The Last War

16. Icy Reencounter

Po didn't know what happened. All what he saw was that Shen went down one step of the stony stair more. The panda looked back. But he didn't realize more than that the peahen sank down to the ground. The Dragon Warrior jumped up with shock.
"Oh no, she is dead!... No, she is still breathing!"
While Po was running around her, Shen walked step by step downstairs slowly. His unemotional face expression didn't change. Just his eyes were directed down where the lady had fallen.
In the meantime, Po had laid her on her back and waved his paws over her face. "She needs fresh air!"
"Panda," the white lord said calmly and crossed the last step. "She is just fallen into a faint, just before you make mouth-to-mouth respiration."
Po was really going to open her beak, but then he hesitated and thought. "Oh, okay, okay, I have got it. Of course, no one should touch her lips, shouldn't it?"
The peacock snorted and crossed his wings more. "Could you stop with that, please? What I meant is, she doesn't deserve it. As I said it before, she has no meaning to me."
Po rolled his eyes and waved his paws up in an annoyed way. "Why do you say this every time?! Could you explain me what she had done to you?!"
But Shen looked away from him. "That doesn't concern you, panda!"
The panda narrowed his eyes angrily. "It still calls, Po. And I have to say that I'm so sick of your childishness."
"Childishness?" A cold smile crossed the lord's beak lips. "Don't talk about things about you have no knowledge."
"About what knowledge?!"
The lord came back to his pride posture and closed and opened his eyes very slowly. "Let me tell you what the fact is, panda. I already talked about your naivety. What you see here is wickedness in person. She knows to hide mendacity very well."
He stopped. A weak moaning sounded. The peahen moved; her eyes still closed. Po tapped his fingers together nervously when she began to blink. Her vision was still blurred and saw just two white and white-black shadows.
"A-am I dead?" she asked weakly.
Po looked at Shen. But he preferred to keep silent. For this reason, Po made the first step.
"No, you aren't dead. I think." Carefully, he bent down to her. "Let me help you up."
He laid his paws under her wings and lifted her up. She was still a little shaking on her feet, but she had enough power to keep standing. Now her sight had recovered enough to see clearly. Po stayed behind her and watched how she stared at the white peacock who still stood there like a stature. Finally, she managed to move her beak.
"You- you are-"
Shen narrowed his eyes. No smile, no positive sight. He looked like his glance would be poison.
Po snapped for air with fear and thought she would fall to the ground again. But instead she let fall herself forward and embraced the lord in a despairing way, like she was afraid he could melt into thin air every moment.
"I've missed you," she whispered hoarsely.
For a brief moment, Po hoped the peacock would reciprocate her embrace and would wrap his wings around her. But then...
He lifted his wings, pushed her away and looked in her face angrily.
"After so long, and that's all what you have to say?!"
"It could have been advisable to say "Hello"," Po thought.
The peahen was dumbfounded and stared at him with big unsure eyes. "B-but, I... I thought... you are dead."
Shen snorted and turned away. "Surprised? Mm. You have no big mouth if I'm standing in front of you, do you?"
Po watched how Yin-Yu's wings trembled. Her right wing placed over her chest like she was afraid her heart would stop beating every moment. Her eyes became wet.
Shen gave her a malicious side-glance. "Yes, I know everything, Fang. Or should I better say: Yin-Yu?"
Her voice died. There was no sound in her throat. But somehow she took a strong breath, but her voice was still shaking.
"I-I'm sorry. I never - wanted to leave you... but I was afraid of my parents' soldiers."
"I know," Shen cut her word. "Xia already told me."
"You met her?"
"Silence!" He turned to her in a harsh way. "I came just for one thing. Tell me, are they my children?!"
She hesitated with the answer. Shen looked at her so threateningly that she needed time to pick up courage for a reply. Shen watched her beak lips like a predator its prey.
"Y-yes."
Her hoarsely scream was cut when he jumped at her. Both birds landed on the stony cold floor. She on her back while the lord stood with his claws on her upper body and neck. Po stopped himself of breaking them up.
Shen's body trembled with rage while he spoke in a controlled but explosive voice. "How many times do you want to lie to me?""
"What lies?" she gasped. "I have to admit, that I sank my real origin was a lie, but... they are your children...!"
"Oh, really?" The sarcasm in his voice was more than hard. "Did you think I forgot what you wrote me? How stupid are you?! Or more, how stupid do you think am I? Are you so mendacious that you binned me with a simple letter and now to tell me that ramblings?! You were so coward to say it to my face?! Who do you think you are?!"
