One Tail at a Time

Liwei - 5

There is distinct sound that immediately fills my head as I am unexpectedly sucked out of that room and into some weird kind of mist.  The whooshing in my ears is deafening and a little painful, and despite the instant fear that fills my core, I am still aware of everything that is happening around me.  And movement is what I am feeling.  It is the same kind of feeling I got when I was sucked into the air all those years ago, in that I have no idea in which direction I am going or even if I am going anywhere, all I feel is the cold snap of air blocking my vision, the sound of Liweis yelling growing dimmer by the second and then a roaring in my ears as my body is buffeted about in this turbulent maelstrom that is hurting every square inch of my skin as I am literally thrown about with no ability to control it.

And for a brief moment, I consider the possibility that I am on my way back to Kunlun Mountain having called upon the Kunlun pin to take me home, only the blinding pain that sweeps through my head as I crash into something solid, has my eyes tearing and me crying and squealing at the figures who are now approaching me from all directions.  My heart is filled with an agony and desperate desire for it to be my brothers, only the journey was too brief, and I know deep down that it is not them, when unfamiliar voices begin to crowd in around me.

It takes some time for my vision to clear, but no sooner do the worried faces appear, along with where i am exactly, then the tears of despair drown them all back out again.  I am at the doorway to that long corridor, the one that Liwei said his fathers energy protected, so it is obvious that this is as far as the Pin will allow me to travel, because the small amount of Shifus energy within its pin, is not enough to break through and send me home.

I am injured, but I am still fully aware of everything happening around me and though I am now terrified of what that Demon Lord will do to me now, my mind is fully on the safety of my pin.  Shifu had always said that I think more clearly when under pressure, and the need to hide my pin before he arrives is imperative because I cannot allow him to confiscate it, so very carefully, my fingers deftly remove it from my dress before it is magically attached to my inner slip.  It is done so quickly, that I am positive none of the people hovering around me saw a thing, but I know that as soon as he comes to claim me, he is going to search for it and one quick glimpse down the front of my dress, has me quietly breathing a sigh of relief, it has disappeared from view again and so long as he doesn't strip me to my underwear, he won't see it.  

I may have failed to get out this time, but I am hoping that once I'm in the Demon Lands, I will get another chance to try again.  Now watching through my tear filled eyes as Liweis father approaches like a tornado of hot air that is blasting down the corridor, I turn up the tears while rocking my body as if in extreme pain in the hope that he will take pity on me and be gentle.

"You foolish girl!" his voice thunders down at my head which is tucked up into my chest while the rest of me is doubled over on my side.  "Do you really think your pathetic magic is powerful enough to break through my barrier?" he asks a little softer this time as he lowers himself to move me onto my back which instantly sets off a wave of dizziness which makes me cry harder.

"Crying is not going to work with me my dear.  Get up!" he all but yells as the people around me quickly jump back having recognized him and though I catch a few furtive stares of pity, none dare to intervene as I am grabbed by the back of my dress and yanked up so hard, that the pain becomes unbearable and I am screaming in agony.  

The pain from hitting that door was all too real, and having hit head first, it feels as if my entire brain is exploding in my skull, the pain is unbearable and I momentarily pass out.  Only to awaken in Liweis arms having arrived to assist his father in getting me back to the Demon Lands as quickly as they can.  As yet, neither have addressed how I even managed to get out of that Palace so quickly, so I quietly pride myself on having the foresight to hide my pin, because I know he would have immediately seen it.  Though why he isn't looking for something that must have aided me in escaping seeing as he thinks my magic is that pathetic has me realizing he doesn't know about the pin.