Chapter 6 : Concerning Humans.
Gongmen City, Council Palace, late morning.
"Again, should need arise you, know that you are always welcome here in Gongmen City, young friends and masters" a massive rhino with an engraved horn and a very high, heavy hammer said in a deep, booming voice.
"Thank you, Master Thundering Rhino. It was truly awesome to have trained in your halls with you, the Ferocious Master Croc and Master Storming Ox." Answered a giant panda, who still couldn't wrap his head around the fact he had trained for weeks with his heroes.
Thundering Rhino smiled and let out a softer, deep chuckle. The panda in front of him was not what he had expected of the Dragon Warrior at all. Croc and Ox had downright scoffed. But Po had defeated Tai Lung. Master Oogway had named him, and no one else the Dragon Warrior. And their respect for the ancient turtle had been, and still was, endless.
It was Oogway who had showed him the right path. For all three of them. Croc had been a bandit, Ox a ring-fighter and he a glory-seeking troublemaker. And now they were masters in the Kung Fu Council, heroes, almost revered amongst all of China. Who were they to question the decisions of the one who was the very founder of Kung Fu and showed them these lives of honor and worth?
Besides, he began to understand the wisdom of Master Oogway that he could not see as a brash youngster. Within Po was an enormous potential hidden. One only had to learn how to see that potential. Frankly, he was different.
Perhaps that was why Oogway named him the Dragon Warrior. The major part of him was not a great Dragon Warrior, but a fun-loving enthusiastic kind panda, noodle-making fanboy. And the Dragon Scroll had not changed that. He was ordinary, and in that lied his very strength. He did not seek the scroll, or its power.
"You are quite welcome, young dragon warrior." Thundering Rhino said with a smile. "Now, I believe it is best if you depart with your two friends, or the time gained by the morning will you be lost to you and you might run late."
"Hehe, we never run late!"
"Yea! Well, except big guy here when he spots food."
"Hey! Come one guys, that was one time!" Po complained to the familiar approaching figures of a grinning golden langur and smug-looking praying mantis.
"Like with the noodles those four times on the way here?"
"Or the dumplings? What was it? Seven times?"
"Five!"
"And then there were the cookies, the stew, the soup, the..."
"Ok, ok, we get the idea guys! Master Rhino said we best get going, so let's get going" the unfortunate panda broke Mantis off.
Master Thundering Rhino watched as the three went their way, away from the palace in Gongmen city towards the harbor. He smiled to himself and retreated to his chambers. He had taken the day of, unless an urgent matter required his attention he would not be disturbed.
Lowly humming a bit he hung one of his outer garment robes on the side and went to his desk to shove it open. Inside the desk were his few personal things. Little things that brought important memories with them. There were a few things he had of his father, the legendary master Flying Rhino, his diaries and others.
While rummaging a bit through it he suddenly felt the touch of something unfamiliar. He took it out to see a book unlike any other. Bound in an unknown smooth material, embossed and engraved in ways and details unknown. Rhino's eyes widened a bit in surprising recognition.
"Oh, I had almost forgotten you, my old friend."
It was the diary of the strangest person master Rhino had ever met in his life. A person unlike any other, both in physical terms and ways of thinking. And this strange person was probably his best friend, even though he'd known him only for a few months before he left again, never to be seen again. How long was it ago since they saved each other's lives in that particular encounter when they met? Nineteen, perhaps twenty years?
He opened the cracking book carefully and began to read.
This diary belongs to James Adam Jenssen and may you fall into an endless pit of despair and bitterness if you read this without my express permission. No, scratch that. You can fall into the pit anyway, seeing as I'll never give this book to anyone. Even if I did, I will still piss on your pillow if you read on. You're warned.
The old master chuckled. James had grumbled for days after giving him the diary, but then again, he left to a different place, never to return. Rhino couldn't tell anyone James knew of its contents, and no one here would believe Rhino if he told them about his friend.
Bought in Oslo, Paperwares inc. – printed in 1987. Was printed at the bottom. Rhino vaguely remembered James owning a house in a city called 'Oslo', somewhere in the far north-west.
Entry 1 :
Huh. A diary. Never figured I'd actually write in a thing like this. I don't really know what to write in this, besides perhaps mentioning my second child is on the way? It is a feeling that fills me with joy and pride. Sarah, my daughter of three, is going to get a little sibling to care for. My wife and love of my life, Elizabeth, wants a boy but I don't really care if it is a boy or a girl. I already love it and I couldn't care less about its gender. Since we don't know the gender yet, I've decided to refer to the unborn child as 'it'. Perhaps I'll even continue to call 'it' 'it' after it is born, since it is a very convenient name.
'It' is going to be most likely my final child as well. Both Elizabeth and I are not the best examples of parents because we do not always have continuous time for them, much as we wish we had. But right now I'm still in the healing division of the army, camping in the rain. I'll just have to make it up to them when I'm back for a few months. I just hope I will be back in time to be there when 'it' is born. I think I'll take my leave from the army after this mission as well, to go back on the path of science like my wife. I would be at home for the kid(s) and I could search further for my dream, to find cures and medicines for problematic illnesses.
We have already agreed on the name though. If 'it' is a girl we go for Rosaline after my grandmother. If it's a boy we'll name him after Emma's grandfather, Alexander.
If you read this, and you're not me, beware your pillow.
Thundering Rhino let out his booming laugh. He'd almost forgotten James' unique sense of humor. Calling his child, 'it'. Typical. He pondered for a moment. James was twenty-seven when they met so he had to be forty-seven, perhaps forty-eight now. And his children were no doubt already adults in their early twenties. 'How time flies', he mused. He turned the page and decided to use the whole day to completely revisit his memories of his old, strange, human friend.
Alexander James Jenssen could, despite all his troubles, not help but feel satisfied after two long weeks of experimenting, crafting, chafing, trying, testing, tuning and retrying his bow. But boy, was it ever satisfactory to finally shoot with the finished product.
Fifty nine inches of dark wood, just an inch short of five feet tall stood the bow in rest. Or one hundred forty-nine point eighty-six centimeters, depending on what scale you used.
Turned out Ancient China used feet and inches as sizes. The logic of why escaped him though, China had adopted the metric system rather than the imperial one on earth in modern times, it had never used the imperial one. The alternative scale did, curiously enough, match with that of the old china of his earth : the chi, bu and li. With one bu consisting of five chi, and one li of three hundred bu.
He didn't plan on using it though. Far too bothersome and not as practical as the metric or imperial scale.
Alexander recalled with fondness the first time Feng showed him the finished weapon. Well, he had a pretty good idea what it would look like of course, he designed it and put a lot of work in it after all. But when the rough build was finished and the final parts had to be done Alexander wasn't allowed to see it.
"Alex", Feng called, "It's time to be formally introduced to yer new partner." The slightly mad gleam in his eyes could either be very good or very bad.
"AND HERE SHE IS!" he proclaimed dramatically, while casting the protective cloth aside. "Isn't she a beauty?" he stated more than asked, as if agreeing wasn't even necessary.
"Black walnut as a base with a backing of Osage orange. Incredible material, that Osage is. Extremely durable, pliable, lasts forever without need for a single set and amazing compressing strength. It's a pity the wood doesn't come in long enough lengths for a full bow without weak points or knots in it. Besides it's too heavy for yer designs. But as backing for a main body of walnut, it'll do wonders for the reach and form." He sighed with fondness.