The woman was like paralyzed. "A- a letter? I don't understand. Of- of course, I wrote a letter, but that's impossible. I've never got the chance to send it away."
Shen hissed. "I can't believe it that you talk about it without regret and has still the effrontery to look into my eyes! You are the most mendacious what I have ever seen!"
The woman didn't know what to say and kept silent with shock while Shen felt a wave of satisfaction.
"Are you afraid now?" He moved his claws upwards. "Or am I still not good enough for you?" A glimmer of shame and sadness crossed his face for a short moment before it changed to hate. "I really thought you would feel something for me. I really thought it..."
"But... but I did..."
She winced when he dug his claws deeper in the under part of her long neck.
"As long as I'm not present you think you can push me like you want and can take me for a fool, do you?"
She began to sob. "No- this between us... our night... wasn't a lie."
Shen's face became a little relaxed. But not complete. He climbed down from her and growled darkly.
Po got a shiver of fear. Never he had seen Shen so angry like now.
The peacock turned his back on her.
"I gave you everything," he spoke bitterly. "My respect. My consideration, my inner secrets... now all for nothing; for an insincere thing like you."
He turned back. A gleeful smile crossed his lips. "I remember. Our night. I called you silver. Do you remember? In the night when we loved each other. I counted every silver feather of your body."
He darted the panda a warning look. This one cleaned his throat and looked away. Yin-Yu didn't know what Shen was going to do next. She reached out her wing to touch his wing. But before she could touch one feather he flinched back and avoided her touch.
His eyes were cold and icy.
"Tell me," she pleaded. "What have I done?!"
"Forget it!" With disgust, he waved his wings away from her. "I hate you more than everything in that damn filthy world!"
"I, but I thought, you and me, we would..."
But the lord didn't let her finish her sentence. Instead, he jumped at her again and threw her on the floor. With one foot, he pressed her throat.
The female panicked. "Wha-t are you... I don't know... Forgive me!"
But the lord didn't listen to her words and bent down to her face.
"You should have thought about it earlier," he said glacially. "But what you have done to me was unforgivable. All the years, I waited for this day." He smiled evilly. "I had a dream. Where you lay dead at my feet."
A terrified yank went through the female body when he darted one of his feather knives in front of her face.
"You cut me down." The lord's voice echoed through her head. "I was going to cut your throat for that."
She held her breath when the sharp blade touched her beak.
Shen's face changed to a pitiful glee. "But you shall suffer for my pain that you gave to me. Did you think I would have a feeling? Is it because of my color? Oh no, don't talk about your snow story again. That was a bad scam. But I'm ready to cut your face so that everyone should see what an ugly visage you hide under your dark feathers."
"No!"
Po has been already to jump, but the voice of a young girl let him freeze. A colored shadow appeared, pushed the lord away and threw herself over the peahen.
The panda opened his eyes wide.
"Xia?"
The voice of her mother sent a shiver of relief that there was still life in her.
For a moment the peacock was confused. "How did you-?"
"I hid myself on the cart, too," the girl answered while she grabbed her finger feathers around her mother.
The lord trembled with rage. "How dare you?!"
Now she looked up and glared at him. "Did you really think I would let her alone with you? You seem to hate her. I was worried."
"For good reason."
The peacock didn't want to waste more time and tried to push her away.
"Get off!"
"How cruel are you?!"
Her eyes were filled with hate and despair.
The lord growled. "Ask more her how cruel she was to me!"
Po winced when he felt something small jumped on his head.
"Excuse me," Tu said and looked into the panda's eyes. "There is a strong turmoil outside. We should leave that place before they blockade every exit."
"Uh, yes," Po agreed nervously. "Guys, maybe you could take a rain check your family dispute. We have to disappear immediately."
Po didn't have to say it twice. As fast as she could Xia help her mother up and went with her in her wings closer to the panda, while Shen stayed at his place in his rage.
Po couldn't help himself and bent over to the afraid peahens. "Are you alright?"
"Fine, thanks," Xia replied shortly.
Her mother said nothing. With bowed head, she had effort to stand on her feet. Po preferred to avoid more questions and gave Shen a look of reproach. But the lord showed no regret for what he had almost done. His eyes still stuck on the one who he had loved a long time ago and was nothing more than nothing now. Even Tu didn't know how to find the right words, until he decided to make it short.
"Alright. This way."
Po was the first one who walked a little faster. "Okay, follow..."
Suddenly, something crashed against him. Po fell aside and heard somebody cursing.
"Hey!" The panda cried and rubbed his arm. "Can't you...?"
Po froze the blood in his veins.
The one who had fallen against him was a second peacock.