Happiness must be taken

Hi, since some people have asked me what happened between Shen and Po's mother in the exile, I have written a sequel. However, it is considerably longer than the previous story. I wish you a good reading time!

The sun had set over the snow-covered mountains. Only one lantern gave some light into the coming darkness. Lord Shen stood on a narrow balcony of a dilapidated building near a volcano and let the cold wind blow over his white feathers. Small snowflakes danced around him. As if in slow motion, the white peacock stretched out his wing and caught a few of the snowflakes that stuck to his feathers. He examined them carefully. They were white - white like his plumage, and just as fluffy as his feathers. And so light. This crystalline beauty made him wonder why his white beauty had never been admired by others. He stood there impassively for a while, then he rubbed the snowflakes with trembling finger feathers. He was nowhere near as fragile as this frozen water.
He raised his head feathers when he heard footsteps behind him.
"Master? The powder has arrived."
Shen's gaze wandered back where the one-eyed wolf had approached him and he nodded. "Show me."
Together they retreated from the coldness into the warm room. The building consisted of several halls, which were crossed by many ladders and stairs. In one of the vestibules, where the gate led outside, several barrels were stacked. One of the wolves was about to roll in the last barrel, but he slipped on an icy spot. The barrel slipped from his paws and the lid, including its contents, burst open.
"Damn it! Can't you pay attention?!" The one-eyed wolf immediately jumped down the floor and landed on the floor with a loud crash. "Or do you want to blow us all up?! With all the lamps and torches hanging around here, the whole thing could explode!"
"Are there any problems?" Shen asked in a warning tone and walked down the stairs to them with honor.
The one-eyed wolf gave one of the other wolves a kick in the shin before answering, "Nothing, master. They just don't realize the seriousness of the situation yet."
Shen raised an eyebrow. "Then train them. And if they don't learn, then chastise them. You hear?"
The one-eyed wolf bowed his head submissively. "Yes, master."
Shen turned away from him and opened one of the barrels. He didn't even look at the powder scattered on the floor. He reached in and inspected the gunpowder inside. Carefully and slowly, he rubbed it between his finger feathers. It was different from the snowflakes he had in his wings earlier.
He nodded. "Perfect quality. Store it in isolation." With that, he hid his wings back in his robe. "Dispose of the powder on the floor. I prefer only the best for my plan." He turned away.
"Where are you going, master?" asked the one-eyed wolf.
Shen turned to him with an indifferent expression. "Just a tour."
He had barely disappeared around the next corner when he heard the one-eyed wolf command: "Sweep it up and get rid of it!"

Lost in thought, the white peacock walked through the old but sturdy factory building. Having to call this run-down hut his new home was beneath him, but it offered him protection and, above all, a chance to continue pursuing his plan undisturbed. At first, he had just wandered aimlessly through the country until he found this small building in the lonely mountains next to a volcano, which had once been used to collect and store volcanic rock. However, for his plan to set up a factory, he had to do a lot of construction work on the dwelling. Or, more precisely, his wolf pack. That was almost two years ago now. And 4 years in total had passed since he had been banished from Gongmen City. And even if this building was almost perfect, everything was still in need of getting used to. Someone like him, who had lived in a palace since childhood, was used to better things. But instead of expensive furniture and clean floors, he had to make do with dirt and bare walls. Maybe he could have found somewhere else to stay, but at least, no one could spy on him here. Especially because no one was allowed to know what he was planning to do with China.
He paused. He had reached the lowest floor, where the basement was. It was the loneliest and darkest part of the building. Not even the wolves liked to be here. He walked along the torch-lit wall until he came to a large wooden door, where he could hear a quiet singing behind. He listened and raised the corners of his beak slightly. So she was singing again. At first, he had thought it was childish. But now he liked listening to her singing. She sang this children's song at different times. Mostly at night, though. For a while, he had even come by every night to hear it.
Shen stretched out his wing and moved the lever that locked the door. The singing stopped immediately. He waited a few seconds before pushing the door open and entering. Behind it was a dark cell. Only a lantern and two or three candles in a corner lit it. But the light was enough to show Shen where she was. Because of the white patches in her fur, it was not difficult for him to find her. The black and white creature was sitting on a bed of straw in a corner. As he approached, she rose in a crouched position. Shen smiled inwardly. Somehow he enjoyed it when someone respected him when he entered, rather than just the wolves, who obeyed him more out of a sense of duty. Chains clinked. That was probably not necessary, but he still thought it would be best to chain her up to prevent her from escaping.
Something fell down and rolled in front of Shen's feet. Shen looked at the object in surprise. It was a little bear filled with straw. She had made a bear doll.
He smiled mockingly at the improvised toy. "Extremely primitive." He kicked it with his foot and pushed it back to her. "Imaginary friends aren't enough for you, are they?"
She didn't answer. Without saying a word, she picked up the stuffed bear again.
Shen turned to the side and walked a few steps. "But what else can we expect from hillbillies like you pandas. You have no civilized behavior."
Again she said nothing. The panda woman just stood there with her head bowed.
Shen raised an eyebrow. He had never ordered her to be silent and wondered why she never responded to his sarcasm. Was she planning something after all? He looked at her carefully. He gave her just enough food and water to keep her alive. She also had no contact with anyone except him. Only when a wolf brought her food, but otherwise she was completely isolated. It was impossible that she would prepare an escape. Or did she?
"You are very quiet as always," he began again. "Were you like that among your own kind?"
Finally she raised her eyes. "No," she answered quietly.
"Well, I see you haven't forgotten how to speak." Shen was reluctant to admit it, but sometimes he liked to talk to her. Even if he never said it, and above all, never showed it. Somehow her voice calmed him down, even if he himself was not a particularly pleasant conversationalist. Because usually, he only made derogatory comments. And so it was today.
"Anyway," he continued, taking a few steps again, "no matter how much you and your clan had hoped for it, but today I have come one step closer to my goal." He stopped and gave her a condescending, mocking look. "The plan to stop me will fail in any case. And I will prove it to everyone." Actually, this only applied to those who knew about the soothsayer, and there weren't many of them, but Shen suspected that it might have been a topic of conversation in Gongmen City. Who knew whether that old goat hadn't told everyone about it.
Once again he waited that she objects, but this time too there was no reply.
"Well, if you like keep quiet," Shen concluded, "but you can't close your eyes to the truth." He turned to the door. "If you're lucky, you'll even see me successfully move toward victory." A cold smile slid across his beak. "And who knows, maybe you will become my final victim in my triumphal march."