Po
The same wind that tingled around the feline headed north. It flew past distant mountains and low emerald valleys. Floating through the scattered river-flooded planes, it climbed higher and higher up a snowy mountain. It burst through the clouds and gently floated toward a young panda covered in a black cloak, meditating on the ground. His body stayed as still as a rock from his black patched pants up to his dull green vest underneath the black cloak. The wind brought small leaves towards the panda's form, quietly resting one piece of foliage on his nose.
"ACCCCHHHOOOOO!" The panda sneezed. His jade eyes opened and his lips widened into a smile. "It's time! Ha Ha! It's time!" The large panda jumped to his feet, carefully bolting down the steps toward the rest of the pandas. The secret panda village busily worked about. Some tended the rice fields, others sat in front of seasoned pandas slightly smeared with soot and ash. Still others fought and trained at the large wooden library at the heart of the village. Pandas from far and wide worked to find techniques for their protection. The panda ran down the grassy road into a house at near center of the village. "Dad! Dad!"
"Hm? Lotus, aren't you supposed to be meditating?"
"Yeah, I was. I think the universe told me something!"
"Really?" Li Shan chuckled and reclined back into his chair, looking over a scroll as his wife mended a hole in one of their pants.
"I think it's time," Lotus said excitedly.
"Time for what?"
"Time for me to go to the Jade Palace and train with Master Shifu and Master Oogway!" Li Shan's smile slipped off his face. He stood up from his seat and glared at his son. "Uhhh... I mean... that's what I think the universe said."
"No. You're staying here."
"Dad, come on."
"I'm not risking your life, son. Besides, you obviously need to meditate. Learn to focus."
"I'm focused!" Lotus exclaimed. Li Shan raised an eyebrow. "Okay, the whole thing with the Mongols and the bandits was-"
"Brash and reckless."
"I was gonna say... accidental," the son said with a sheepish grin.
"You're staying here, Lotus. That's final," Li Shan firmly said, walking out of the house.
"Dad, I can't stay stuck on this mountain just training over and over without real experience! The kids have more experience than me!"
"Yes, you know why?" Li Shan spun around and pointed to a line of young pandas jumping into a bed of soot. "Because they don't mind getting dirty. Literally."
"The soot cover always makes me sneeze," Lotus argued. "Besides, Master Oogway told me I would know when it's time. I had a vision of the Yin Yang with a turtle and a dragon wrapping around him. It was soooo cool! It has to be time!"
Li Shan crossed his large arms, frowning hard. "And you want to go by yourself? Absolutely not, you're not old enough."
"I'm more than old enough! Dad, you were younger than me when you stepped out of the village. Just because I messed up a few times, doesn't mean anything."
"You destroyed an entire outpost on your 'spy' mission."
"They were bandits anyway," Po muttered. "And we got the scrolls! Please, Dad. Just... let me try."
"No! End of discussion," Li Shan said. "You need to focus on your meditation and your fighting skills here where it's safe. That is all." Lotus hung his head and slowly staggered away. Li Shan marched back into his house and looked at the large map on his table. His wife sat behind him, still sewing the pants.
"He's right you know."
"He's not, Lin Lin," Li Shan remarked. "I don't understand why he keeps trying to leave the village. We have everything that he could ever want here."
Lin Lin sighed and set the pants down, walking over to rest a hand on Li Shan's shoulder. "It has everything except one thing. A place for our son to belong."
"He belongs here," Li Shan uttered.
"You don't see how he stares across the mountains at night. He's trapped here. He's sad, Li. He wants to find out who he is."
"He's a panda and my son."
"But which of those is Lotus? Am I your wife, or Lin Lin?"
"You're both."
"Not the way you described it," Lin Lin said with her hands on her hips. "It sounds like you want our son to be on a leash and you have. You hover over him too closely, Li Shan. He needs to get out more for his own sake!"
"I don't want to lose him, Lin!" Li Shan suddenly snapped. His wife didn't waver in her glare. She only sighed, picked up Li Shan's pants, and tossed them to him.
"You might be losing him already. I know you want to keep him safe, but birds are designed for flying. Not for cages."
Li Shan looked at his repaired pants and groaned. Lin Lin walked out of the house, finding her son in the back, pouting at the ground. She sat by him, sighing loudly, "You know why he's hesitant, Lotus."
