The Last Chance

9. Dangerous Eyes

Po panted with exhaustion. He didn't know how long they have been on travel already. Whereby he was the only one who made one step after another, while Shen was still sleeping on his back - involuntary.
Po looked at the sky with a worried glance. It was almost dusk. And dark clouds covered the wide sky.
"Okay, okay," Po muttered. "Nothing can happen until it's not raining..."
Suddenly, he felt a few water drops on his face.
"Nice. Okay, it's just little drops of water, it would be worse if it ..."
Suddenly, the drops became more and, in a few seconds, rain fell with heavy water drops to earth, on the panda with the peacock on his back.
Po let hang his shoulders and sighed deeply.
"What a dopy day," he muttered.
Alone and forgotten in the wild with a creature who would kill him immediately if he got the chance. Worried he looked behind where Shen was moaning softly.
Suddenly, a cold wind blew and scourged the rain deeper into their faces. Po wiped over his wet face and tried to continue. He made a few steps and...
"No, that's so stupid."
He looked around to find a place where they could find accommodation, until the rain would end, and... maybe to spend the night.
He growled annoyed. "Whoa! Universe! It would be nice if you give us a sign for a place to become dry."
Another hard wind blew into his face and swirled foliage from the ground. Po looked in surprise when he followed the foliage. Not far away along the hill, there stood a house.
Po kept his mouth open until he closed it again.
"Wow, this was fast."
He looked around. "Thank you," he whispered.
With fast speed, he ran to the house, which looked abandoned. No light inside. No person around.
When he arrived the door, he opened it carefully. "Hello, anybody here?"
Nobody answered.
Alright, Po had no other choice. They couldn't stay outside. Not with an injured bird.
He walked in. The door was old and was ready to fall out from the hinges. The floor creaked after every step. Po was frightened that he could break through the wood. The roof was leaky, but not badly damaged. Water drops fell down in patches.
Suddenly, there was a slam.
Po winced until he realized it was just a broken window shutter which slammed against the house because of the wind.
The house wasn't big. Just an empty dining room, a kitchen without kitchen furnishings, a living room with a demolished table and a single room with a bed in the corner.
Po sighed in relief. At least a place for Shen.
Gently, he put the peacock on the floor, still wrapped in the blanket. Then he shook out the bed mattress and spread a cloth on it. After that, he laid the lord into the bed.
Shen moaned louder. Carefully, Po pushed the blanket down a little. Shen's wing trembled slightly. Po stroked his head soothingly.
"Okay,... ouaahh," he yawned loudly. He was tired, but first he had to take care for Shen. He was not a doctor, but maybe he could put in a splint his broken limbs until he would find someone.
With that in mind, Po went outside to look for some straight wooden sticks and picked up some lianas. After he had found everything, he ran back into the house, where he first had to shake the rain off his fur. Then he dried the found things and hurried to Shen's bedside with them.
Reluctantly, he removed the blanket from around him. Then he put a couple of the branches around Shen's broken wings first. When he constringed the vines around it, Shen winced with clenched face muscles. Po petted over his wing when he was ready. Then he continued with the leg.
He was already ready to pull together the vines around it when Shen began to blink. Po pulled the ropes and the wooden sticks were pressed around the leg.
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Shen screamed and sat up. Po winced with shock and let fall everything .
Shen held his leg with pressed pain filled face. The branches and lianas had fallen down again from the violent sitting up.
"It's okay, it's okay," Po said nervously. "I was just going to..."
"YOU DAMNED CREATURE OF A VILLAGE IDIOT!" Shen screamed.
"Uh, okay, well, I wanted to..."
Shen growled threateningly.
"Don't - come - nearer!" he hissed with controlled pressed voice. But then he noticed the improvised splint around his wing. "What ...?" He stared at it in surprise.
"It's from me," Po said with an embarrassed smile. "So that your wing heals well."
The panda might be expecting a muttered 'thank you', or something like that. But instead, Shen just glared at him.
"I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP!" Shen tore down the lianas and hurled everything on the ground. "You will die for this!"
"Hey! For what?" Po asked indignantly.
"You threw mud at my honor!"
Po stood there with open mouth.
"I- I... I saved you."
"Did I ask you to do that?"
"Uh... well... I..."
"Didn't I or didn't I? Or did I?" Shen's voice sounded annoyed and embittered.
Po tapped together his forefingers. "No...," he said feebly.
For a moment, there was silence.
Shen rubbed about his freed broken wing while he was looking at Po with a hate-filled glance.
"I had a chance to die a death with pride," the peacock said darkly. "But you ruined it."
With that, he turned his head away. "Leave me alone."
Po dared to move again and sighed sadly. "Oh, okay,... you are tired... we had a bad day... and..."
A dangerous look from Shen and Po stumbled backwards through the door out of the room. With fast movements, he closed the door.
Po sighed. He was disappointed about himself. "Nice," he muttered.
His eyes wandered to the window. With a sad glance he looked outside.
"I wonder what the others are doing at this moment."

In the Jade Palace, Shifu was meditating. It was dark outside, but it was not raining. The front carrying rain was still too far away.
Shifu felt a little touch of anxiety inside. Something wasn't right and he hoped that it had nothing to do with Po.
Candles lay around the fung fu master. With concentrated gesture, he tried to find a reason for the concern.
Suddenly, there was a fluttering sound in the air. And shortly after a bird fell to the ground.
Shifu stood up with bugged look.
"What is it?"
A palace goose had appeared.
"Oh, I see you are from Gongmen City. I hope you have a good message."

Tigress, Monkey, Crane, Viper stood in the kitchen and tried to make something to eat. Bored Monkey rummaged through the cupboards.
"I'm missing Po," he muttered. "His cookeries are still the best."
"Don't be so fussy!" Tigress said annoyed. "A healthy meal is also a good thing."
"I thought it was healthy," Viper said.
Suddenly, the doors were opened and Shifu appeared.
"Listen!" the master cried. "Po has vanished! Also Shen!"
The four friends stared at Shifu with big eyes.
"Vanished? Po?" Monkey asked in disbelief.
"What happened?" Tigress asked.
"The torment was interrupted by unknown attackers. After that, Po and Shen have vanished without a trace."
"What about Mantis?" Crane asked.
"Mantis is alright. He is still in Gongmen City and is looking for them."
"And Po?" Viper asked again in hope to get a little hint.
But Shifu shook his head. "Nothing. I can only hope that he is doing not a silly thing." He crossed his arms behind his back. "And if so... he can be ready for a lot of troubles." He sighed. "If he is still alive."