Haoyu:
The moonlit night sky was clear. The stone pavement shone greyish-gold, illuminated by the lanterns burning on every window. Snow gently flecked from above, making them look like falling fire sparks. ' Thump, thump,' went my light footsteps as I ran barefoot in the cold. I slightly cringed as my foot touched the snow, leaving the more affable stone road. I entered the dark and dismal forest, the tall pine trees towering above me. I looked up, seeing the beams of the full moon, trying to find a way through the dark branches and needles of the trees. I continued running, my whole body shaking. There was nothing but deafening silence- all I could hear were my breathing and the scrunching of the snow on my every step. I clutched the parcel of dinner in my arms, feeling subtle warmth. I imagined my father's face smiling as he opened them: a part of our feast since he won't come home. He still had to work as a penitentiary guard, even during the holidays. I ran faster, eager to see him once again. At long last, I arrived at the tall steel gates, confused to see them wide open. I looked for the gates' guard but to no luck. I walked on steadily and slowly. Where are the torches? I asked myself, hoping to find light and warmth. I squinted in the dark. Then I concluded I wasn't alone. A tall, dark figure was going down the underground caves' stairs. I hid behind a large rock as the creature glanced behind him. His eyes glowed bright crimson in the dark. I covered my mouth with my paws, trying to compose myself. It grew darker as the moon hid behind a great grey cloud, leaving me to my blind senses. The following minutes became muddled in my mind. I heard painful screams and a comical, wicked laugh. I perceived the creature again, going up the stairs, a queer sound of metal grinding on stone and an ear-splitting hiss. I sat up behind my hiding place and observed. It was still dim, and I could scarcely make out anything. But now he wasn't alone- I assumed he had a clan of convicts with him. I heard him talk, voice deeply resonant and cracked. He was having a meeting with the jailbirds. I perked up my ears to listen, only to hear muffled voices. My heart pounded as I heard the words "attack," "Yuanjia village," "Jīnshǔ village," "target and kill," and " Valley of Peace." They all laughed as the tall creature said, "Deceive." Tears began to prick my eyes. I sniffled as my whole body began to tremble uncontrollably. Because of the ache and chilliness, or maybe because of anxiety, I shook and knew not why. The packet slipped out of my clasp. I held out my arms to catch it, but I was too slow. The parcel fell, to my great horror, clattering loudly on the snow, blowing my cover. I crouched behind the rock, embracing myself, getting ready for the worst possible thing. I heard footsteps getting nearer and nearer. I shut my eyes tight, hot wet tears rolling down my cheeks. I clenched my tiny fists, but what could I possibly do? I'm merely a child.
The moon let out a beam through the clouds as the dark shadows of the bandits surrounded me, silhouetted by the silver gleams of the moon. I looked up, trying to get a glimpse of their faces, but all I could see were ghostly shadows towering above me.
"Hey, it's just a little kid," one of the voices said. "What are you doing here, boy?"
Paralyzed, I didn't speak. I stared up at the figures as they ooh-ed and coo-ed at me.
"He looks like he just woke up," said one of the voices. "Did you, little guy? Your eyes look puffy."
I blinked. Suddenly, the tall, dark creature stepped in front, kneeling beside me until we were level. Its scarlet eyes glowed brightly under the shadow of its black hood. I felt a rough paw patting my head.
"Say, my boy, did you hear anything we said?" he asked with a raspy voice.
I stayed silent, keeping my lips shut. I hear my mother's voice whispering, 'Never lie.' I didn't want to tell the truth, so I kept quiet. I overheard their plans, but if they knew I did, they might kill me.
"Perfect. Very well," the voice spoke. "Do you live around here?"
I nodded. I heard the other bandits snicker.
"We'll be going now. Run along, little boy. "I saw his eyes gleam more radiantly as he stood up. "And, please, do tell them everything."
The others chuckled as they strode away while the tall creature followed behind them, deeper into the forest and towards the southeast. I heard their footsteps recede, more silently, as they went farther and farther away.
I breathed hard, surprised that I was still alive. I felt tears trickle down my cheeks. The moon blazed a haunting silver hue as I dashed home, traumatized. The tall pine trees created mortifying creatures with their shadows, chasing me relentlessly. I can hear their terrifying laughter echoing louder and louder in my mind. I ran, petrified, my face stained with tears.
...
