Insecurities

General Zhao

"That's why it's so weird!" Po exclaimed.

"Po, what are you talking about?" Crane questioned.

Po rummaged through the cupboards. He finally grabbed a lemon. Po smiled widely as he sat back down. "Okay, remember how the Zeng's place looked?"

"Yeah, everything was a mess," Yun mentioned.

"But was anything missing?" Po questioned. Yun shook her head. "You see, that's what makes this whole thing so weird. Normal bandits would have just taken the stuff. Political villains kill people to make a statement so they wouldn't take anything."

"Okay, but that's never stopped them before," Mantis mentioned.

"You're right, but there were only two people in the entire house," Po argued.

"Okay, then it must have been only two of them. It would make less noise. However, strategically speaking, that would require a thinking pattern that most bandits don't have," Yun thoughtfully mentioned.

"Okay, there's the possibility. But here's the catch: The footprints looked a lot like duck prints. And if they killed Zeng and his wife in the house and if the villagers heard noises from the house, there would have been bloodstains," Po revealed.

Tigress's eyes suddenly widened. "The note. That's why it's so unusual. Anyone else would have just seen the mess and called us. And anyone getting too curious would be deterred by the note," Tigress added. Po nodded.

"And that's why it was placed on the ceiling," Po explained. "Political villains would have left more tracks, and thieving bandits don't leave valuables behind. Plus, look at the note. It's in Zeng's wife's handwriting."

"How do you know?" Tigress asked.

"Think about it. No one was in the house except Zeng and his wife. We already know Zeng's handwriting. The only person that we don't know well is his wife." Po explained.

"You're making it seem like-"

"Zeng stole from himself!" Po eagerly interrupted Tai-Lung. Everyone groaned. "Wait, that's not what I meant."

"But why?" Tigress asked. Po smirked, holding the lemon in his hand.

"The key was the lemon bandits. I sniffed the paper. It had a weird smell to it," Po said, cutting the lemon open and lightly drizzling the juices onto the paper. Suddenly, words started to form on the paper.

"It's a secret message," Tigress said. Po read it.

Po, Zhao has made his appearance again. He'll be coming for all of China and me, so I can't stay here. My wife is relocated to a different spot where she'll be safe. I'll go to northern China to make sure Zhao's forces don't overwhelm the soldiers and villagers there. Please make sure to bring all of the masters. If you run into Zhao before I do, kill his mouth first.

~Zeng.

"Oh no," Po whispered.

"Wait, why would Zhao try to get to Zeng first?" Tigress questioned as she looked from the paper to Po. Po's eyes darted all around the room. He looked at the floor to avoid everyone's gaze. "Po?"

Yun noticed Po's change from excited to nervous. "What's going on?" she asked Po. Po sighed.

The tents stood up like brown patches of dirt against the green ground. A bulky Siberian tiger walked out of the biggest tent. The tiger's broad shoulders stretched for a yard it seemed. His face and body held no scratches or bruises. The tiger's jawline was sharply cut and his thick leather battle armor covered his chest and legs. A white cloak with black daggers embroidered down the back hung around his body. He menacingly growled in a low tone as he gazed into the marked territory of China. General Zhao stood impressively over the cliff looking down into the small Mung Village. He would make his attack there, then head straight for the heart of China: The Valley of Peace. The very symbol of China's tranquility and security. If that fell, then the whole country would as well. "General Zhao! General Zhao!" Shouted an incoming Rhino, "Scouts have been captured by some of the villagers, sir. The villagers seemed to be more capable than we thought." Zhao didn't turn. He simply looked onward and folded his hands behind him.

"Lieutenant, tell me. How long have we tried to invade China?" Zhao asked collectedly.

"Uh... Ten years, sir," The rhino replied.

"And how many failures have we endured so far."

"None, sir," The rhino reported.

Zhao smiled at the lieutenant. The tiger's sharp-set gaze ate into the rhino's shivering frame. The thin line that formed his mouth tipped up at the corners of his mouth with distressing excitement. "Exactly. Ten years that I have strategically planned for this very moment without any failures. And what do you think we should do now?" Zhao said.

The rhino looked around worriedly to figure out a 'safe' answer. "Um... proceed carefully?"

"And make sure that we cut our losses. There are no failures in my grand plan," Zhao sneered with a sly grin. "Ready the men to attack the village. Make sure that no one is alive." The lieutenant's eyes widened as his mouth dropped. "This will serve as a lesson to all that fail to do their part in my plans," Zhao glared at the rhino. "Is that clear?" he asked in chilling calmness.

"Yes, General Zhao," The rhino promptly said, running towards the camp. Zhao smirked as he turned his eyes back to the village.

Fire hailed down on the little village, burning everything in its path. Zhao's men launched flaming balls from their catapults. The blazing boulders knocked down houses and buildings. The roads littered with broken bricks and rubble. The sky reflected the fiery glow as smoke billowed into the air. The smoke darkened the sun for an hour.

Once the smoke cleared, Zhao and his men marched into the rubble. Absolute silence walked around as the wind whistled the ash and soot away. "The village has been destroyed, General Zhao," saluted the Lieutenant, but the tiger scanned the landscape. Zhao growled loudly and punched the rhino in his left eye. "ARGH!" The Lieutenant flew back where the men caught him in their arms. "General?" He gasped, holding his eye in agony.

"There's no one here, you idiots," Zhao said in a lower calmer tone. "They evacuated before we attacked." Zhao's eyes looked toward the horizon, squinting at the setting sun. Suddenly, Zhao duck left and dodged an arrow aimed for his head. He looked at the arrow's gray tail. Zhao growled as his eyes peered into the distant woods. He spotted a bow in a feathery hand. The archer smirked under his black mask and darted into the woods. "Dead Shot Duck," Zhao quietly growled, grabbing the arrow out of the ground. "Men, we're going to press on."

"General Zhao," spoke one of the brawny gorillas, "Can't we rest? The men are tired and-" Zhao's bitter cackle echoed.

"I would worry less about the men, private, and more about the man that could potentially give your family permanent rest," Zhao stated, snapping the arrow in his hand. The gorilla and the men shuddered. "Are we clear?"

"YES, SIR!" Shouted the men as Zhao motioned them to march forward.

Through the dense woods and foliage, the archer duck dropped from the trees and landed where the villagers were gathered, all 180 of them. "They know that we escaped," explained the masked duck.

"We would have been destroyed if it weren't for you," said one of the villagers. Dead Shot nodded but kept his steady gaze.

"You still could. Zhao will concentrate all of his forces on the center of China. Head towards the edge of Korea. I'll send for you when things have calmed down." The crowd nodded as they walked through the wooded hillside. Dead Shot made sure the migration safely took place before spreading his wings and taking to the air. "Those knuckleheads better figure out my message," He muttered under his breath. He soared through the skies and landed on a single tree to scan the landscape. The two mountains in the southern distance would guarantee the duck time to thin out Zhao's forces. "Not a moment to lose," He hastily said as he soared onward.

Continued...