The Last Chance

6. Attackers Around

Mantis was still waiting in front of the prison. He raised his head when he saw Po coming back. "And? How was it?"
Po didn't reply. He passed Mantis, his glance far away.
"Uh, Po?"
But Po didn't seem to hear him and walked along some houses, then he let fall himself on a bench.
Mantis followed him and sat down next to him.
Po sighed. "I don't know what to do. I wish, I could do something, but I can't."
Mantis guessed what he meant. "But you have no right to change it."
"I know, damn, I know!"
Po was so deep in thoughts, that he didn't see the fast running shadows. But Mantis did.
"Hey, Po."
"Not yet. I must think... Ouch!"
Mantis had given him a slap. "Look! Someone is prowling through the area."
Po worked up curiosity and looked around. "Where? Who?"
"They went to the dungeon building."
Po jumped up and ran to the entrance, where two rhinos still stood keeping watch.
The panda scratched his head. "Uh... are you sure, Mantis?"
"I saw some suspects creatures, I'm sure."
Suddenly several black shadows jumped at the rhino guards and attacked them with blows and kicks. Po and Mantis recognized thin cat looking animals with leopard looking fur in black clothes.
Po got big eyes. "Who are they?"
"Unimportant!" Mantis said. "They want to break into the prison. We have to help!"
Po thawed from his staring. "Oh, yes, yes."
They ran forwards where the rhinos were almost defeated. The attackers looked around when they heard the two friends.
"Freeze!" Po threatened. "Or you will feel our fists."
The cat looking leopards didn't hesitate and attacked them. There were almost ten.
Po and Mantis were ready for a fight and gave their best to fight them off. At this moment more rhinos came.
"Warn the others!" Mantis screamed at Po. "I will delay them."
Po didn't wait and ran back into the prison.