Bad news. That's all Po could read on Master Shifu's face- a solemn yet earnest look. But how bad could it be?
"Very bad. I bring terrible news." Master Shifu at last spoke. "Dangerous killer bandits escaped the underground northwestern cave prison the previous night. Our only eyewitness was a little boy visiting his father, a penitentiary guard. He arrived back home traumatized and in tears. The night was dark, and he had only glimpsed at their faces. By the description the boy gave us, the 'creature' who had freed the convicts, wearing a black hood, had red eyes and a hoarse voice. The child overheard the bandits' conversation saying they'll 'attack' the village Yuanjia in the west and the Jīnshǔ village in the north. Most importantly, they planned an attack here."
There was a long pause in silence. The warriors' hearts beat ominously in a deafening stillness. Finally, the hardcore feline spoke up.
"The little boy got away, safe? How?"
Master Shifu sighed. "I wonder how, too. The criminals caught the little boy, Haoyu, in his hiding place. After a few questions, Haoyu said they let him go."
"That's... odd," Po piped in. "Anyways, what's the plan?"
Shifu slowly closed his eyes, breathed in, and exhaled, then opened them again. "A split up. A party would go to a respective village, while the latter will remain here."
Master Crane fluttered his lavish grey wings. "I could fly south," he volunteered.
"Sure, I think I'll come with you." Viper enunciated. The two Masters smiled at each other while the others gave them a furtive glance.
" Good," Master Shifu decided. " Crane will go high, and Viper goes low."
The striped feline, Master Tigress, was silent. She had been thinking for quite some time and figured something was a miss. If the convicts knew the kid heard their plans, why let him go?
"I think I'll tackle the Jīnshǔ village in the north," she announced.
"Okay," Po said. "I'll come with you, then."
To Master Shifu and the other Masters, this was typical. Po and Tigress had been together for more than two years. Their close intimacy was none like any other. They had learned to appreciate and respect each other, and their friendship had developed more profound and powerful that their companionship should have evolved into something far richer. Since the past years, they had consistently been with each other in missions, so what Master Tigress declared next surprised them.
"No," she said sternly. "I'm going alone."
They all gave her a queer gaze, but Po was indifferent. Master Shifu was surprised. Generally, Tigress would let Po buddy up with her, and Shifu wouldn't argue about it. He was alright with Po leaving the Valley to go with Tigress. But this time, he decided to stay silent.
"Really? Like, what can you do without me?" Po bragged.
'Are we going to get into another argument about this?' Tigress thought. She shook her head. "You should stay behind, Po. The Valley needs you. You're the Dragon Warrior." Tigress placed a paw on his shoulder as she passed by him.
Need, the word resounded in Po's mind. ' They need me because I'm the Dragon Warrior. The people need the Dragon Warrior because I protect them. But other than that? Who...? Who am I if I'm not the Dragon Warrior...? All I want is for someone to need me, not because of my title. I want someone to need me because I'm Po.'
...
Po paced back and forth at the top of the steps. He watched Tigress as she descended, descended the Thousand Steps. Down towards north. Towards danger. He couldn't believe he was letting her go so effortlessly like this. It isn't too late. Too late for him to go after her. But if she knew, she wouldn't let him. He stopped and observed the feline walking down the steps. Po watched her the same way he did back at Gongmen Jail. But that only led to him putting her at grave risk, the same way he's doing now.
Po shook his head. Every time he's away from Tigress, it leads to her getting hurt- but, this time, he's not allowing that. By being her friend, Po acknowledges protecting her as his duty. Friend, that doesn't suffice how he truly feels about her, but he chose to think about it that way, for time's sake- for pondering about it, Po knew, would take a lot of time.
He remembered the time he held Tigress' paw as she drifted in the water and the time she held on to him after Kai attacked the Valley. It pained him to think about it.
"I won't let that happen." Po declared to himself. "No, not anymore. I won't fail to protect you again, just like I did so many times then. I won't ever be able to stand seeing you in pain. Never."
Tigress was halfway down now. "Even if you'll hate me, I'm coming with you because I will never let you get hurt."
...
Strange.
It felt peculiar for Tigress not to be with Po. She'd been with him for years. He had always been with her on their every mission. It's challenging to think of a time Po was not in her life. Strangely, it felt bizarre.