Alex stood still, jaw a bit slacked. It was in that moment that Alex finally began to understand to eagerness of the weapons-crafter. He suddenly understood. The moment to see your creation finally finished, to see a new work of art finalized, craving to be held, used, to hear the wood give that satisfying moaning grunt when its string was drawn, ready to send an arrow flying through the air with a high whistling sound.
He understood. He understood the meaning, the satisfaction, the essence of crafting. And Feng knew, Alex understood.
It was in that moment a truly unlikely friendship of a wolf and a man was formed.
"She is." Was all that he could mutter when he gingerly ran his fingers over the sober dark wood.
Right now, he was fervently training. He wanted, needed to master his bow as soon as possible. He couldn't allow himself to wait when he needed to fight for his life to train. By then, he needed to be able to fluently shoot and have enough accuracy to not waste his arrows. So there was only one solution.
Train. Train. Train. Train until his arm felt like it was on fire. And then train some. Besides, it meant he couldn't burn his hands at the forge or descend into a depression when thinking about his home at his cave.
"You draw slightly to high. Yer hand doesn't have to be in the exact middle, what matters is yer arrow is drawn straight. Now, by focusing too much on tha position of the center of your hand, your arrow is aimed a bit upwards. That's why you always hit above your targets, and why you're aiming below them to correct it."
Alex sighed. It was hard, trying to master a bow. Even if it was one made especially for him. The dark bow was perfect. It 'felt' perfectly balanced. Even holding it felt like slipping in a tailored tuxedo. Feng had outdone himself. But it was still only a bow. No bow suddenly grants the wielder skill. Hours and hours had he been practicing the last day and while he did notice a vast increase in skill -faster that he had dared to hope- it was the result of hard and painful work.
His first five miserable attempts didn't even reach the trees he had been aiming for. The next ten did hit a tree, but the wrong one. The sixteenth did hit it (just at the outer border) to have his next one fail by his bow slamming against his nose, making it bleed. Feng had barked laughs about it for the remainder of the day.
"Like this?" he shuffled his hand a mark down, so his arrow entered another guiding groove.
"Don't ask me, kid. Feel it yerself. Give it another try."
The response came by a whizzing sound and a sharp tud when the arrow embedded itself in the second circle, just two inches from the center away.
"Hah! Good one! I told ya' you'd be getting it down. You are progressing fast with all your effort. I doubt you'll have much difficulty skewering your enemies soon!"
"Indeed! It goes easier than I thought it would!" Alex exclaimed, satisfied.
"Oh, it's easy now, is it?" A sly grin formed. "Tell you what : you go back to your cave to practice. When you have five straight shots in the center from at least twenty yards away, you can come by for a good hearty dinner. Before then, I don't want to see yer face."
The rest of the week was filled with practicing on the various aspects near his cave, where he could practice without the risk of anyone spotting him. Aiming, releasing, drawing the string, positioning or drawing the arrows in fluid movements.
Feng was a good help, but could only do so much. He was no accomplished archer himself and his build was completely different from a human one. He knew his bows, but he couldn't do it himself. Alexander needed to find a balance for everything himself.
Straight stance, rolling the shoulders and let elbow and his arrow locked into a good firing position. From then on it was a matter of aiming, and correcting the shot in advance for the needed distance.
It was amazing how much one could progress in several days if you truly wanted to improve and fully put every waking hour in it. He already knew that fact though from personal experience. When he was travelling and helping people, he did not have the chance to study much. Experiencing that you could be robbed of the opportunity of learning and seeing so many who couldn't was a fantastic motivation. So he studied fervently when he could do so at every opportunity.
Position. Turning forty-five degrees with his body and instinctively brought forward one leg while finding a back grip with the other.
Draw. Right hand taking out an arrow and allow the weight of the point to make a three-quarters circle so it landed on the left side of the bow, while fumbling his fingers and nocking the shaft.
Lock. Bow moved upwards while string was drawn in one movement to save time. His bow was held a bit sideways, with the upper part to the right. It gave a perfect resting zone for the arrow.
Aim. Steady the along the shaft, aimed a bit below the upper border of the target.
Fire. Two finger relaxed. The hardened shaft released and flew at two hundred twenty feet per second before it buried itself straight into its target.
A tired smile showed on the face of the archer. His last five shots including this one were all straight on the mark. A week of non-stop practicing from dusk till dawn had its reward. Skill. Finally, he could defend himself properly. He was almost eager to encounter some brutal bandits that deserved shooting off. Almost.
If he wasn't so tired he would be berating himself for being eager to fight or be in danger but right now, he couldn't come to care.
He had a dinner to go to.
"Alex, could you tell me what 'chiot petite' means? My husband has been getting worked up about it for a week now." Kara asked, genuinely curious what it actually meant. Alex hadn't spilled it for two weeks now beyond that it was in a Romanic language called French
"Little puppy" Alex responded, low enough so Feng couldn't hear it. While the "insult" wasn't overly funny in itself, seeing Feng getting completely crazy over something so ridiculously small was. Kara's laugh seemed to agree with him.
"What? What? What does it mean Kara?" Feng asked hopefully that he would get the answer.
"I'll tell you. Eventually. Perhaps next year or something." She said slowly, still chuckling.
"Nooooooooooooo." Feng dropped to his knees in a rather dramatic fashion. Alex was reminded of the famous Darth Vader scene. The similarities were astonishing.
Chuckling, everybody sat down at the table and began to eat or engage in conversation. Alex found himself as most meals with the wolves in the center of the attention.
Feng was happy he had someone he could discuss his crafts, techniques and weapons with and he had another man his age to drink, joke and laugh with.
Kara was pleased Alex seemed to act mature and polite and was always interested in other cultures.
Little Xia was just enthusiastic that she had someone special to play with.
Feng's jokes got louder and more vulgar as the evening progressed. While Alex found them fantastic, he didn't really dare to laugh as much as he wanted to. He had seen Kara's eyes narrow more and more with each minute passing and felt
"Feng, emperor's sake, how can I ever learn our daughter decent lady-like behavior when she has you for a father? You'll probably take her for a drunken brawling session in your forge before she's ten!"
"Woman, I never drunken brawl in my forge! Either I brawl drunken, I drink near my forge, or I brawl near my forge, but NEVER all three at the same time! That would be irresponsible and dangerous!"
"Irresponsible? Pray tell, how could any of those combinations possibly be irresponsible or dangerous?" Alex asked in a face and tone that could pass for innocent curiosity, but he did not succeed in fully hiding his sarcastic tone. A part in the back of his head told him desperately to shut up to avoid the bomb that was growing in Kara's anger to burst, but he was unable to resist. Taking one look at Feng's complete ignorance of his wife's growling was enough to tell him it was too late to escape her rage now.
"Well, you could melt a part of your body or your face on the forge, it's rarely cold and that would leave an enormous angry scar, your fur could be lit on fire, a limb could get stuck or crushed between the moving hammers, the rotating claw-works could get your intestines out of you belly come against a spinning one, the skin and flesh could be filed of in seconds by the grinder to the bone, and there's this very messy-
"FENG!"
"What?"
"YOU'RE SCARING YOUR DAUGHTER!"
