The Last Chance

21. The Lord's Most-loved

Days passed. Shen's wounds became better and he could move his leg and wing without bad pain again. While the festival was prepared, Shen recovered from his injuries more and more and it was in part thanks to the goat's treatments that his bones healed and his feathers regrew faster than usual. Already after a week, Shen could use his regrown finger feathers and over his blank body parts had regenerated little feathers. Just his caudate needed longer and had reached no more than the half-size of the original length.
Po had no much time to visit him often. He was too afraid that Shifu could find him. Shifu had still suspicious of Po, but not always fortunately and gradually he seemed to doubt. Although he appeared in patches in Po's home and Shen had to hide always until he was gone again.
Shen did his best to stay in bed. He was weary to be like an invalid. He wasn't ill, just injured. His mind was full of energy, but his body was still too weak. Despite he made from time to time movement exercises. The goat had to urge him not to exaggerate it.
One day the goat presented him a hooded dark gray robe. At least, it was an alternative to the blanket that the peacock had to keep pulling around himself. Shen was not particularly fond of this new primitive garment and had been reluctant to accept it. Mainly because it wouldn't be his color. The goat replied that it was not noticeable and clothed his body.
Po had told him that they will not see each other for a few days, to be sure. Shen had no objections and Po was sure he would come clear alone for a while. Mr. Ping assured him that he would take care for him like a father.
Everything went well, until the day before the visitor rulers should come...

It was very early in the morning. The sun wasn't appeared yet and it lay a fog bell over the Village of Peace.
Shen stood up very early like often to take a morning shower. Because the place of the shower lay behind the house outdoors, Shen couldn't sojourn there while day. The risk to be seen by others accidentally was still too high.
Carefully and slowly, avoiding all sorts of noises, he walked down the stairs and came into the backyard. He took off the dark gray robe and folded it on a chair meticulously. Then he positioned himself under a gutter looking bamboo cane and operated a mechanism.
Shen let run down the water his fletched body. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the refreshment. The cold water did him good and cleaned his mind. He breathed in the fresh air. It was a feeling of resurgence. He felt for soap and stroked his feathers and underlying skin with it. The lord inhaled the new scent which was mixed with the humidified air. For a moment he thought nothing, just feeling. Sometimes it was a blessing for a soul doing nothing. A soft smile played Shen's water running wet beak. He opened his eyes and looked down at his body. Again remembering the torment many days ago, he sighed deeply. His feathers were almost recovered grown back. He moved his new finger feather, still a little small, but he could use them to do detailed movements.
He didn't know how long, but sometime he turned off the water. The water from the bamboo pipe stopped and the trickling sound of water drops filled the environment. Shen waited until he shook off them and water drops whirled him. Still wet he stretched his wings and spread his feathers. He angled for a towel and rubbed dry his feathering.
Suddenly, he heard voices. He winced and pressed himself on the house wall. People were talking. Two pigs were cleaning the street.
Quickly he disappeared back in the house. He walked up the stairs to Po's room. He giggled. He felt like a little child who played hide-and-seek. He laid himself down in his bed and dozed until the first sunbeams broke the misty shroud.
At about that time, Mr. Ping brought him breakfast. Po wasn't at home. He overnighted in the Jade Palace.
While Shen was eating, he felt there was more life in the village than usual. When Mr. Ping cleaned the table again, Shen's glance wandered back to the window.
"It's so loud today."
"Oh, yes," Mr. Ping agreed. "Tomorrow the guests should come to our village festival."
"Seems to be a big festival."
"Oh yes, it's the story of our village. When they heard that the Dragon Warrior has appeared, they wanted to come personally. All people are so excited. Especially me, I have to organize a dinner in these few days."
"You are very proud about him, aren't you?" Shen asked more emotionless, but also a little thoughtful.
Mr. Ping sighed deeply. "Oh yes... and... well, also..."
The gander was silent and his glance looked like far away.
Shen raised his eyebrows. "What is it?"
"Well, sure, I'm happy about him, but otherwise... I'm still thinking about what would happen if he had never been the Dragon Warrior and would only help in my restaurant."
Shen's eyes grew bigger. What did that guy talk about?
"I thought, he grew up in the palace."
"Oh, no, no, no, no," Mr. Ping said quickly. "Of course not. Before that, he lived with me until he became an adult, but never adult for me. He will always be my little son."
Mr. Ping sighed again. "My little Po. I have never seen that he wasn't a child anymore." He wiped over his nose. "I always thought to be a restaurateur would be his destiny. He loves noodles like no other. But on the other hand, he began to love kung fu more and more. I couldn't stop it. It became a part of him, but I thought it would be just temporary. But I was wrong. When the day came, where Master Oogway wanted to choose the Dragon Warrior... I said, he should sell some noodles, but instead he left them and wanted to come inside the palace."
Mr. Ping smiled wistfully. "Oh, I remember how he still sits on the chair with the firework under it. He always had such funny ideas all the time..."
Shen started to listen attentively. "What?"
"Oh, that wasn't all," Mr. Ping laughed. "You should hear what he did silly things before that with his meals..."
"No!"
Mr. Ping froze because of Shen's loud tone. "What did you talk about firework?"
"Oh, that was a very silly moment. Typical for my son. I always told him he should stop doing such dangerous things. But at least I tried..."
"Answer my question!" Shen hissed and Mr. Ping was silent. "Tell me all about the day!"
Mr. Ping cleaned his throat. "Well, all started on a normal day..."
Mr. Ping told everything what happened that day. About the so-called noodle dream, which Po had never dreamed, about the announcement of the Dragon Warrior Choice, Po's tries to come into the Jade Palace, about the wonder of a falling master from the sky, where Shen listened very intently, about the festival of the Dragon Warrior and so on.
"But well," Mr. Ping finished his tale. "I have to agree. He lives his own life and I have my place here."
Suddenly, Mr. Ping winced. "Oh, excuse me, I have to do so many things until tomorrow."
With that, he ran down the stairs, but Shen sat on the mattress stone-still. His eyes wide opened. The lord was like paralyzed.
For a while he stared at the air.
Suddenly, he clenched his wings. An ugly feeling grew inside him. He felt like abused. That fat panda abused that thing what was the most beauty in his life. The firework of his family, his own creation, helped the panda to be a warrior, with his own weapon with that he wanted to rule China.
That panda beat him at his own game.
Shen inhaled several times.
Was it true? Was that what about the soothsayer talked about his damnation?
He dug his own grave. His family dug his grave. Or the universe.
No! The lord shook his head. It wasn't his own fault! It was never his fault! The fault of nothing else! It was just the fault of that panda!
He looked out of the window where he could see the Jade Palace. His eyes formed into slits. He turned around with growling sounds. Everything inside him was mixed. His emotions, his plans, his past, his future, his being, his hate...
Without thinking, Shen walked down the stairs. Mr. Ping was outside on the terrace where he adorned the tables. Shen narrowed his eyes when a knife flashed on the kitchen table. When Mr. Ping came back, he didn't realize the missing knife.

The peacock walked along the house walls. Nobody was on the streets. All were busy to clean their own houses. The lord halted and looked up the stairs to the Jade Palace.
He wanted to stop it, where it began.
It was his destiny.