"Master Storming Ox! Master Croc!" he shouted while Po was running through the corridors. "I... there is..."
He entered the torture room and froze.
Po's eyes grew wider than never before. Shen looked more than horrible. His tail feathers were gone. His feathers, which had been for him use like fingers, were gone. The most parts of his body had been plucked, but at least not all. The feathers on his head and neck were still there and some feather tufts over his shoulders, belly body and over his legs. Normally it would be a picture for a laugh, but Po wasn't in the mood to laugh.
The lord was exhausted. He hung in the chains with hanging panting head.
Po forgot everything what he wanted to say and raised his paw. "I'm the Dragon Warrior and I order you...!"
He stopped when he remembered Shifu's words.
"It's a done deal and can't be amended."
"Uhm... I mean... that you should stop plucking his feathers and do something else."
Po covered his mouth ashamed. These were the wrong words, he knew.
Master Ox laughed. "Nice idea, it became boring."
Po walked next to Master Croc. "He still didn't scream a single word," the crocodile master said.
Meanwhile the rhinos had gotten down the peacock and laid him on the floor again with stretched wings and legs.
Shen panted. Suddenly, he threw a glance at Po. Po winced when the piercing hate-filled eyes met him. It was more than humiliation for the lord that the Dragon Warrior looked at him.
Meanwhile the ox Wei had fetched a big hammer.
"What are they going to do now?" Po whispered to Master Croc.
"I gather that he is going to break his wings and legs."
Po froze. Then he laughed. "Ha, ha, okay. I have heard you said, you want to break his extremities, didn't you?"
His smile froze when Master Croc nodded at him.
Po looked at the ox with a worried glance. "You don't want to break his body, don't you?"
Wei grinned. "Look and learn."
The ox swung the big heavy hammer above the tied helpless peacock. Shen pressed his eyes and beak together.
The tormentor dollied the heavy instrument and let it fall on the left wing.
Po covered his ears, when shortly afterwards a shout echoed through the room which he had never heard before.
This time Shen couldn't blink back his cries and tears. Po watched how the lord breathed heavily. On his featherless skin emerged a bad bruise. He didn't want to imagine how much pain ran through the bird's body. Shen's eyes flickered quickly. As if he tried to find a place somewhere in the atmosphere to kill his pain.
Po went a few steps forwards and touched Master Ox's arm. "Could you stop it, please? I think, that was enough..."
"Hurt me more!" Shen shouted when he heard Po's words. He didn't need mercy!
Po was confused.
Wei grinned. "As you wish."
He swung the hammer again. This time he aimed the left leg.
Po winced. "No."
"It's necessary," Master Ox explained impatiently. He wanted to hear the scream again. That creature should suffer for his sins.
Another loud scream filled the cold air, when the ox broke the leg.
Po couldn't hear that anymore. "Stop it! I...!"
Suddenly, Mantis jumped on Po's head.
"Po! What is it?! Did you warn them?"
Po winced. "Uh... Master Ox!
"No, he deserves no break! We will carry it out in one day!"
"But Master..."
"No objections, or you can go!"
"But I wanted... there are..."
Suddenly, there were loud screams. Rhinos came rushing in the room. Mantis was ready first and jumped at the next attacker's face who followed them.
Shortly afterwards, the room was filled with screams and fights. Master Ox and Master Croc had surprised, but they weren't unprepared. In a flash, there was a fight between cat leopards, rhinos, oxen, crocodile, panda and mantis.
Po's eyes went to Shen. The attackers had removed the chains from him and had pushed him on the stone floor. Shen screamed with pain when they pressed his unhurt and broken wings on his back and tied him up with a cord.
Po stood up immediately.
No, they weren't here to help Shen. They wouldn't treat him like that. The peacock screamed louder when they moved his broken wing and leg. He couldn't ignore the pain anymore. He had broken inside. He was unable to fight back and was still too weak and exhausted to win a fight.
Despite he tried to struggle. But one of the attackers gave him a hard slap on his head and Shen sank unconscious to the ground.
Po jumped forward. Some leopards obstructed his way. But Po pushed them aside. He had to avoid that they could harm Shen more. With all his forces, he fought a way through the fight until he felt the lord's harmed body in his paw.
Suddenly, another creature appeared and pulled the unconscious lord away.
Po looked up and faced an annoyed leopard.
"Get your dirty hands off, buffing wheel!"
Po narrowed his eyes and stood up.
"My name is Po. I'm the Dragon Warri..."
He jumped away when the leopard punched at him. Those guys seemed to know how to fight kung fu. But for a bad thing.
The leopard tried it again. This time he beat into Po's belly. The belly shook and the beat force beat back at the leopard's face. The cat leopard was pushed away and flew through the air. Po looked at his hands, glad about this special function of his body. For a brief moment, he had free area.
Without thinking, he took Shen in his arms and ran as fast as he could.
"Catch him!" an angry voice shouted.
Po ran faster. Shen gave painfully sounds, but there was no time and no chance to take care for his injuries. They had to escape.
He stopped a moment when they arrived a fork of corridors. The left corridor guided more up, whereas the right way went downstairs. Shen moved a little and moaned. Carefully Po touched the lord's head and winced when he felt the cold blood of the hard head beat. Cautiously, he leaned the head closer on his chest.
"I saw him!" A voice shouted.
Po winced and ran downstairs. Aimless Po ran with Shen in his arms through the dark building. Afar he could still hear the shouts and beats from the fight. But he heard also quickly coming footsteps behind them. Po tried to remember whether he was here no long time ago. Where was a place to hide?
He realized a wooden half open door. Without thinking, he jumped inside.
They came into a kind of storeroom. Carefully, Po put the lord on the floor. Then he ran back, blocked the door with a wooden beam and a leaning chair.
"Alright," he said nervously to himself. "Alright. Don't panic. Think Po, think. What did you learn to do in such situations?"
Suddenly, something was blustering and throbbing against the door. Po backed away.