"ME? WOMAN, YOUR SHRIEKING IS WHAT GIVES US NIGHTMARES!"
"WHY DID YOU DESCRIBE SUCH GRUELING THINGS NEXT TO HER? SHE'S A CHILD, FENG!"
"BETTER TO BE SCARED THAN THAT SHE STUMBLES INTO THE FORGE AND DOES SOMETHING STUPID! BESIDES, I WAS JUST ANSWERING A QUESTION!"
"WHICH WAS OBVIOUSLY A TASTELESS JOKE, YOU MORONIC HAIRY FLEEBAG!"
At this point Alex tuned out of the conversation, even though it was not evident to do that with the amount of decibels produced by the shouting match next to him. While slightly amusing to watch, it was just plain awkward to sit at the same table with the family that was suddenly having a big row. He saw the little cub next to him looking a bit lost –not really understanding what they were shouting about. She only knew that she didn't like it and that it scared her.
After some internal debating to either jump in and try to stop them, just sit back and not intrude on family business or try to talk to Xia and distract her, he decided he simply had enough. Xia didn't need to see her parents like this, she was too young to understand big stupid arguments simply happened sometimes. And frankly, he had had enough as well. So he simply stood up and made a gesture to catch Xia's attention who turned her big pleading eyes on him. Alex took the little fluffy girl in his arms and walked quickly away from the table, up the stairs and into the child's room. He gently let her down on her bed and closed the door. It didn't shut out the shouting downstairs though, it muffled it at best.
Turning towards to cub again, he saw she was on the verge of crying. Tears already leaked out. So he did the only thing he could think of : he sat down and gently laid his hand on her shoulder, pulling her a little bit closer against him.
"Hey, are you alright, Xia?" he asked in a hushed tone.
"Why are baba and mama so angry Alex? Did- did I do something wrong? What is happening?"
Alex let out a soft curse. He would certainly speak to the young parents after this. Screaming to each other how to raise a daughter regarding grueling details shouldn't be done in front of said daughter.
"No Xia, you did absolutely nothing wrong. Your parents simply have a disagreement that they need to settle." He tried to reassure her.
"But if that's the only thing, than why are they so angry?"
"Sometimes people get a bit carried away Xia. I do not think your parents are truly angry at each other. It simply... escalated a bit. Your father didn't stop when your mother asked and your mother is a bit overreacting now. Everyone gets angry at each other every once in a while. Even the best of friends sometimes get in a row for a stupid reason."
"Then why didn't you stop them?"
"I- I do not think it was my place. Besides, if I had stopped it now, they might do it again later on. I think it is best to let them settle it themselves. Once they've calmed down, I'm sure they'll see how stupid it was to fight like this." Inwards, he found himself slightly uncomfortable at the pathetic excuse. Even though he thought it was true and for the best and that it wasn't his business, he couldn't help but feel a bit guilty nonetheless for taking the cowardly way out. Not that he would let them know that.
"So mama and baba will stop fighting soon?"
"Oh yes, don't worry about it. Like I said, everyone fights sometimes. The part of realizing how stupid it is and making up afterwards is what makes good friendships. Do you think my parents never fought? Or my friends? Or the entire wars I used to have with my sister-"
He stopped abruptly. 'No, bad plan. Not going there. Xia doesn't need me to turn into an emotionally unstable wreck right now. Better distract her from all these explanations and just let her have some fun.'
"How about we do something in the meantime until your parents are done shouting? Do you want to play something?"
Her eyes lit up a bit. "Can you tell me a story?"
"A story? Huh, what kind of story?"
"Something about a brave girl who becomes a hero or something!"
Alex chuckled. The girl knew exactly what she wanted. And he had just the right story for her.
"Alright, I think I know one. My people have one story about a brave Chinese girl who supposedly saved all of China."
"Really?" Xia said amazed and ecstatic. She had already forgotten the diminishing shouts downstairs.
"Yes. It's about girl called 'Mulan'.
Mulan was a girl from the Fa family. The Fa family were one of the more prominent families of their village. And Mulan was of an age where she would be able to marry. But Mulan didn't want to marry at all. Mulan was very active, and didn't really care for the activities of a supposed "lady". Which caused her family great distress. They were afraid Mulan would not be considered good enough for a good husband for her. But everything changed on one dark night, when the moon shone bright and on the great wall the beacons were lit. They were lit because the great and threatening enemy had started to invade China. These Huns were led by one very big and very scary man : Shan Yu."
Roughly twenty minutes later Alex looked a bit fondly at the cub that was now deep asleep. So cute and innocent. His head turned sharply when the door opened slowly. Two adult wolves stood a bit hunched over in the doorway.
"Go down, I'll follow" Alex whispered. They understood and after the cub was in her bed, covered by a light blanket he walked out and joined the two adults downstairs.
Said adults looked a bit ashamed, their gazes cast down to the ground. Alex waited for them to say something.
"Alex, I- We- We're sorry. You shouldn't have seen us like that and it was stupid to have such an intense fight over a small thing."
Alex let them wait a while before he responded. "You should be sorry. But don't apologize to me. Apologize to your daughter. First thing tomorrow. " he said a bit toneless. Then he had to give them his thoughts more harshly. He had always had a bit of a weakness for children and had been caring for his neighboors' children often enough.
"What on earth were you thinking, beginning to fight like that in front of your daughter? Did you know that she was starting to think it was her fault somehow? That you both were angry at her? I understand people fight over stupid things sometimes, that it cannot always be avoided. But as parents I expected you somehow to have the sense not to do it in front of your daughter, for god's sake!"
Both wolves were taken a bit aback by his berating. He hadn't shouted and his voice was kept tight, but his tone had a cold sharpness that made them flinch. He had never dropped the polite, respectful approach towards them before, afraid of rejection. But it needed to be said and he wasn't in the mood for soft hushing.
"How- how is she?" Kara asked in a small voice. Feng just looked down.
He resumed his normal, lighter voice. "She'll be fine. I distracted her with a story and she fell asleep shortly after. Just make sure that she knows it was a one-time thing, that it had nothing to do with her and all will be well, I think. "
That seemed to greatly comfort the parents and brought them back to their normal happy self. A bit too quick for Alex' liking, but he decided not to mention it. He was not their elder or advisor, he had no business berating them any longer. Nor would they appreciate it, and the fear of rejection was still present enough to take matters with caution.
With that he said his goodbyes, thanked them for the meal and retreated for some rest in his familiar cave. He ran there quickly, not wanting to be spotted by anyone. He did not want to lead anyone near his cave. Not even the wolf family. It was the one place in the valley that he truly felt safe, and he was not going to give up that small security.
Alex woke up in his cave as usual, the cool deep rock making for a quiet and protective sleeping place. The coolness was perhaps his greatest comfort. It was summer in the valley, and it was hotter than he was used to. While he wasn't about to moan and whine at the hot sun he was very happy his sleeping and living place always had a fresh, cool temperature.
He stepped outside to take a dive in the natural pool in front of the cave. Another thing he was very grateful for. He was very sparingly with his soap. Whilst not as rare as say, during medieval Europe, it could still be considered a more luxurious product. That the pool allowed him to have a decent hygiene was a blessing.
Outside, it was oppressive, heavy weather. The air was heavy, burdensome and moist. Sweat almost instantly began to trickle on his forehead. He understood the signs correctly. Any confirmation he might have wanted came with a deep, booming thunder from the dark clouds.
