Ch.5: Journeys and Silence

I am so sorry that this took so long. In actuality, the chapter didn't take forever to write, but I had to do a paper for my English class that was also fictional. So that takes time, and it burns you out the more you write. High school is fun, isn't it? So to answer the guest's pleas, I am not dead (thank God). So anyway, I hope you like the chapter and thank you all for the kind words. Commence the read thingy and the review thingy!


Tigress lay on her back and stared at the sky. Peach tree leaves tussled with each other as a breeze picked up. The faint moonlight peered through small holes of the otherwise overcast blanket above them. The panda next to her snored softly and with contentment. It was a shame that she would have to wake her up. He seemed so at peace. But regardless of how well he was sleeping, there was a storm forming above the mountains to the north. A circle of wind whistled over the sharp rocks of their summits. Bolts of lightning flew from cloud to cloud so quickly that they could evoke Lei Gong himself.

"Po," she started, suppressing her voice, "wake up. We need to go."

The panda sharply inhaled as he rolled himself upright. He shook his head, awakening himself. Once he regained his eyesight, he gazed at Tigress who sat patiently. "That was some really good sleep," he whispered in delight."

"Good. We'll need as much energy as we can get." They both arose from the packed dirt of the pathway and began to set their heading. They walked down the stone stairs from Peach Tree Hill and reached the arena gates. Tigress looked out over the valley. It looked quiet and serene. Both of the warriors descended the Thousand Steps, and Tigress watched as the mountains along the horizon grew around them. Sometimes, in the grand scheme of things, she felt so little and unimportant.

As they set their feet onto the cobblestone paths at the bottom, the silence struck them. It was lifeless, almost like the villagers had all left. However, there were no signs of desertion. Tigress was reminded of Po sleeping next to her next to the Peach Tree. He was so calm. Just like the valley. They quietly strolled down the path to the noodle hut, taking note of the barren and lifeless streets. They must be sleeping well.

When the warriors reached the noodle shop, they were greeted by the signature arch of the entrance. They maneuvered around the wooden tables and chairs in the courtyard. Every surface was shimmering spotless. Po led Tigress behind the kitchen door and Tigress was instantly reminded of her vision. Po wrote that scroll here. The panda in front of her tiptoed up the stairway. Tigress followed him into the bedroom of the goose who was sleeping heavily.

"Hey, Dad, wake up," Po whispered to the goose.

Mr. Ping subsequently rolled around in his cot and flapped his wings trying to awaken himself. In the meantime, Po took a moment to look around his room. It wasn't often that he got a chance to enter his father's bedroom. The walls were barren. There were no posters, no paintings, no parchments, none except for one that hung near his room's entrance. A small portrait, drawn by the painter pig in the valley, displayed Po as a small cub and Mr. Ping as a young goose giving that young cub a piggyback ride. Well, trying to anyway. It was closer to Po squishing Mr. Ping like a bug. "Yes? What is it, son?" Mr. Ping mumbled through his reply, barely awake.

Po turned his head around to look at the goose with his eyes struggling to open. Po whispered to his father, trying to suppress his voice. "Sorry to wake you, but Tigress and I are going on a mission." Mr. Ping stayed silent… then a quiet snore traveled from his nostrils.

Tigress sighed. "Po let's go. He's tired and we need to go before the sun gets too hot."

Po nodded slightly, saying, "Yeah. Okay." He walked out of the bedroom door and into the kitchen, leaving Tigress alone in the room. She took her own details in to remember this space. It was quite furnished and a little messy. Mr. Ping had his bed shoved in the corner with a nightstand directly next to it. The small lamp that Po forgot to turn back off was flickering, and a low whisper resonated from the burning flame.

He had a shelf opposite from the bed stacked with plenty of fliers to attract new customers. Though Tigress was more than certain that every villager in the valley knew about Mr. Ping's shop. The wooden slats on the floor had no significant gaps between them. No holes of any kind. He definitely never lets Po in here. The walls seemed almost covered in paintings and sketches, all of which were of the goose and the panda growing up together. It was melancholy for her to look at all of them. There was so much history on this grand timeline.

"Hey, Tigress. Are you coming?"

She halted her snooping and walked down the stairs towards the exit, nodding at Po for the two of them to continue walking. Tigress looked up at the stars. There was an ocean of them, and each one looked so delicately placed.

"Tigress," Po started, "Which way did Shifu say Sidai was again?"

