Mulan (More Than a Story Book 2)

Prepare For Combat

I was shaken awake by a sweaty Li. " You gotta get up Ping." I resentfully woke up with a  lazy yawn. I looked around me and realized that Poe was wiping his eyes and Yao had his head thrown into his hands.

"Whats going on." I felt groggy and restless because of last night's encounter with Shang. It took me forever to fall asleep, and now I regretted all those precious hours I wasted.

"Shang..." He cleared his throat and wiped his face. "The General has announced the death of his father."

I gasped as my mind went back to last night. That must have been what he didn't want to tell me. No wonder he seemed so depressed, so lost.

Shang usually wears a strong and determined look on his face, and his fighting skills by far surpasses the average solider. But as skilled as he is, his father General Li was a legendary war hero.

"How-" my voice cracked in fear. General Li only took the best trained soldiers this camp had to offer. If the Huns were able to defeat them, we had no chance of wining the war, or surviving it for that matter.

"They caught him in his moment of weakness. He was morning the loss of his wife, may her soul be at peace. And he just found out the Huns attacked his home village." I turned my head away as tears sprung in my eyes. How awful. "They attacked a few villages actually."

"Including ours." Said Yao. "And Tadashi's"

I gasped again, and flung the covers off of me. "Where is he?" I asked worriedly.

"Let him be." Li murmered. "He's in mourning. Last I saw him, he was heading in the woods to cry in peace."

I buried my face in my hands and my disheveled hair fell in my face. "Poor Tadashi. His wife was with child!" I balled my fist up and slammed it on the mattress. "Its not fair!"

"None of this is fair." Yao said, leaning back in his chair. "This is war."

"Father." Poe whispered as more tears fell down his face. Yao patted his back, attempting to comfort him.

My mind went back to my own father and mother. I pray that our little farm would stay unharmed. I couldn't imagine what the Huns would gain from burning down one farm, but then again who knows what darkness goes on in their minds.

We didn't say much as we all got dressed, teary eyed and stuck in our own thoughts. I refrained from running into the woods to find Tadashi and wrap my arms around him. He didn't deserve such a fate. His wife was young and they were madly in love with each other. They had their whole lives ahead of them, and I don't think he will be able to love anyone else ever again.

And poor Shang. To loose both your parents in one week is unthinkable. And to make matters worse, he is expected to put his grief aside and find a way to take down China's greatest enemy, as if that wasn't a hard enough task before his parents death.

Mushu. What was I thinking? I can't do this. I can't bear to see people I care about die.

"Your wrong. You can do this. You are strong where it matters, in your mind and in your heart. You know what you want and you go after it. No matter what anyone says."

Being rebellious isn't going to win the war.

"You don't know that. You never know what skills you'll need when your out on that field."