A storm was approaching, fast. A typical tropical summer storm, most likely. Not too long, but very sudden and harsh. Until know the weather had been kind and calm, with a bit of soft rain sometimes in the night. It caused everything to stay so fresh and green in the valley. This storm however didn't look so pretty.
Hastily he retreated back inside his cave. The storm could be here in less than hour. With the speed the wind was getting it could just as well be half an hour. He constructed his tent properly in the back of the cave, on the highest point and secured it in place with a couple of heavy rocks. Then he put all his stuff and gear in it to keep it dry.
He thought for a moment and cursed. It was too late in the day because he mostly slept through it, and he wouldn't be able to cook something with this weather. Doing that in his tent wasn't a very bright idea either, the whole thing could catch fire and the cave wasn't deep enough for his liking. Water would probably come in and make it all impossible.
Ten minutes later he was running through the thick forest, his familiar grey backpack and emergency gear with him. Feng would probably hit him if he didn't have his bow and arrows with him so those were secured on his back as well. Using the straps on his backpack was much more comfortable than any other position.
Thunder was rumbling increasingly louder. The storm was approaching fast. He increased his rhythm once he crossed the river and the woods became more open. He wanted to be inside before the heavens broke loose and an ocean of water came pouring down. The winds were already hard enough.
Just when the clouds broke loose and the rain came smashing down he reached the familiar smithy. he stayed in the workplace for a moment, catching his breath. Then, out of security, like he did every time he left his cave or arrived at Feng's he used his sixth sense to check if the coast was clear. No one was nearby, beyond the familiar three presences of the wolves. Satisfied, he defied the storm by using a spare round metal shield from the smithy wall to defend himself against the aquatic attacks of the hurricane and dashed towards the front door.
Kara and Feng looked a bit surprised when they heard a couple of knocks coming from the door. Who in their right minds came through such a storm? Quickly opening the door, they saw Alex who was getting soaked.
"Alex, come in! What are you thinking, going outside in such bad weather?" Kara ushered the young man inside with a disapproving tone.
"I wasn't planning on it, but a part of my cave is lower and will most likely flood if it keeps storming. Otherwise the wind will already bring enough of the storm inside..." Alex' argument only brought forth a new wave of motherly worry.
"Your cave can flood? Ancestors, why didn't you tell us? You shouldn't live inside a cold and hard cave anyway, we told you you can use our spare room for as long as you want!"
"Kara, give him some time to breath, will you? Kid ran all the way here, let him catch his breath before you start your motherly tirade, no?" Feng noted with a grin from his seat by the fire, with Xia on his lap.
"Normally I would have no problems with my cave" Alex protested. "But the wind blows straight inside the entrance this time. My gear is packed on the higher spot in the back and while I could lie there too it would be a tight fit. Also, it would be near impossible to cook anything properly, and warm food is a comfort I didn't want to pass up right now. So I was hoping I could spend the duration of the storm here, or in the smithy if necessary..."
"Smithy, my word. Nonsense, you're more than welcome here anytime! Honestly, I'm glad you see some sense and stay here for a night in an actual bed inside an unhealthy cave!"
Alex wanted to continue to defend his trusted home. Honestly, it was clean, safe, packed with camping gear, and had a beautiful view. However, the cup of hot tea that was shoved in his hands was quickly deemed much more important than spending useless arguments.
"Alex, come on with me upstairs. I'll give you a spare set of clothing from Feng. It won't be a perfect fit, but it will do for a few hours, so your clothes can dry a bit and you can warm up. You already know which room is at your disposal. Alex thanked her profusely.
A bit later he found himself in dry, rough clothes. A simple brown short and greyish shirt held together by his own black leather belt. He hung his clothes over a chairs edge and put his bag on the side when he heard a strange, commanding voice downstairs. He used his sixth sense and found himself scared. He began to panic slightly, looking around him whether to jump out of the window and make a run for it, or await the confrontation with the one that had just entered.
He could clearly sense the presence of a tiger downstairs.
Roughly half a mile away, a tiger was cursing. Master Tigress had fought and chased some bandits away from the musicians village, as happened often enough. But the village was on one of the very borders of the valley and while she was returning to the jade palace she had be caught by the storm between two villages. She was getting cold, although she stubbornly refused to admit that to herself. There wasn't anywhere to hide or take shelter here. Her sight was reduced by the strong wind and it blew the rain harsh against her. She had no choice but to run as fast as she could on all fours to the palace and make some herbal tea to prevent sickness, but it was upwards and there were no shortcuts that were available going downwards.
She caught sight of a more solitary smithy and felt a bit of relief. Feng. She could rest there until the storm's intensity lessened. Feng and Tigress had a bit of an unspoken agreement.
Feng often gave Tigress extra information with identifying gear and weapons in search of criminals or missions, or new stuff to try out. The wolf had enough experience with recognizing nearly every type of metal, symbol and weapon in the entire Asian continent, or even the far Europe.
In return, Tigress had not mentioned anything about his few more unsavory years beyond the valley to anyone when it became clear he wanted a fresh start, away from his past.
What resulted was that after a period of tension they proved they could trust each other and treated each other more as equal friends in private rather than how his artisan class should defer to her Kung Fu Master status. That Feng and Kara treated her as a normal friend when not in public was something she secretly cherished. He was, in fact, her only actual friend outside of the five.
In quick strides she dug her claws in the wet earth and sprinted towards the door. She knocked with her heavy paw against the wood, and after some rumbling saw the face of a surprised wolf family.
"Master Tigress, what are you doing outside in the middle of a storm? Come in, come in!"
"I returned to the palace after dealing with a low bandit gang when the storm broke loose, Kara. Your house was nearby. Do you mind if I wait the storm out here?" she asked, while stepping inside, trying not to create a wet pool by the water that was dripping from her fur.
"N-No, no, of course not. Take a seat, and take some tea to warm you up! We've still left from our own pot and it's still hot." Feng responded.
Tigress nodded but already her trained in instincts begun to deduct the situation or irregularities.
Feng had stuttered in his first word. He never did that, unless he was nervous. Like when either Kara or herself threatened him. Most of the times, when he was hiding something, like a bottle or weapon inside.
"You're stuttering, wolf. What are you hiding this time?" she asked with a hint of a smile that went unseen. Catching him hiding things from Kara was something she never could resist.
Feng did tense up considerably. So he was hiding something. But from her side she saw something that she had not expected.
Kara had tensed up as well.
She didn't do that. By now, she should already have started to berate her husband or joined her in pressing Feng a bit to find out what ridiculous thing he did this time. That was all Tigress needed to know to confirm something was going.
"Feng, Kara, what is it that has you both so nervous?"
"It is nothing Master Tigress, don't worry about it." Feng tried to assure her.
"Are you certain it is nothing?" she pressed a bit.
"Just a bit tense with the storm, it's a big one, no? Xia has been a bit scared, if your cub is scared you always tense a bit up. It's a parent thing."
Tigress nodded slowly as if she bought it. All three knew it was a flat out lie and they knew the other one knew it too, but both Kara and Feng knew what it was apparently. If it was truly serious, they would have told her. If they commonly agreed, then it was perhaps just something private and not her business.
"Of course, I did not mean to pry."