Tigress pointed past the direction of the shop. "It's about forty miles west of here, so we need to cut through the wheat fields behind the village."

"Alright! Let's do this thing! Sidai, here we come."


The tall menacing skeletal figure towered over them with clenched fists. He ground his teeth so hard that bits of bone flew from his jaw. The Lieutenant sat at a table in the corner of the tent looking at a parchment, trying to think through a plan while ignoring the outgoing wrath from his leader. He was only glad that he wasn't the recipient of his anger, but he was disappointed that it was instead his men. Through clenched teeth, the general yelled, "What are you two doing back here?"

Zhang and Heng stood next to one another which amplified their rattling bones. Zhang, having been the leader of the mission, tried to speak for both of them, but instead, he only managed to squeak it. "general, sir." Zhang rumbled his throat to make the sounds but only air came out the second time.

Heng saw his friend not doing too well. He didn't blame him. Standing before a huge bone pile under a dimly lit lamp was not too good of a location to have confidence. The dark green tent's walls that surrounded them, if you could even call them walls, flapped from the whistling morning breeze outside. Each snap gave them another drop of anxiety in the small amount of Chi that they had. He saw how the general was about to annihilate Zhang for incompetence. I need to help him out. "Sir," he began. The general shifted his skull in Heng's direction. Two empty eye sockets darker than the abyss and deeper than the ocean touched his soul. Heng wanted to close his eyes, but that's a hard thing to do when you're eyelid-less.

"Speak up, Heng!"

Heng lifted his paw to his forehead in salute, "General, we scouted Sidai. Our mission is complete."

"Oh, really?" the general mocked. "Then where is it?"

The scouts looked at each other in confusion. "Uh, sir."

"Are you telling me that I sent you on a scouting mission to retrieve something, and you didn't bring it back?"

Heng and Zhang were speechless. They kept quiet in terror and trembled in anxiousness at what was going to happen to them. Much to their surprise, the general didn't wipe them off of China, but instead grabbed them by their skulls, much like it was their ears, and threw them out of the tent and into the dirt outside. "Do you see what I'm trying to do, you idiots?" he screamed, pointing in front of them. In the distance of the plains outside of the mountain range they were in, units of marching feet slammed the ground with every step. Soldiers loaded themselves onto wagons, getting themselves amped up. Leaders barked orders, weapons were handed out, and no sign of rest was in place.

"I'm trying to take over China, and you two are stopping me from doing so!"

Zhang rolled onto his back to look up at the general. "We're sor—"

"I don't want to hear it!" Heng and Zhang just looked at each other under the cold but soon fading moonlight. "Now, I'll make myself very clear. You two will go back to Sidai and find what I asked for. That place is going to become ash when I send in the convoy, but I need the city's treasure before that happens. That is your mission. Now do it!"

The two dogs scrambled up onto their feet, clawing into the dirt and bumping into other soldiers walking by. The distant sun finally began to rise over the horizon and splash the peaks of the tall mountain ranges. A loud whistle from the strong gusts could be heard rushing past the peaks. Zhang joked to his friend, "If only we had bodies with more energy!"

"And generals with less," Heng chuckled.


The gentle brushing of a stream filled the gap of an otherwise silent trail. The warriors placed their feet down, trekking up the mountainside. One panda, in particular, grew weary from the walk through the fields. Having to watch your every step for tough rice grains became very tiring very quickly. He could feel his ankles stiffen and his legs become stubborn. Tigress, on the other hand, was energetic and alert. No sign of fatigue dared to strike her countenance and energy was of great supply for her. She understood, however, that a giant panda such as Po would have some trouble empathizing with her. She spoke over her shoulder to the dragging panda, "We've almost reached the other side. Just a little longer and—" -Thud- She turned around as an involuntary reflex, just to see Po flat on his face in the dirt. "Po get up."

"My feet hurt," he groaned.

"Then stretch them and let's keep going."

"But I'm so tired and hungry."

Tigress merely rolled her eyes. "I'm not stopping, Po." She corrected her heading and continued the journey.

"Wait!" Po waved his arm up. "Don't leave me."

Tigress stopped once again to see Po dragging himself across the ground. "Fine. We'll stop here for a few minutes for you to rejuvenate, and then we'll get going again."

"Sounds good to me," Po remarked.

He rolled himself upright and began rummaging through his bag. Tigress sat down next to him and stared at the river. Rocks beneath were being shoved aside by the current. A small breeze arrived and rustled the leaves of the sparsely scattered trees climbing the mountain with them. The smell of warm fall rain drafted to their noses from the gray skies behind them. The sun shined its light on them from the clear side of the sky. A very calming scene it was to her.