She walked through the thickly snow-covered forest on the outskirts of the Valley. The dark wood and the white snow faultlessly matched her ensemble and administered to her as good camouflage. The color of her black streaked orange fur and her flamboyant bright amber eyes stood out against her silver hanfu with black pants.
Tigress looks around her. This forest was full of memories of the good times she and Po shared. Most of their bandit-butt-kicking happened here, so the memories overflowed from her thoughts.
Suddenly, Tigress began to feel the burden of the little pouch she was carrying. Why has it become so heavy all of a sudden? Small but heavy. She opened the little bag only to be surprised when she saw dumplings...? Dozens of dumplings piled over the other. The warrior grinned at herself. Had she unmindedly packed all of these?
'I got used to Po going with me to every mission that I packed lots of dumplings accidentally. I guess it became routine for me.' She thought. ''If you don't want to starve during tasks with Po, pack food; and additional.''
She beamed. Po had brought so much bliss into her life since they met. He was that initial change that she needed and never would have regretted. Po is the most important person in her life, and she would never want him to disappear. That's why she made him stay, even if it broke her heart to see Po's disappointed look- she needs him to stay where he's safe. Tigress doesn't want him to be in peril.
Just thinking about Po made the cold wind warmer for Tigress. The hundreds of miles she tediously tracked through became a mere hundred meters. After a few hours of running, she finally stopped and stared at the sky. The sun, which looked like a lantern under a snow-white blanket, had already passed above her.
'Must be far past lunch now,' Tigress concluded. 'Queer, how fast time flies.'
To Tigress, she had only traveled for a few minutes, but truthfully, it had been seven long hours. She sat down on the soft snow near a flat boulder covered in green moss and flecked with snowflakes. She opened her pouch, wondering how long her provisions would last. She chuckled at herself.
"If Po had been here, these dumplings would've been finished hours ago." She voiced out loud.
Instantaneously, something behind a bush rustled and shook. Tigress turned her head about to investigate, bearing a dumpling between her sharp, sophisticated fangs. She perked up her ears to listen. 'Glurp, guhrgh,' went the sound. She bit the dumpling and nearly choked at it. She would know that sound anywhere- the sound of a panda's hungry belly. Despite not just any Panda- but her friend, Po. The word friend didn't seem to fit how she honestly thought about him, but she decided to leave it at that, maybe for now.
'He followed me out here?' she thought kind of angrily. But she stopped when a warm smile formed on her lips, it was hard to stay mad at the clumsy panda. Plus, she wouldn't want to make him return after all he had been through.
She heard the grumbling again, this time louder. The poor panda must have been starving to death. Tigress stood up, opened the bag of dumplings, and let a couple of them roll out, pretending that she didn't notice before she closed the pouch again and stole away farther towards the north.
...
Tigress trudged through the meter-thick layer of fresh snow. The wind howled deafeningly, and the snow fell, making more and more layers on top of the other. The night was pitch black and bitterly cold. By the minute, the snowstorm grew worse and worse.
It had been two-and-a-half days since Tigress started her journey to the Jīnshǔ village. The travel had been both tedious and operose.
The warrior peered around her, desperate to find a safe shelter. Significantly, she feared the well-being of the panda following her. Finally, she glimpsed a massive tree in the distance. Tigress ran towards it and, surprisingly, saw a hole leading to a hollow inside the tree. She crawled inside and found it warm and spacious. She looked at the perimeter outside the tree littered with broken branches caused by the dreadful storm. As she went out to pick them up, she caught a glimpse of Po hiding behind a rock.
"Po!" she called out amid the loud roaring of the wind. No response.
"Po!" she yelled again, more ferociously. "I know you're in there! Come inside the hollow where we'll be safe."
Still no response.
The stubborn panda stayed in its place, unmoved. Tigress sighed, then went back into the hollow, placing the branches in a corner. She hoped the storm would reside so she could use the wood for making a fire.
She opened the bag of dumplings and said, "Alright, I'll eat all of these dumplings."
Suddenly, Po jumped out of his hiding place and ran to the hollow's entrance. Satisfied that her plan worked, Tigress smirked.
"WA, HA!" Po declared. "Two days! It took you two days to know I've been sneaking on you? Who just beat the unbeatable Tigress? Me!"
The feline scoffed, but she didn't want to ruin the Dragon Warrior's fun.
"You can do it without the gloating. Now, get in!" She instructed.
"Wow, this tree is huge!" Po remarked as he crawled inside.