"Ah, no harm done. But c'mon, you seriously need to warm up a little bit. Kara, could you get master Tigress here some tea?"
"Certainly, just let me get it of the fire."
Tigress breathed in deeply in an attempt to guess what kind of tea it was and the delicious smell of jasmine tea invaded her nostrils. Unfortunately, that was not the only thing she smelled. As most people knew, wet things smell much clearer. And barely sixteen minutes ago, a drenched Alex walked in the house and was currently changing clothes upstairs.
Immediately she jumped up and scanned her surroundings.
"Feng, he is here, isn't he? The same person that I was tracking and escaped me? This... 'Alex'" It was more a statement than a question. The smell came from upstairs.
She didn't wait for an answer as she jumped up the stairs faster than anyone could follow. She was faintly aware of Feng and Kara calling her to stop. She saw that the door of the spare room was not completely closed. She stepped inside, only to see the window stand open widely, allowing a bit of rain in. He had escaped her again.
She quickly scanned over his wet clothes. Strange pieces, and she was unsure of the material. The scent was strong on them. Neither bad nor good, but definitely strange and the same one she had tried to follow weeks ago
"Master Tigress, don't harm him, he has done no wrong!"
"I can't harm him Kara, seeing as he has already escaped the house before I entered the room." Only then it truly entered her mind. Feng and Kara had known about this mysterious savior for a while and kept it a secret.
"You've known about him for a while now haven't you?" her tone was slightly accusatory. Why hadn't they told her? Feng knew she would want to know about someone who could escape her in a wounded state.
"We didn't hide it from you, per se. We haven't seen ye since he approached us and no one asked us whether we had seen him or not afterwards."
Tigress couldn't resist a snort. The "lazy" excuse wouldn't work.
Feng sighed. "Look, let's go down, have a cup o' tea and I'll explain the situation to ya, alright?"
Tigress nodded and followed the two wolves downstairs.
No one heard the relieved sigh that came from the cupboard next to the window.
"Alright, spill it Feng."
"Alright, when did it start? The evening after Xia was saved from that inferno I was at the wreckage wondering what exactly had happened and wondering if the one I owed my daughter's life to was actually alive, or if he was buried a horrible death beneath all that.
On my way home, it was already dark, someone caught my attention from between the bushes. I'll admit I thought I was about to be robbed and mugged.
But whoever it was, he simply wanted to talk, he said. So I asked him why he didn't show himself. To which he replied 'I may look different'. He asked me just for a chance to let him explain and not attack him for it. When I agreed he stepped out, and introduced himself as Alex."
"So he approached you in a solitary place in the dark to simply introduce himself to you?" she asked incredulously.
"Hang on, hang on, I'll explain in a bit. Just give me some time, will you?"
Tigress nodded and gestured to go on.
"So, he introduced himself and after confirming he was Xia's savior he immediately asked how she had come out of the whole ordeal and he was relieved when I told him she was alright."
"So he did actually care how you daughter was faring? I guess that's a good thing..." Tigress thought out loud.
"It's certainly a good thing. At any rate, he had come out perfectly fine, not a scratch so I took him to our home to meet with Kara because I really wanted to thank him."
"He wasn't completely fine, dear. His arm and shoulder were wounded and bleeding. You failed to notice back then as well." Kara noted.
"You know I'm not the most observant of wolves, love. Now, Alex was invited in and treated and explained his situation to us, if a bit vague. Apparently he is stranded here and very far from home, and has no easy way of returning home. He had been around the valley for a good month but was running out of supplies. He came to ask us for advice."
"Wait, why can't he return home? Is he banished or not allowed?"
"No, don't think so. He rather implied that his home was very far away and he didn't know how to return. He didn't like to talk about it much. But he didn't ask for advice on that very much. He asked if he could work a bit for me or for someone in return for fair pay and supplies. Food and the like."
"He asked for work?" Tigress repeated. Now that, she had not expected.
"Yup. When I told him he could have anything I could offer because I owe him a lifedebt he plainly refused it. What was it he said? Ah yes, he said his people didn't have the concept of a lifedebt and he could in good conscience therefor not really just accept one. That it was his own choice to put himself in danger. That he'd be grateful for any help, but he didn't want to be a burden and he'd rather earn it."
Tigress thought that over. Blatantly refusing a lifedebt was extremely insulting to some. It indicated that the life that was saved wasn't worth saving. If he truly refused to accept the lifedebt out of good conscience because he'd feel like taking advantage then that was a very honorable act.
She was aware of Feng's wording though. 'Alex' had not confirmed the lifedebt was sealed. So he didn't plan on using it but kept it open in case he truly needed it. And by seemingly not planning on using it he had a steady trust and gratefulness from the family. He had it already by saving their daughter, but now he would even have it after the lifedebt was sealed because he was a good person. It was very cleverly and opportunistically played while still acting in a good and honorable way, she had to grudgingly admit. She returned to the matter at hand.
"Why didn't you tell him to go to the Jade Palace then? He would have answered our questions and in return Master Shifu could have helped him in finding his homeland."
"Actually, I did advise him on that."
"What, he flat out refused?"
"Uh, sort of?"
"Speak plainly, Feng. What do you mean?"
Feng sighed. He didn't really want to reveal all this about Alex. "You know I don't really like telling you all this. He didn't ask me to strictly shut up about it, but he did mention he would prefer me not to mention him... It feels as if I'm breaking his trust a bit here."
"If you simply explain in the most basic of terms I can at least understand why. I just need to know for the security of the valley, Feng." She didn't really want to press the wolves like this but she did feel like she needed to know. If he wasn't a criminal, which he didn't appear to be than what was there to be hidden so much?
"Oh, very well. He didn't want to because he didn't trust you all. He's a complete stranger in many ways. Apparently, he already tried to get normal contact in the villages, but he was shunned because he looks different. He didn't want to take the risk that you would think he was an enemy, simply because he's of a different kind of people. Add to that that the only time he met you was in front of an inferno and that you looked ready to interrogate him then and there and you get the idea, no?" Feng wisely did not say that he had insulted her and had fled from her glare of death. No need to remind her she had been insulted for slowing him down if it had slipped her mind.
Again, Tigress was surprised. And it did sort of make sense. If he indeed looked so different, the villagers would be unfamiliar with him and react distrustful and shun him for it. And she was distrustful of him at first too. Had he not done the right thing he was supposed to do? He had warned her that there were still people inside and she had just dismissed the idea because she was too focused on his strange posture and what she could make out of his looks in the dark. Oh, and because the mayor had given them false information too. How he had known that there were still children inside, and on which floors even was still questionable.
Perhaps it was not so unreasonable of him to not come knocking at the jade palace. And if he was such a stranger, perhaps the fame of her and the others as heroes had reached him less? And if he shunned the villages then he would not hear much of these stories either. He would be stuck in his own conclusions.
"Very well, you may have a point about why he didn't approach us. What else can you me about him? What is he exactly? Where does he stay? What sort of work does he then?"
"Let's see, he said his species was called humans. He mentioned staying somewhere on the border of the valley but nothing more specific other than that he lives alone, he values his privacy. He has been my assistant so far in woodworking and the smithy a few days each week. The kid is fantastic! He has so much knowledge, ideas and designs that he has me completely crazy for new stuff. Beyond that, I know that he gets in disagreements with bandits every so often and so far he hasn't been caught by them. He's a smart one, if anything." Feng simply couldn't hold back his glee when it came to the subject of his craft.