Po set his backpack down next to him and rummaged through it. A certain Tigress figure found its way out of the bag without him noticing, but the version it was modeled after had noticed plenty fine. She gazed at the action figure. Tigress noticed its hand-carved imperfections and the passion put into its design. Does he bring that everywhere, she asked herself. It was odd that her friend would carry a doll in her likeness. She picked it up out of the grass and ran her claws across the wood. Small bits of red paint rubbed off from the scratches. The carving of her head was pretty realistic too. Especially considering that Po hadn't seen her before face to face. Its wardrobe also brought nostalgia. I haven't worn my Cheongsam in a while.

Po looked to his right and gasped. "Uh." He didn't know what to say. Her friend was looking straight at a carved version of herself that he made. "Do you like it?" That was a stupid question.

"I do. You have a talent for woodworking."

"You should try out the Kung Fu action," he encouraged, pointing to the figure's back. "Press that button there." The Tigress figure chopped its arm downward, splitting the air. "Pretty cool, right?" he exclaimed.

She handed it back to him. "It's impressive."

Po's maw turned into a great, big cub smile. "Thanks! I'm happy that you like it!"

"It's still dorky," she teased.

They giggled together, enjoying the scene in front of them. It felt like ages when in reality it was only a few seconds. "Alright," Po began, rising to his feet, "let's get a move on. My feet feel better."


They ran, following the dirt trail shadowed by the forest's branches. And although their physique would lead you to believe that they wouldn't feel fatigued, skeletons had just as much capacity of feeling tired. "Heng, I think… we should… find a place… to take a… break," Zhang begged through short bursts of breath. Heng looked over his shoulder at his lagging friend.

"Sorry, buddy. We can't. The general is launching an attack on Sidai and we need to be out of there before that happens."

Zhang groaned in discontent. He was weary from their non-stop sprint from the camp. "Please… Heng."

"Actually, Zhang, I think we're arriving at the post we were at," he reassured. The opening of tree branches on the cliff to a sturdy branch jutting out from the side caused the two to slow down, one more than the other. Zhang was so grateful to take a break from running and savored the moment of slumping his back against a tree and dangling his feet over the cliff's edge. He caught up to his breath and sighed in a moment of relief. He imagined closing his eyes. He rubbed his fingertips against the grainy bark and listened to the dead silence of the woods. Zhang wished he had his old body, with eyes instead of eye-sockets and eyelids to close over them. A body with gray fur all over and a white tuft underneath his chin. Yes, he wished to have that back. The sun finally reached its lazy stage in the sky for the late afternoon, and Zhang wanted to reach his. However, avoiding becoming a forgotten casualty by the general's hand was at the forefront of his priorities.

"So, Zhang," Heng turned to his exhausted friend, "are there theories as to what Sidai's treasure could be? Do you have any theories of your own?"

Zhang raised his finger asking for a moment, "Just give me a second. The sun feels so nice."

Heng rolled his eyes. "C'mon man. I'm trying to not get us killed here. And how can you feel the sun anyway? You don't have skin!" Heng threw his arms in the air in impatience.

"Hey!" Zhang smiled with charm. "I still have an imagination."

"That's surprising," Heng deadpanned.

Zhang sighed slowly. "Alright, alright. People have different theories as to what it is." Heng rolled his hand forward urging Zhang to continue. "I've only heard a few. Some propose that it could be a special painting, but I doubt that the general is sending us into a village to steal a parchment of color. Another possibility is that it's some kind of weapon, like a sword or something underwhelming." Zhang waved off that last thought, scratching the last one to mind. "Um let's see… oh right! The last one that I heard is that there is some kind of person who lives there."

"Like a king?" Heng proposed.

"No, no, not a king. Just a guy."

If he had eyebrows, Heng would be raising them as high as he could. "What do you mean 'just a guy?' "

Zhang shrugged his shoulders. "Beats me."

Heng sighed in defeat. His mission to find answers from his friend turned out to be futile. "Okay, then. I guess we'll just have to find a way in for now."

"Heng, how on earth are two skeletons supposed to sneak into a town full of people without being noticed?"

As Heng sighed in defeat, a loud rattling was heard in the distance. The sound of cracking punched the trees and high-pitched laughter flew through the air. It kept getting closer and closer. "What is that?"