"This must be a kind of sequoia tree."
Po picked up the bag and peeked inside. "There are still, like, two dozen dumplings here. Do you even eat?"
Tigress shrugged as Po greedily smacked a dumpling in his mouth. He continued feasting while Tigress gave him a revolted look.
The wind growled louder and colder. Tigress shivered as she cringed away from the entrance. She looked at Po, who, with very thick fur, looked as comfortable as ever.
Po caught her glance and smirked. "I see. You envy my fur?" He laughed aggravatingly at Tigress. She sighed, rolling her eyes as she clasped her knees together, cowering to a corner.
"I think I'll turn in," she whispered as she closed her eyes.
"That fast?" he asked.
"Good night."
Po stared at Tigress as she slowly drifted to sleep, shivering. He was surprised at how she seemed to ignore his silly remarks and teases, for, most of the time- she would have roasted him by now. Her head began to tilt to one side as if she was about to topple over. Po quickly crawled towards her, just in time to catch her flailing head with his shoulder.
'Now this is much better.' He thought.
...
"Po...," a soft voice whispered in Po's ear. He grunted sleepily. "Wake up," the voice continued, slightly louder. He lifted his paw to punch whoever was trying to wake him up. His fist hit a metal-hard forepaw, the force vibrating on his arm.
"OWW!" He whined, sitting bolt right up. Tigress angrily glared at him.
"Let's go," she ordered. "If it weren't for you, I'd have left hours ago."
Po yawned sluggishly. "What about breakfast?"
"Let's see," Tigress articulated. "Oh, wait, you finished breakfast last night." She grabbed Po's arm and dragged him out of the hollow. "Come on. We haven't got all day. Those bandits will arrive at Jīnshǔ village any hour from now!"
"Justice is about to be served!" The panda proclaimed, raising his fists in the air. He ran, calling out to Tigress, "Come on, Tigress, stop your complaining complaints!"
She grumbled and ran after him.
The morning air was cool and crisp. A minty fragrance emanated from the pine trees. Snowflakes slowly and gracefully fell from the sky. The sun gave a subtle warmth.
The two Kung Fu Masters sped through the vast forest until the exhausted panda slowed down his pace.
"How long 'til we reach the village? We've been running forever!" He asked.
"If all goes well, we'll be there before midday," Tigress replied. She understands how the panda feels. The cold is fatiguing. She smiled at him. "We can slow down a bit."
They walked amble side by side while the wind blew gently on their fur. For hours, there was nothing between them but silence, not the nasty kind of silence, but a silence that implies mutual comfort in sharing the same psychic space. Instantaneously, Po broke the stillness and asked the question he needed to ask Tigress.
"Why didn't you let me come with you? When now you don't seem to want me off your side."
The receiver of the question didn't reply. Tigress was quiet for a moment, pondering how to explain her judgments and thoughts. Po will never understand. She decided to change the subject.
"Say, don't you find it odd?"
"Find what odd?" Po ventured.
"Why the bandits planned to attack three different villages at about the same time when they could assail Jīnshǔ village first? That way, they can grab all the metal here and make powerful weapons using them, then attack the Valley of Peace."
"Yeah...," Po thought, his voice trailing off. Tigress is right. With all the metal here, the bandits can construct many weapons and be able to take over any village. The thought made his heart pound rapidly under his chest, creating a haunting beat.
...
"We're here," Tigress said as they arrived at the southern gate of Jīnshǔ village. They stopped at the entrance and looked around. Thick fog blanketed in front of them. Just then, Tigress pulled Po behind a tree.
"We're not alone. The bandits are here too." She whispered.
Po squinted at the thick fog as it slowly cleared upon the shining of the sun. Bandits in black garments littered the place: many were hitting or hurting the residents. A figure in a black hood is leaning on a tree while carrying a bunny by the ears. Its face was shadowed by its hood, but his scarlet eyes gleamed while he laughed. Po jumped from behind the tree and yelled, "HEY!"
Tigress followed him angrily.
"LET THEM GO!" Po shouted again. "The DRAGON WARRIOR is here."
The bandits stopped and stared at them. The creature in the black hood looked up, then dropped the bunny on the ground. He snickered, looking at Po. He looked around 'til his sight landed on the enraged feline glaring at him like he was the victim of her bloodlust.
"Perfect."
. . .
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