"And he's amazingly good with Xia. She loves to play with him and he never refuses her. Always patient, explaining things or telling stories. And he likes to think thinks over before he judges. We simply don't want to bring him in trouble because he is cautious. He doesn't like much attention." Kara added to her husband.
"I see." He didn't sound like a really bad person. He simple had a lot of unexplainable abilities or knowledge and tactics, while still appearing to be a decent and kind person who thought first and then acted accordingly, she analyzed.
How refreshing.
She blinked.
Unexplainable tactics, abilities, knowledge. A different code of honor and views upon everything, including possible morals. Truly unpredictable.
How dangerous.
"Very well. Could you tell him then that we want to speak with him? He is to come to the Jade Palace at the next moment he can after you tell him to."
Feng barked his laugh at her request.
"I will relay your message, but if you honestly think that you or I or anyone can make him go anywhere he doesn't want to be you're dead wrong. He's his own person Master Tigress. I don't think anyone could order him around if he doesn't agree with the order."
Tigress filed that information away, a bit moody. "Very well. The storm has blown over mostly, I have to return to Master Shifu. I'll see you around Feng, Kara."
She closed the door and returned to the palace. She was completely unaware that her entire conversation had been overheard by the very subject of it, who had simply remained in the cupboard. Or that Feng would be stuck laughing at for three hours straight.
"Inner peace. Inner Peace. Inner Peace. Inner Peace..."
An elderly red panda sat in his room repeating the same mantra. He had already mastered his inner peace shortly after the current dragon warrior, the much bigger panda, had defeated his adopted son. His greatest mistake. It finally put his fears to rest of the potential havoc and terror his greatest student could have unleashed upon the valley and China.
Even the Furious Five, arguably the greatest currently active Kung Fu team were swept aside with little difficulty by a Tai Lung who had been in a prison for twenty years without moving a single muscle and had run more than a week nonstop at high speed after defeating an entire rhino army.
Then again, his achievements before his fall had been legendary already. He was the only one who had mastered all thousand scrolls, and only took roughly twenty years for it, childhood included. And fifty scrolls per year, barely a week to master an entire Kung Fu style! In terms of power, talent and skill, the snow leopard could very well have turned out to be the greatest Kung Fu master of all times.
The rumors of the dragon scroll had spoken of unlimited and un-equaled power. How could he not have thought his son to be the future dragon warrior, even if he discarded the thoughts of his natural pride as a father? How could he not have been destined for greatness?
Oh, he had been. He had done great things. He had been a true hero once. But his greatness had only fueled his pride which resulted in arrogance. The arrogance that had destroyed so much. The arrogance that took Shifu's son and caused his fall.
The was the reason why he always said "humbleness is the true sign of a warrior". He had seen what mere arrogance and pride had resulted into.
And now he found himself finding rest in his familiar mantra, that finally gave him the rest he had sought for so long.
"inner Pea..."
" Master Shifu!" someone shouted while slamming his door aside. His sensitive ears could hear the wood crack in protest.
"Tigress, what is so urgent that you see the need to almost smash my door to bits during my meditations?" the slightly annoyed red panda asked.
That set her a bit back. She quickly bowed, a bit ashamed. But not enough to stop whatever was so urgent.
"Master Shifu, I have discovered more about the stranger that saved Feng's daughter from the burning house a couple of weeks ago!"
That peaked his curiosity. He had been as interested for information as Tigress for the mystery of the stranger. He had simply been more convinced that if it truly needed to be explained, it would do so itself in time.
"Really? What have you found out?" he asked, previous annoyance forgotten.
"He is indeed a young man called Alex. He is of a species that is called 'humans'. He has been living somewhere on the border of the valley. Where, I do not know. However, he has come into friendly contact with Feng's family and works occasionally for him as an assistant. For some reason, he is unable to go home."
"That is indeed interesting. Human you say? Hmm, I've never heard of a human before... I'll have to look through the scrolls and archives to see what I can find on them. What was your impression of him?"
"I did not actually met him." She said with a slight scowl. "I found his smell and confirmed that he had been staying at Feng's house. According to Feng he is honorable, has many talents and much strange knowledge but he wasn't really forthcoming."
"Why wasn't he forthcoming? I was under the impression you were friends and Feng regularly gave information on weapons."
"Feng felt he was breaking Alex' trust. For some reason Alex doesn't want to be known and asked Feng not to mention him. I have told him to relay a message that we desire to speak to Alex and that he has to come to the Jade Palace. Feng said he would relay the message but he feels neither he nor anyone else wouldn't be able to order Alex to do anything he wouldn't want to do anyway."
"Interesting. We already knew he had to have different abilities or knowledge and that he was intelligent. Otherwise, he would never have been able to save those younglings from the burning house or lose you while you were tracking him."
Tigress scowled again, slightly. That he managed to make her lose the trail like that, while he was even wounded for ancestors sakes, still hit a sore spot. And that he escaped her now again was no coincidence. It was one of her motivations why she wanted to find this human now, if only to solve the riddle so it didn't happen again.
"He is also the one who is at least partly responsible for lowering the bandit-attacks. I mentioned last week that they were lower than average, which doesn't make sense since it is not difficult to know most of us have not been in the valley. I would have expected them to all try their chances now.
"He has lowered the bandit attacks? How did he do that?" Shifu asked surprised.
"My guess is he doesn't wait until the bandits actually attack and the alarm is signaled but actively causes chaos in amongst their camps and ranks. Probably at night, or when they least expect it so he doesn't have to engage them in open combat. That way he makes them unable to properly function but doesn't put himself in too much danger."
"Interesting, very interesting. It is perhaps a good thing he did, otherwise it might have ran out of control. Very well, I suppose there is not much we can do anyway. If he will come, we will have our answers. Otherwise, they will come eventually. If Feng's words are true he's likely to be encountered again sometime. If anything, he has given me an excuse to organize the elder archives again. It has been far too long since that happened. Thank you, Tigress."
Tigress bowed to her master and made her way to the barracks, but was stopped by Shifu's voice.
"Tigress, go and make yourself some herbal tea. You could use it after such a storm."
Alexander was excited. He was almost on the entirely different border of the valley, on the southeastern side. His cave was in the northwest, near those higher mountain peaks. Those peaks were nearly impassable for anyone with numbers or with carts. There were no roads. It was the sole reason that specific part of the valley was uninhabited and wilder.
The only downsides were the fact he was indeed so alone. He could get no help, and even Feng was a nearly five-mile run further. He could reach it a thirty minute span by know, now that he knew the paths but it still left him exhausted to do it so fast.
But now, now he was in the south. He maneuvered carefully between the lush bamboo forests. There many more roads here. And more people. It was an ideal place to learn more of the valley's typical trade, how the roads functioned and what sort of travelers he could expect or had to watch out for. Most were simple trader folk, with their carts. There were guard patrols every once in a while, and the messengers, either of the empire, or of independent messenger organizations.
And of course there were the vague and shady types. He specifically marked those types down, to learn how to identify them quicker in the future and what their general habits and traits were.
Of course he wasn't so foolish as to come unarmed. This place was simply crawling with bandits. Here was the main trade line with the valley after all.
