One Tail at a Time

Treachery

Ten thousand years have passed in the blink of an eye.  I celebrated my Thirty Thousandth birthday just a couple of weeks ago which was attended only by my family and my Kunlun family along with Fu Yu of course.  I have decided that I don't want anyone else at anymore of my birthday parties, there really isn't a need, not when the thought alone makes me anxious.  Father too is in agreement and he has all but given up on trying to match me with any potential future husbands, and so has Mama.  Though I see her eyeing Shanhu with a critical eye when she thinks Im not looking.

Shanhu is still my favourite Disciple, because he really is the most patient with me, though the older I am getting, the less childish I am, or at least that's what he tells me, because I am actually learning from him.  My lessons with him are the most fun, so I am always excited when he arrives to train with me.

So far Shifu is still allowing only one of my brothers to train with me at a time, and because he wants me to learn how each of them do things, I never know who is going to turn up.  The Disciple I don't like the most is Chang Shan, because he's too grumpy and far too serious.  Everything has to be a done a certain way, so his way, and if I make mistakes, he gets all growly and makes me repeat stuff until I get it right which is no fun at all.

I like Zi Lan, he is just a little older than me, he's forty thousand years old, and he is also the funny one so there is always something to laugh at when he comes.  Senior Die Feng is alright too, but like Chang Shan, he's a stickler for rules, but he has a mountain of patience and he always has little treats for me when we are done which is usually something for my hair or a little toy like a kite he made.

Shifu has banned all sweet treats for me and Fu Yu because he said our diet must now follow the same holistic lifestyle that the rest of my brothers follow, and sweet treats are only allowed at special events such as birthdays or festivals.  Well, this has not gone down too well with Fu Yu, because he loves sugar candy and fruit tarts, so he is being very naughty by arguing with Shifu and even threatening to rip open his belly, which has seen him grounded to the Grove for a month to think about his actions and that means no training for him, which he is not happy about, especially when I am here training directly under him.

Now racing through the Grove with Cheng Bao who is with me again today, we are dodging peach pips and twigs that Fu Yu has taken to throwing at us both because he's mad with my Shifu who is very close to punishing him harder.  Only Cheng Bao, who is heavier and far stronger than all the other disciples, is turning his tantrum into a game to try and settle him down.

In fact, Fu Yu has inadvertently become our enemy and not only do we have to dodge the missles which are coming thick and fast, we have to try and capture him.  So in the end, instead of Fu Yus mad self being a risk to us, he has actually joined my lesson for the day, by becoming a stealthy Sprite who has to avoid capture.

And so what started as a tantrum that was getting out of hand and nearly forcing Shifu to punish him severely, is now a game. 

"This is actually good for the both of you.  It is a chance for you to see where your strengths and weaknesses lie while also getting an idea of what your enemy is capable of." Cheng Bao says before calling Fu Yu out of the tree tops to explain to him what he thinks is a good idea.

"You are to avoid capture, though there are rules." he says as we both eyeball each other with the intention of ripping open bellies if it comes to that.

"No magic and no weapons.  Use whatever skills you have to track each other through the grove and no cheating!" he says at me in particular.

Well!  I'm not the cheater here, that would be Shifu, only he's reading his book under a tree and is completely oblivious to us,  but I will be watching him very closely.  Even though Shifu is meant to be the one teaching me, he actually doesn't do much, but then again, he's a Shifu, so he's allowed to sit under a tree reading.  Still, the competitive side of me rises, so I will be watching him just in case.