"I'm not sure, but get behind the tree just in case!" Zhang waved his hand at Heng. He stuck himself behind bark to conceal his pale bones. Heng completely covered himself behind the tree, but Zhang arose and stuck his snout around. "Don't let it see you, Zhang!" He looked over his shoulder to see a worried Heng frozen in fear but swiftly gazed back at the dirt trail in anticipation.

The cracking and crackling of laughter continued to echo until a slow wagon passed by. "When does the party begin, honey?" a low voice laughed.

"Ahaha! I've told you a thousand times, we're late!" a high squealing voice replied in a guffaw. The wagon turned a corner and disappeared behind the thick walls of wood.

Zhang turned around to look at Heng who was also looking up at him. There was silence as they stared at each other for a second. Suddenly, Zhang broke out in howling laughter, clenching his rib cage with his arms. "You—oh man—you should have seen your face!" Zhang fell backward onto the ground fighting his uncontrollable chortling.

Heng stared at Zhang and rolled his eyes. As Heng arose from the ground, he threw his arms up in the air. "Now this is even worse, Zhang! We have to sneak into a town full of people that are going to be celebrating, outside by the way, and we have to get in there as bare bones!" He snapped, kicking the side of the tree. Zhang was still dying of laughter on the ground. Heng sighed in defeat. He felt discouraged and quite afraid of what the general might do to them. He walked away from the cliff and underneath the shade of the trees. The dirt path was practically in a grove. Trees lined the edges of the dusty path and a cool breeze strolled along its direction. If it weren't for Zhang behind him, who was close to passing out, the woods would be a perfect place to think.

In preparation to ignore the echoing laughter, Heng began to pace back and forth like his mind was doing. How are we going to get in without being noticed? It wasn't like there were going to be guards or soldiers surrounding the town, but there was always that chance of getting spotted. And it wasn't his wont to take that chance. He exhaled, trying to calm himself. It was times like these when he wished he had fur and looked normal. "Zhang," he began, "I think we'll just have to go for it." Heng turned around to see his friend on his back looking up at the trees. He was slowly breathing in and out while the laughter died down.

"Heng, do you ever think trees get embarrassed?"

"Wha—what?"

"Do you ever think trees get embarrassed?"

"No. No, I don't."

"You know, like, in autumn. Their leaves fall off and they're all exposed." Heng stayed silent. He was still trying to process the words that came out of his friend's mouth. Do leaves get embarrassed? No, wait. Do trees get embarrassed because their leaves fall off? Can they even feel embarrassed? "I wonder if trees' leaves are like their clothes, you know? Like, maybe they lose their clothes every time it gets close to winter."

Heng popped his head up. He might have had an idea. "What did you just say?"

"Their leaves fall off?" Zhang guessed.

"No, no, no. Before that!"

"Do you ever think trees get embarrassed?"

"Wait, shoot. After that, I mean."

"Are leaves like a tree's clothes?"

"Yes! Zhang, you're a genius!"

"They are?"

"No! Well, maybe. But that's it! We need to just find some clothes that will cover our bones and no one will question us!"

Zhang sat up and thought about it for a moment. That could work. "I am a genius," he whispered loudly. They both giggled at his comment.

"Probably not, Zhang," Heng laughed.

He agreed, "Probably, not."

Heng walked over to the cliff's edge and gazed upon the town in front of him. "Alright, we better get going." He gave Zhang a hoist up from the ground and they both looked down the short cliffside. It was covered in limestone, but that wouldn't matter. The cliff was only a small tree in height. They began to scale down the cliff's face and finally landed on the dirt at the bottom. An entire plain of trees covered the ground. There was no place where bark wasn't abundant. "Let's do this."


Po reached forward up the mountain's rocky side. He tried hoisting himself up to where Tigress was standing, but he wasn't able to do so by himself. "Tigress, I need some help." She stood there motionless and in a daze. What is she looking at? "Hey, what's happening up there?" Without taking her gaze away from the valley that lay before her, she gave Po a hand and pulled him up to the summit.

"Tigress, what's—whoa." An ocean of barren trees in a bowl-shaped valley surrounded by mountains was covered with white. "That's a lot of snow for the fall."

"Po… that's not snow." He looked at Tigress in anticipation of her next words, and she looked at Po, hesitating to make the words come out. "It's ash." Neither of them expected this. Well, neither knew exactly what to expect, but this was far from their thoughts. An entire valley of people and life burned to the ground.