He hadn't taken his backpack with him. Too large. Rather, a large waist bag with extra side pockets, and a spare small one attached to his back and arrow-quiver. The Reason he was wearing them rather than his backpack was so to stay light on his feet and to avoid to be seen. Carrying his bow was enough of a hassle without worrying of keeping a backpack quiet.
His eyes glued to the road he soon enough found a sigh that greatly interested him when it was getting nearly dark with a red and orange sky and he was preparing to depart for his cave again. A snake and a crane bird walking (or slithering) towards the valley. With his binoculars he observed them carefully. A green tree viper with dark patterns and two small lotus flowers behind her head (he briefly wondered how they stayed in place, and whether she had glued them in place or not) and a black-necked crane with a classical rice hat.
And now he had seen two more members of the Furious Five. It looked like the time were he was safe from discovery was drawing to an end. Until now, it had only been Master Tigress who had been in the Valley, besides Shifu, but that guy rarely got outside the Jade Palace. He would not actively seek for Alex. But Tigress barely had searched for him because of her sole responsibility of keeping the valley secure of bandits and had still gotten frighteningly close. If she had heard his hearth beating like crazy last time with Feng there would have been no telling to how she would have reacted.
It was one of the reasons he actually got in his confrontations with bandits so regularly. He did kind of sought them out. She alone, could not be everywhere at once and could not stop all the bandits. The few guards present were frankly worthless and the people would cower and do nothing. By causing chaos in the bandit camps he gave her a bit of breathing room and there were less bandits in his area to discover his cave. Win-win situation. Well, if you discounted the fact that they sort of wanted to kill you if you attacked them. But most bandits had, with the exception for the leaders still the collective intelligence of a rock and could easily be intimidated by lights, tricks and chaos.
And now the other two most disciplined had returned as well. He had no illusions that the other thee would arrive soon too. Po was unlikely to stay away very long from his adoptive father. A future confrontation, or several, were unavoidable. He dreaded it. What if they would attack like the villagers had? They would probably kill or incapacitate him in a matter of seconds, probably breaking some of his bones in the process. His only chance was that they either were more open-minded and intelligent than all the villagers combined, or that they were so secure in their fighting skills they would not see him as a threat until he actually did something and thus give him a chance to gain their trust.
The only way to really avoid them was to get away from the valley and that was no option until he found a way home. He still needed access to the jade Palace library. If there was such a thing where he could get actual information, it would be there. And here he had Feng, Kara and Xia. Outside he had no one. And the five and Po were heroes, on the good side. Souls of platinum and all that. That had to count for something, no?
He was snapped out his thoughts when he felt his sixth sense tingling. There were more creatures present than just the two masters and him. Alex let out a hushed sigh and knew what was coming. Those bandits would be in an awfully large number, even for two masters. He could start shooting them from his hiding place in the backs. He reckoned he take out five, six before they'd find him.
And then they would most likely kill him. And even if they didn't, he could be branded murderer and executed for it. Not a good plan.
The other option was the walk away now and let them deal with it. A very attractive option, come to think of it.
No, those two were completely unaware. They had no warning, nothing. They carried no riches. Those bandit's weren't just bandits. They were either here to kill them and severely upset the complete security of the entire province, or they would try to capture them ransom or to make sure they couldn't interfere somewhere else. Kill wasn't very likely. He could sense -and smell- the boars and crocodiles from here. Neither boars nor crocodiles were elite assassins. Capture or delay, thus. So they were most likely simply overambitious or working for someone else. Probably both.
He suddenly had an idea. An amazingly stupid idea that would almost certainly get him in the thick of the fight and result in his death. But if it worked there would be no fight at all, and he could present himself very good to the two masters. That was an amazing potentially good result. He would just have use the approaching dark and to act very brave and very sure or stupid the next minutes.
And he really hoped that those bandits were stupider than his plan.
Crane and Viper had had a very successful couple of weeks behind them. They went to help in an outer series of villages and had completely stopped the raids and all the smugglers that were behind it. A perfect mission. To top it off, they had the entire way back for themselves, undisturbed. They could freely enjoy their relationship since master Shifu had let them -oh so subtly- know that he was aware of their relation and that as long as it didn't interfere with their training and responsibilities they could do as they pleased.
That was until almost thirty bandits jumped on them. They hadn't attacked yet but they knew out of experience they were in deep trouble. The bandits didn't seem so talented, but were making up for it with sheer numbers. And they were in a serious disadvantage by not sensing the ambush at all. To make matters worse, they had nets. Crane couldn't just fly away.
Just when they were about to just fight a number of bandits, and both Crane and Viper simply stood still in surprise, their jaws a bit slacked. The source of this was a single cloaked figure who came, armed with a bow and an arrow pointing at the leader walking almost in an overconfident nonchalant manner towards them and shouted loudly "If you all would kindly sod off I would be very appreciative!".
Both Crane and Viper, and several of the bandits did not comprehend how one person, armed or not, could be so stupid.
Thirty bandits, all armed. The two masters in severe disadvantage. And the guy stood there utterly alone without a care, arrow still pointed towards them and continued as if he had an army behind him.
"Are all boars and crocodiles utterly deaf? I told you to sod off. Both 'sod' and 'off' are only three letters, even your types should be able to comprehend that number."
"Just who do you think you are, to dare to command me on your own?" the crocodile leader sputtered. ''Fung', Crane thought. Never figured he would work together with someone, let alone boars. Then again, he has a point, that guy is utterly crazy and is going to get himself killed.' The next answer however, surprised him a bit.
"Who I think I am? I'm the captain of a force whose thirty-five bowmen are, at this very moment trained towards you. If you take an offensive action now, you will all be dead before you can take two steps. So I'm giving you a chance to live, by sodding of now."
"Wait, there are thirty-five bowmen 'ere?" "Where?" "They are hiding between the trees in the dark!" "We stand no chance against thirty-five!" and many more mutterings began to sound.
"EVERYBODY, SHUT UP!" Fung shouted. "He's obviously lying."
"Lying? How stupid are you? Do you really think I would just have walked up to you and your twenty-eight other scoundrels on my own if I did not have the men to back me up? Just who do you take me for? I'm a captain you idiot!" the figure responded in an incredulous tone, as if he could not believe Fung really came to such a conclusion.
"Damn, he's right!" "No one is tha' stupid." "I knew this job was a bad one from tha start." "If we run know, do ye think they would still shoot us?" "He's right, no one would walk up alone against us all!" the muttering became half-shouts.
"How do I know you're still not lying?" Fung asked again, still suspicious, while the boar-leader was desperately trying to get the men back under control..
"Very well, if you're truly that stupid I'll prove it to you. You see on your right side are two groups of seven and eight men, each led by their corporals. We have bright lights to communicate with us. Corporals four and five, could you give this idiot here a signal that you both actually exist so they will not squander their lives because their inability to flee for their lives?"
It was utterly quiet for a moment and exactly seven seconds later two small but incredible bright white lights began to shine.
"Oh shit, they are really 'ere!" "And tha' first three are still 'ere somew'ere too!" "I don't wanna get shot." "That's it, I'm out of 'ere!" "Save yerselves!" "Run fo' yer lives!"
Ten seconds later the lights ceased giving light but only Fung was still standing on the road.
