The Panda and the Turtle (Book 1)

Chapter 13: Oogway Fades Away

In the Training Hall, Shifu was sitting in meditation, surrounded by candles. His inner turmoil caused him to fidget incessantly.

"Inner peace... inner peace... i-in... in-in...inner peace." Shifu breathed out.

A very faint flapping sound in the distance did not help matters. Eventually, he turned around.

"Would whoever is making that flapping sound, quiet down?!" Shifu called out.

Silence. Satisfied, Shifu resumed his meditation.

"Inner..." Shifu said.

Suddenly, a goose dropped in from the open ceiling. With a scowl, Shifu got up, but smiled when he saw who it was.

"Oh, Zeng." Shifu said. "Excellent. I could use some good news right now."

Zeng hesitated. He had anything but good news.

"Uh..." Zeng said.

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Minutes later, Shifu rushed up Peach Tree hill. Oogway stood under the tree, as he slowly performed Tai Chi movements, blossom petals floated elegantly from the branches.

"Master!" Shifu called out. "Master!"

"Hmmm?" Oogway asked.

"I have... It's...It's very bad news." Shifu said as he was out of breath.

"Ah, Shifu. There is just news." Oogway said. "There is no good or bad."

"Master, your vision...your vision was right!" Shifu explained. "Tai Lung has broken out of prison! He's on his way!"

"That is bad news...if you do not believe
that the Dragon Warrior can stop him." Oogway said after a pause.

"The panda?" Shifu questioned. "Master,
that panda is not the Dragon Warrior. He wasn't meant to be here...it was an accident!"

"There are no accidents." Oogway said.

"Yes, I know." Shifu sighed. "You've said that already. Twice."

"Well, that was no accident, either." Oogway commented.

"Thrice." Shifu remarked as he held up three fingers.

"My old friend, the panda will never fulfill his destiny, nor you yours, until you let go of the illusion of control." Oogway said.

"Illusion?" Shifu repeated in confusion and incredulous.

"Yes. Look at this tree, Shifu." Oogway said as he looked up at the tree's branches, where blossom petals continued to fall. "I cannot make it blossom when it suits me, nor make it bear fruit before its time."

"But there are things we can control." Shifu recalled before he kicked the tree and a hundred peaches fell to the ground, that made Oogway gaze at him in silence. "I can control when the fruit will fall!" A peach fell on his head, that made him growl and Oogway chuckled. "And I can control..." Shifu tossed a peach in the air, leapt up, and split it with a chop, that freed the seed. "...where to plant the seed...hi-yah!" Shifu punched the ground, that created a small hole and the seed fell into his paw. "That is no illusion, Master!" He tossed the seed into the hole.

"Ah, yes." Oogway said as he stepped forward while Shifu began to pace in frustration. "But no matter what you do, that seed will grow to be a peach tree. You may wish for an apple, or an orange... but you will get a peach."

"But a peach cannot defeat Tai Lung!" Shifu remarked as he stopped pacing and turned to Oogway.

"Maybe it can." Oogway said. "If you are willing to guide it, to nurture it. To believe in it."

Oogway covered the seed with dirt.

"But how? How?" Shifu asked. "I need your help, Master."

"No, you just need to believe." Oogway said before he leaned in toward his friend. "Promise me, Shifu. Promise me you will believe."

Shifu hesitated.

"I...I will try." Shifu replied.

"Good." Oogway smiled before he glanced up at the starry sky as the petals began rapidly falling from the tree as the wind picked up. "My time has come." He turned back to a confused Shifu. "You must continue your journey... without me."

Oogway gave Shifu his staff.

"What are you...?" Shifu stuttered. "What...?"

Oogway began to walk to the cliff's edge. Shifu realized what he was doing and ran after him.

"Master!" Shifu called out. "You can't leave me."

The petals surrounded Oogway as he stopped at the cliff's edge and turned back to Shifu.

"You must believe." Oogway said.

"Master!" Shifu exclaimed.

Oogway was engulfed by peach blossoms as he began glowing with a lovely blue light. As the wind settled, Shifu stood at the edge of the cliff, as he clutched Oogway's staff and stared after the mass of petals as they floated up into the sky. Oogway was gone.