[DISCONTINUED] Kung Fu Panda [From Anarchy to Tranquility]

5.5: The Dream of Fate

After receiving proper instructions to the way of Gongmen city including the surrounding towns, villages and cities, I went on my way to the city. I pondered heavily on Oogways words, letting them sink deep in my soul. Confusion was always there, waiting for me to collide with it. Doubt, also there.

On the first day of traveling, I went through a forest of bamboo, cutting edges with the road to speed my travels. I met a band of robbers on the path who were harassing travelers on the road. Of course, this bandit pack consisted of several wolves, and a hippo. With a simple gesture of shooting one of their hats off with my Luger, I 'persuaded' them to give back all that they stole. The victims were all but flushed in gratefulness and wanted to reward me for my act of bravery, while also asking what weapon was it that I used. I answered not to their question, yet allowed them to give me some yuan to help me on my way to the city. Water was also given to me.

On the second day of traveling, the bamboo forest cleared out and ahead lied a large mountain with several smaller ones beside and around it. One mountain had a carved path through it already, the smallest of the mountains. The path was treacherous and far too rugged out to be called a 'path'. I imagined what worse catastrophes should happen if I were to fall.

On the third day of traveling, I entered into another dense forest, then into a ravine full of fruits and a spring of water lied nearby. I didn't eat any of the fruit, for I somehow knew that the fruit was poisonous. A little voice spoke in my head that told me not to eat any of the fruit. I obeyed regardless.

Yet, there is something that should be mentioned on the third night. For the most part, I was far from the forest and now being situated in a village, I had rented a room for the night to sleep in at an inn. Normally, being so accustomed to the dreadful nights of vengeance in the war, I could hardly keep my eyes closed for one second, either to be ordered out to defend the rear or flank or to charge into the enemy territory. But here, I was glad to sleep and to be far away from the terrible world I used to know and breathe in. Yet, I still dream of nightmares and scenarios would play in my dream of comrades dying. Worse still, on nights like these, my mind would play tricks with me by pretending a shell would fragment and scare the living hell out of me, that I would jump out of my bed and lie flat on the ground to protect myself from shrapnel.

I lied on the bed, unable to sleep in fear of this. Then I'd remember a writing I sent to my mother being at the front, telling her that insomnia was reaping havoc with my duties. A few weeks later, I received my mothers letter, addressing my sleeplessness in great attention and care. She wrote to think not of what you have done, but where your future lies: to think not of the evil, but what good you can do. She gave an example of me returning back home from the war to find a wife for myself, or to continue in my fathers footsteps in carpentry, thinking what I could build and sell to make a living off this. So...I applied my mothers example to find some sleep.

Ah alright, what of a job of carpentry in this world? Well, that should be simple enough. Gongmen city should provide a vast array of jobs ranging from this to that. What of love? How can a man fall in love with a beast, an animal...no, worse, a talking animal? How will she love me, being that I am indeed an alien from another world. And in this era and world, weren't women regarded as nothing? Even now, in a world plagued by crime, I still found this world to be far more delightful than the previous. Even if I could explain this in a thousand words, it wouldn't make sense, so why even bother comparing this world to my previous? Only one word can explain this: Irony.

And what of Oogway? I can repeat the questions as plain as day when I first thought of them. I tried to connect the dots. Still it made no sense. I didn't understand. I didn't understand why when war was declared in the entirety of Europe. I didn't understand why I had fought so viscously to stay alive in the muddy trenches. I did not need to understand, I did what I thought best. Then one would say, do this and go about in ignorance. I hated ignorance. I wanted answers outright, explained perfectly in a simple yet decisive manner that goes straight to the point. This all seems to be a riddle. A mind-twisting riddle for one to iron out his stupidity in order to solve it. I hated that too. Why would this turtle, whom I have never met before, yet claims to have known me already in a vision, trouble me more with the secrets of my future.