"Oh dang, now it's three versus me, isn't it?"
"Thirty-eight versus you. Did you already forgot my thirty-five men, just because they ceased their light signal?"
That was more than enough to make the leader flee as fast as his little legs could carry him as well.
Viper and Crane couldn't really do anything but just be astonished. One moment they were completely surrounded and the next a captain of a hidden force scurries them all away by saying a couple of intimidating phrases.
"I don't know who you are stranger but you and your men have our most sincere thanks for your timely rescue." Viper exclaimed happily. Crane just hoped these weren't even worse. He hated arrows with a passion.
But both were stunned again when the tall stranger just fell to the floor with shaking knees and began to laugh hysterically –albeit with a nervous edge.
"P- Please d- don't tell me you are as stupid as those bandits!" he got out between some breaths when he tried to regain his posture and failed by just continuing to laugh.
"What do you mean, you did rescue us right? Or is this just a more professional murder party?" Crane asked a bit aggravated.
"You- you- mean to tell m-me, you really bought that as well? You really think I have an entire force here under my command?" Their shocked expressions brought forth a new wave of hilarity.
"You mean to tell us, the entire thing was nothing but a trick? A lie? That you are just here alone, and no one else is between those trees?"
"Indeed! One of the best bluffs I have ever played in my life!" the stranger sighed happily, still having trouble to stifle his laughter.
"But what about those lights? How did you do that?" Viper couldn't help but ask.
"Merely a timed light-trick. I attached a piece of rope to a small strip of magnesium and placed in the branches before I lit to ends of the ropes on fire. It took roughly two minutes for the flame to reach the magnesium, which gave a chemical reaction into the bright white light that you've seen. I used those two minutes to get in place and already intimidate them into the possibility while timing it off. Twenty seconds before the mark I called out to the supposed 'teams' to give a light while still talking."
Crane had never been so stunned since he had seen Po bounce around after master Shifu threw him around the training hall while Mantis and Monkey were taking bets. It had been a sight to behold. This guy had just, with nothing more than pure luck and a bit of talking, executed the stupidest plan he had ever heard of into one of pure brilliance.
"That was the stupidest idea I have ever heard of." He slowly said. It seemed to amuse the 'captain' to no end.
"Exactly! It was far too stupid for anyone to actually do, which is why it worked. By calling the mere possibility that I was standing there alone and that I was bluffing incredibly stupid they believed it. No one calls their own plan stupid in front of their enemies. I counted on that. The whole success came by nothing more than my false over-confidence. Even if I was there alone, no one would have gone so confidently and arrogantly with it as I did because it would be so stupid."
"Although I have to add that I was reckoning on the fact that those bandits were incredible stupid. If they had wanted to be captured as proof it would have blown up in my face." He added.
"Strange as your plan was, it still worked and you spared as a difficult fight that caught us unaware. We're still grateful."
"You're very welcome, Master Viper."
"Tell me, from where are you? I'm not familiar your accent. Actually I'm not familiar with anything about you. Just who are you?" Crane asked, now truly curious.
"I come from lands very far away, Master Crane. As for who I am, people call me Alex most of the times. I suppose that will do. If you want more information on what and how then you'd better find Master Tigress, she has recently uncovered a lot about my identity. Now, I apologize for cutting this short, but I truly need to return to my temporary home. I wish you both a fine evening."
With that Alex disappeared between the trees leaving behind two stunned Kung Fu Masters.
"Well, whatever type of welcome I had expected, it wasn't that." Crane dryly remarked.
"Tigress, come in. I have found something interesting concerning this human."
"What is it master?"
"Take a look yourself" he said while gesturing to an old tome.
Tigress observed it. It was thick, dusty and old. The title read 'Lost Wonders : Volume Two.' The description below offered more information. 'Creatures and Beings of legends, Myths and Folklore.'
"Turn to page eighty-seven."
Tigress did as asked and soon found the right page. It took her a bit of difficulty to read it, since it was an older form of mandarin script that was rarely used these days. The book had to be centuries old perhaps. When she successfully began to read however, her eyes opened wide and she was stunned.
Concerning Humans :
'Humans are a very strange animal species who seem closest towards the family of the primates, but even then vastly differ from them. They walk very straight, and their bodies have evolved in such a way for a completely bipedal posture. They stand between five and six foot tall. (Supposedly, the term 'foot' as a measurement came from the length of their feet, which are flat to give them more balance.) They have often little to no fur at all, except on their heads.
Humans seem physically not much of a threat because they lack decent claws or teeth, but should not be underestimated once they get an advantage.
Humans are a very contradictory and almost impossible to predict as a species. Where almost any species in general has some specific personality traits, like the temperamental tiger, or the serene turtle this is not the case with humans. If you put six humans in a room, and present them with a situation, you would most likely get six entirely different opinions and reactions.
Their main strength comes undoubtedly from their intelligence. The very first form of civilization was in fact created by humans, and many of the everyday things we use today, are of their creations and concepts. Candles, baskets, carts, mechanisms, clothes, terms, even trade and some laws seem to have been based on what they created before any other. Our lore says the dragons gave us the means and knowledge to do it, but how this is in relation to human crafts that date before our time is unknown. Some of their works should still exist in a few remnants of ruins scattered in the wilderness. Because of this some people call them, the ones who came before. For a while, they were even depicted as the manifestations or messengers of the gods or the dragons.
The best proof of their early advancements and existence is actually the base of a city on which Shanghai has been built. The area of the emperor has barely changed over time because its foundations are set upon the very center of one of their cities. A few unexplainable chambers have been found once below current Gongmen City as well, but they have been destroyed to make place for new basements.
Around the time animals began to truly live in a society and civilization like today's, something happened which caused all but a few humans to disappear, along with their ruling society. Those few who remained lessened in the next generations, until they were hunted down and made extinct by emperor Hun Siotamo, almost 1700 years ago. No human has been sighted with proof since then in Asia or any known other place in the world. While their existence has officially been called a myth there is too much proof to just ignore. Theories vary greatly between an exodus to an unknown part of the world, war, a disease that only affected their kind, the wrath of the gods and dragons they turned away from or that they ascended towards another place or world.'
- Historian and researcher Sun Tze
Tigress sat there, a bit baffled at the information load she just received. Thousands of questions began to whirl through her mind. She was only snapped back to the present by her master's voice.
"I think that this human has just become a bit more interesting."
Alright, to make up for the wait, here is a long chapter (13,7K+ on words, phew, as long as half the story is until now) and things are finally moving more forwards in the story!
There's the business with Thundering Rhino and The five and Po are finally in the valley and know of Alexander, and Tigress and Shifu are in research mode. Any questions, suggestions or remarks? Let me know!
I intend to explore the possibilities of humans in the KFP universe further, including some legendary past that I can make up along the way. Writing invented history is pretty fun actually, even if it is a lot of brainstorm/edit work to make it sound somewhat believable...
It's currently five in the morning here, so I might do another editing phase later on, but now I just want to post this thing. This chapter took endless.
Just to clear something up : the main is called Alexander James Jenssen (duh), but the citizens of the valley come to know him as Alex. Therefore, in their company he is referred to as Alex (even in all-present perspective), but in private viewpoint or that of those who already knew him more often as Alexander.
Again, thank you for reading, and please leave a review.
- Winterarrow