"I know, I know. But... I don't want to be scared of everything, mom. You know what the outside world looks like more than I ever will."
"You're not missing much," Lin Lin said.
"And what happens when I'm the leader of the clan? Am I supposed to just... just... carry on the fear? I... I don't want to stay here for the rest of my life, Mom."
"Why?"
"I just... I just don't," Lotus sighed. "I'm sorry. I'll just forget about it. I should get back to the lookout. It's about my time."
"Lotus, we-"
"It's okay mom," The panda wearily smiled. "I get it. This is where I'm supposed to be. This is where I'll always be." The panda sadly trudged to the mountain's lookout post before Lin Lin could say anything. A heavy sigh followed her back into the house where her husband put on his repaired pants.
Suddenly, their attention turned to the entrance of the house when they heard frantic footsteps. Li Shan looked out the door and saw his son panting with a tall bird standing. Something green stood on its shoulder before hopping off him. "Hey! We're here!"
"Mantis," The bird hushed.
"Lotus, what's going on? Why are Crane and Mantis here?"
"He's uh... got some news. We... we need to go inside the information house." Lotus finally straightened up. "It's about Shen."
Li Shan's eyes widened. "Come." They walked into a house hidden in a small patch of bamboo shoots. It was a stout private information hub, covered from any peering eyes that could attack from above, and hidden from any invader that could hike up the mountain. Li Shan burst the doors open, making several scrolls and papers flutter in the wind.
Lotus griped, quickly grabbing the papers that were about to float out the doors, "Dad! You can't keep doing that! I have these papers organized you know."
"Sorry, son," Li Shan quickly shut the door behind them. "Now, tell me what's going on, Crane? I thought your father was keeping an eye out for Shen?"
The bird bowed his head. "My... father is dead."
Lin Lin gasped while the older panda dropped his jaw. "Shao's... dead? Did he-"
"Heart issues. No one saw it coming. Before he died, he warned me about movement going on in the Valley of Peace, near the Jade Palace. You told me you were taught by Master Oogway and Master Shifu. If my intel is right, they may have some information about Shen and where he's been hiding. We may be able to stop him before he tries to do anything worse than he's already done."
"What's going on in the Valley of Peace?" Li Shan asked.
"Mainly bandit activity, but it seems like these bandits came from the west."
"Where Shen was last seen before disappearing off the map," Li Shan completed. He stroked his chin, pensively walking. "What does this have to do with the Jade Palace?"
"The Jade Palace is the center of information about all China," Crane explained. "It's impossible for Master Oogway and Master Shifu NOT to know something about Shen's whereabouts. And since he's part of the Master's Council, he's bound to have tabs on him."
"Which means," Mantis spoke up, "We find our red panda and tortoise, we find our bird."
"Uhhh."
"Other bird," Mantis groused.
"But why are you here, Mantis? And why didn't you go to the Jade Palace yourself, Crane?"
The bird took a deep sigh, "Master Shifu and Master Oogway don't know us, but they do remember you all. And I figured you would want to get a closer look at this."
"Well, you're right about that," Li Shan sighed. Then he looked at his son. Lotus's face held a dour mood, staring at his feet. "Lotus, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, nothing. I just... have an idea. But it's stupid. Forget about it."
"We're all ears right now, dear," Lin Lin gently smiled.
Lotus found the four staring at him in the dimly lit room. Taking a big sigh, the panda spoke, "It's just... I know that Dad can't make the trip because he has to manage the village until more pandas come back home. The crops are coming in and that mission on the Southwestern front is still going on. Mei Mei can't go because she's teaching the children stealth training right before harvest. Everyone is unable or unavailable," Lotus sighed and paused, "Except me, but... I know you're not going to let me go, Dad."
"And the panda branch nearest to that place is dealing with other things. Besides, the pandas don't... trust us as much as Po," Crane mentioned.
"What? Why?" Li Shan asked.
Crane looked long and hard at Li Shan before shaking his head. "I don't know," He curtly said.
"Either way, I would be the only one able to go. But I know you don't want me to go, so I'll stay here," Lotus sighed. Li Shan grumbled under his breath. Lotus was right. If Li Shan went, that would leave his son in charge of the village which he knew he couldn't do. But he knew Lotus could get out of a nasty situation with ease.
