The Last War

21. Familiar Strange

"We can do nothing for him anymore."
With a deep regretful sigh, the older sheep closed his bag which stood next to Sheng's bed. The young peacock was still breathing, but very, very heavily.
Po looked at Shen, searching for a reaction. But the lord's face was emotionless. Without a sign of feeling, he looked at the bed where his son was fighting against death. The panda swallowed down a comment and approached the soothsayer.
"Can you do nothing?" he asked hopefully and pressed his palms together. "You know so much."
The goat lowered her glance. It seemed to be hard for her to give an answer. Po winced. The white peacock had moved. Very slowly, he came closer to the head of the bed. Then he reached for the blue-green wing. It was so unbelievable that the same blood ran through their veins. How old was he now? 17 years. 17 years where he had never known anything about him, never heard his voice, never seen his eyes.
Po caught his breath. Shen moved his wings around the wing of the colored peacock. The panda could see his face from the side only, but he thought a broken area covered the lord's face. Slowly, Shen moved his finger feathers around the wing. He closed his eyes. And when he opened them again, they were wet.
"I really wish I could see how you carry our baby in your wings," echoed the written words of her in his head.
Po chewed on his lips. He wanted to say something, but otherwise he didn't want to disturb him.
Finally, the older sheep started a sentence. "Should we..."
He silenced. The lord had risen his white wings, bent forward and laid his upper body over the boy's body like he wanted to transfer his life energy on him. He whispered something, but so silently that nobody understood. It was short and pleading.
What did he try to say? Something for regret?
Po felt the wings of his father on his arm. Mr. Ping looked at him like he wanted to say, they should leave them alone.
A sigh of Soothsayer let the panda froze. He looked around. She was walking over to the peacocks. After she had reached the bed, she put one hoof on the lord's back. By her touch, the white body trembled a little, but Shen managed to raise his head and to look at her and met her sad eyes.
"Your father never wanted that you have to go through the same like he did," she began with slow and warm voice. "He never wanted that you know how to feel to lose a child. Not how it is to lose a son." She dropped her face. "If he had been able, he would have made it undone. But because of the law, his hands were tied."
She reached out her hoof and wiped away a tear in the white lord's face. He didn't start crying, but he was close of doing. Gently, she gave him a sign he should make way for her. Slowly, the peacock rose and stepped aside. Then she came closer to the bed and eyed the weak young peacock.
She sighed deeply. She leaned the cane against the bed and closed her eyes. Then she lifted her hooves. Po and all the others in the room watched her. Then she moved her hooves in a slow swinging way around, her eyelids were tensed. She seemed to be concentrated very deeply. Po's eyes grew wider. Suddenly, the palms of the old goat started to glow. Finally, after a new swing she lowered her hooves and directed them close over the peacock's chest.
Something glowing like water in the air flowed over the motionless body. But then... the chest began to move stronger. The young bird breathed in sharply like after being under water to bring back the air in his lungs. But shortly after that, his breathing slowed down and came over to a normal rhythm.
With fascination, Po had watched the play with open mouth. "Wow."
But suddenly...
"No!"
Shen bent forward before the goat could hit the floor. She had vacillated and sank down. Po ran over and helped her up, but the woman had closed her eyes.
"What happened to her?" Po asked in worried sound.
Xinxin, who had come in the room, ran over to him and touched the old woman's arm. "She is still breathing. Maybe it was too much for her. Could we bring her somewhere where she can recover?"
The older sheep came closer. "Of course."
More sheep came and carried her away. At least the soothsayer wasn't completely motionless, but she was still too weak to give a sound. The others looked after them.
Po was still very confused about all. "What was that?"
He looked at his father. But he had no answer.
"Who.. how..."
He turned around. In disbelief, he stared at the bed, where the young peacock sat and rubbed his eyes.
"My young lord!" Xinxin cried and bowed to earth several times. "I was so afraid that I had to send your family a heartbreaking message."
Sheng looked at her in a surprised way. "You? Where am I?"
"Can't you remember, young prince?"
For a moment, the young boy thought about it. "I remember about a fight... big creatures. My sister took me away after something hit me heavily... But then... everything is so... dark." He rubbed his head. "There were voices. Many voices. But the last voice, was... strange for me."
The fox woman pointed to the side. "It was he."
When the young peacock moved his face to the side, he froze. Shen stood very close against the wall, his wings under his robe, watching the boy whom he had never seen before. The young lord seemed to think the same. Without breaking the eye contact, he put the blanket aside carefully. When his feet searched for firm ground, his knees started to tremble. Xinxin was close to give him a helping hand, but Sheng managed to stand. His dark blue pajama-robe touched the floor when he walked a few steps closer to the white lord.
Shen didn't avoid his glance. The boy's eyes were dark green with a silver glimmer. He tried to show a strong spirit, but he gave the impression of standing like lost in a strange world.
Then the younger one held in front of him at arm's length. Gazing at him. He seemed to guess something. They eyed each other for a long while. Nobody dared to speak a word, until the young lord moved his beak.
"Are you...?"
He didn't finish the sentence and waited for an answer.
Finally, Shen opened his mouth a bit. "Yes, I am."
Sheng's eyes became bigger. What was he thinking about him?
Po couldn't see much, but he could guess the young lord was very confused.
But his now knowing father didn't say more. Slowly, he reached out his wing and touched his son's shoulder. Sheng didn't resist, but it was very strange for him. They were relatives and but felt so strange like from different worlds. Carefully, he wanted to touch the older lord's wing, but suddenly, Shen pulled back his wing and pressed it on his chest.
At last, Sheng had recovered and realized the others who watched them.
"But... how is... you..."
The figure of the panda confused him more and didn't know where he should sort him.
Po didn't know what to do instead and lifted his paw. "Hi."
"Who is... are you?... And where is my sister?"
Po put his paws over his head. "Oh, oh! That's a very long story. But maybe we should eat something first."

Well, everyone who watched Kung Fu Panda 3 knows what happened. Not sure whether she could do that, but maybe she had learned in her life the art of Chi.