest, swinging on large logs and toward out-of-reach areas.
Viper's team trekked to the north and toward the small notch of the Guangxi mountain areas. Upon the fourth ridge, ten miles later, Kai surveyed the distant terrain with dimmed fog clouds swimming past the tower mountains. He and his teacher were not the only ones who spotted something miniature floating on the light-green sky as it hovered far and far away. It had four red-orange balloons, including the colossus, heaving the vessel.
Is that Po riding away?
Author's Note:
— There is not much to write here, but Volume IV's last two chapters will show our friend's story, reflecting the bitter past. The question is: Who? Stay tuned!