"Li," Lin Lin quietly whispered.
A great groan came from the panda's lips. "He's my son."
"And he will still be your son no matter what."
Li Shan turned to the younger panda. He lifted Lotus's face from his stare of the ground and sighed, "Lotus, I just don't want to lose you. I've... I've seen so many of our people lost that I-"
"I know, Dad," Lotus sighed. "I know."
"But... Maybe I've been an overbearing mother hen. Pardon the bird pun, Crane."
"None taken."
"But... you're right. And you're probably the only one that Master Oogway and Master Shifu remember," Li Shan smiled. "You made a great impression on them when they were here."
Lotus's eyes widened. "You... you mean?"
"But promise me on this trip that you'll use everything in your arsenal to... just... stay out of trouble."
"You know I can't promise that, Dad," Lotus smiled sheepishly.
Li Shan groaned. "Fine, just... stay safe and come back to me in one piece, okay?"
"I will," Lotus smiled. "I'll send Crane back to tell you what I found. I'll be okay, Dad."
"Crane and Mantis will go with you. You'll need Mantis. He's the only doctor who knows how to treat us."
The smaller panda grimaced, "Treat is a strong word. OW!"
"I heard that," Mantis muttered, pinching Lotus's foot. Lin Lin smiled as she wrapped her arms around her son.
"We need to get you packed for your big journey."
"Awesome!" Lotus leaped for joy.
A few moments later at the edge of the village, a large backpack was slung onto Lotus, making him nearly cave backward. "Argh! Mom, this stuff is heavy."
"Your father and I want you to be prepared."
"I'm not moving out," Her son rebutted.
"But this is the furthest you've been away from the village. You have to be prepared," Lin Lin said firmly. Her son sighed but nodded. Soon, his father came up to him with a groaning frown. He gave Lotus a bag that the young panda hated.
"I know you don't want to wear the charcoal and ash, so I won't force you to wear it, but please at least wear a cloak when you're around people, okay? Only use your outside name, Po. You two. Make sure he doesn't attract any trouble."
"Oh sure," Mantis griped, "Why don't you ask us to move the mountain while we're at it?"
"We'll try our best to watch over him," Crane smiled.
"And Po," Li Shan grabbed his son by the shoulders and spun him towards him. "Remember the prayer."
The pandas nodded and said, "I am hidden and no one. No past, no future. See me not, hear me not. Disguised to be myself." Crane and Mantis side glanced at each other before Po turned and left with them. They traveled down the panda village's makeshift elevator and touched down on the snowy white plains of the lower mountain range. Bird and bug noticed their friend's somber mood as he trudged through the first few feet of snow.
"Lo- Po, I've always wanted to ask you," Crane spoke up, "The prayer? What does it mean? And why are you always so down when you say it?"
Po paused. "It's a reminder. To blend in. We can't be who we are in the open. It would attract too much attention."
"Oh like being one of the best fighters in the Northern half of China doesn't do that," Mantis smirked.
Po smiled, "I'm not that good."
"You're better than us."
"That's because I'm used to you guys," Po looked over to the valley where the sun continued rising high into the clouds. A wide smile graced his lips as he inhaled the misty air.
"You okay?" Mantis asked. "You look too excited."
"I am," Po grinned. He looked to the West and then the South. "It's time."
The three of them continued their snowy trek into the heart of China. Unbeknownst to them, a figure stood at their destination. The old tortoise stood on the overlooking cliff. His student and bowed. "You sent for me, Master Oogway."
"They're shaking."
"What's shaking?"
"The mountains. They're shaking," Oogway grinned. "Three powerful warriors whose presence will shake the very foundations of our Valley."
"Are they a threat?"
"Hmm," Oogway simply hummed. He turned to the North, South, and West. "I see a hungry panda chomping on a bamboo pipe while the mountain quakes underneath its feet. I see a furious eager Tiger, resting on the entire mountain like it was its bed. I see a powerful probing snow leopard, blending into the mountain it stands on, searching for something it may devour."
"So they are a threat?"
"No," Oogway finally said. "They're exactly what we need."
Continued...