One Tail at a Time

Si Ge

"Well you wanted your trials, so it looks as if this little predicament we are in, is just that." Fu Yus laughing face spins away from my swiping paw as Shifu continues to study my butt.

I know I should be blushing and embarrassed at the way he is holding my tail in the air to get a good look at the second tail which is just a stump at the moment, but Im just so happy that my birthday wish is coming true that I ignore him and focus on Fu Yu instead.

"I wonder when it arrived?  Shifu was healing my legs just before and he would have seen it then."

"Obviously when you finally managed to teach the loaf head his first fox word." he yells between his pearls of laughter and wild spinning.

"But how does that give me a new tail?" I ask confused, because that doesnt seem like much of a trial to me.

"Qian Qian, did you learn nothing when your brother explained your trials?' he asked and bringing his spinning to an end at the same time Shifu drops my tail.  "Sharing knowledge can be taken as a lesson.  That you were able to overcome your impatience and continue to try and teach even though you were getting mad, means he learned something from you and you gained a tail." Fu Yu replies quietly this time seeing as Shifu is now giving him the 'shut up or leave' look.

"But Zhen Zhen said that all trials had to include lessons for myself, so that means I must have passed a test of some kind...." I insist strongly only to also clamp my mouth shut when Shifu picks me up and turns me around to face him.

"The lump is a new tail....." he says softly and with a very serious face which makes me laugh.

"Aish!  This genius!." Fu Yu points at him with an eye roll in my direction.  "Did your brain suddenly spit out a neuron?" Fu Yu gawks sarcastically at Shifu and making me laugh.

"I don't think this is a laughing matter Xiaobai." Shifu chides me with a soft tap on my nose.   "A new tail can be quite painful as it grows and going by the way it has suddenly appeared, it will have a way to go before it is at full size, however, seeing as you would have had to come through a trial to acquire it, I would say your lack of fear right now has played a very large part in its appearance." Shifu says which instantly has my mind going back to Zhen Zhen.

"Zhen Zhen did say that a tail can be gained by overcoming a difficulty so that makes sense." I tell him which makes him smile, though I'm also impressed with his knowledge of my tails, but I put it down to the mountain of books he owns.  Its easy to learn stuff from books when you have a ton of time on your hands.   Only to spend his time learning about my tails, says he doesn't have a good grasp on what is conductive to his learning and what isn't.  For one, he could have used his time more efficiently by learning my language rather than whats covering my butt!

"Your brother Zhen Zhen must be very important to you.  You mention him a lot." he says while completely oblivious to my thoughts and I guess I have to agree with him again because its true.

"Zhen Zhen is my favourite brother." I tell him.

Acting as if he understands, he nods his head at me before his face goes all serious again.  "The problem now is how many tails you will ascend to." he says thoughtfully and confusing me seeing as he is actually looking quite intelligent right now.  

"What do you mean by that?  There are only nine tailed foxes in our tribe so of course she will have nine tails!" Fu Yu scolds him only to be flicked to the back wall by a burst of energy for being too loud. 

Muttering under his breath about losing the precious neuron the big loaf head had only just acquired, Fu Yu hovers sulking in the corner as Shifu continues to talk.