Chapter 23 - Lullaby

(Here we go, we find out Shifu's punishment, how bad will it be..?)

Oogway walked up to the matress and sat the cub down on the bed.
Shifu twiddled his fingers nervously, dreading the talk coming up.
The old tortoise moved sat down on the bed with the red panda. "....."
Shifu was quiet. He could tell his master was very angry with his actions. Oogway's mouth was set in a grim line, and his eyes were extremely cold.
"Shifu...."
Shifu sighed. "Yes Master Oogway...?"
"You disobeyed me........"
".......I know.." The cub whispered softly.
Oogway sighed and rubbed his temples. He was tired of having this conversation with his cub. "I almost lost you............ again..."
"...........I know.....................am I going to be punished?"
".............." All was silent, except for the raging wind outside the window.
"I don't know." He rested his chin in his hand and turned towards the nervous cub. "What do you think?"
"Wh-what?" Shifu was very confused.
Oogway blinked. "What do you think the punishment should be?"
Shifu's eyes went wide. "I-I have to punish myself?!"
The old tortoise nodded. "Yes. What would you like to lose?"
Shifu was quiet for a moment. "Maybe...........extra baths?"
Oogway couldn't help but laugh. Trust Shifu to chose that as a punishment! He cleared his throat. "No, Shifu.....think again."
The young red panda blinked. "Ummm......extra chores, and cancel the playdate with the girls on Sunday..?."
Oogway nodded. "Sounds fine."
Tears quivered in the cub's eyes. "I-I'm sorry master..!" He sobbed. "I was-I was just wor-wor-"
Oogway smiled lightly. "You were just worried for Ming Yang weren't you?"
Shifu gave another sob. "I-I thought I was going to lose Ming Yang....I was also worried for Li!"
The old tortoise nodded. "I understand Shifu, but you must realize that I am perfectly capable of doing things like that. You must know jobs a chld can do, and jobs adults do. What you did was far to dangerous for someone your age. I almost lost you. I may have said that no one could take you away from me, but the dangers of nature certainly can."
The cub nodded slowly. "I-I understand, please don't hate me.." He murmured.
Oogway's eyes went wide. "What-I-I could never hate you!"
Shifu sniffled. "Really? Not even if I burned the palace down trying to cook my own brekfast?"
Oogway chuckled. "Shifu, you could burn down all of China, I'd still love you."
The cub smiled. "Th-thank you master...I'm sorry." He bowed his head.
The old tortoise patted the cub's head. "You are forgiven my little one." He sighed, and smiled. "Do you remember the question you asked me when you were three?"
Shifu was quiet for a moment. "Hmmmmm.........oh! "How did you get so old?"
Oogway nodded, chuckling. "I responded with "the years, and training your parents."
Shifu nodded slowly. He wasn't quite sure what the old master was getting at. "Yeaaah...?"
The old tortoise stiffled a laugh. "Well...I think training you is going to bring me down to my death bed within no time."
The red panda's eyes went wide and his face went beet red. "You-you meanie!!" He growled, angrilly pouncing on his master.
Oogway laughed and managed to pry the cub off of him. "So, your friends are probably wondering where you are, you should probably go tell then that there is no playdate on Sunday."
Shifu sighed. "Yeah...Aww well! The punishment could be worse. You could've taken away my melon buns!
The old tortoise looked thoughtful for a moment. "Hmmmmmmmm.....not a bad idea." He peered down into the hororified eyes of the cub and laughed. "Realx. You've already picked two things."
Shifu nodded. "Right...I guess I-" But he was cut off by the frightening sounds of the storm. Thunder boomed so loud that the red panda and Oogway had to cover their ears. Lightning right outside the window blinded them. The air was sounded by another loud boom, the glass rattled.
"Under the bed!" Oogway shouted, he quickly pulled Shifu off the bed just as the glass shattered into a million pieces, deadly shards flew through the room. The wind roared continuously, the master and student could feel something trying to suck them out the window, but it wasn't strong enough. The carpet underneath them fluttered.
Oogway quickly ran to the door and started desperately twisting it. "Augh..! It's locked." He tried pulling it as hard as he could, but it wouldn't budge. The old tortoise slammed himself against the doors but they still didn't move the slightest bit. That's when he remembered, all the palace doors had been built strongly...they could endure being slammed easily.
"On the bed!" Oogway shouted. He and Shifu dove onto the bed , and under the covers. The wind was becomming much stronger. It sucked the heavy quilt out the window, there was another flash as everything went as dark as night.
Shifu screamed, and dove into his master's gentle arms. "No!!" Tears quivered in the cub's eyes.
Oogway knew that Shifu had recently developed a fear of the dark, after a few horrible dreams. The room was pitch black, even Oogway himself had to admitt how frightening it all was. They couldn't see a thing, the window had been busted open by the impact of the wind and the Typhoon's vortex was trying to suck them out into a windy death. He tried to console the young cub, who was pressed against him quivering like a leaf in the breeze. Oogway took a deep breath and did something that was his only hope of calming Shifu. "Iniside my heart....there burns a light, that lights my way all through my life. It keeps burning....burning...burning every day lighting my road to success, in hopes I always do my best That light will burn brighter...for as long as I love. And that light will never go out for love will guide my way. Always having a purpose...that will forever stay. It will never leave, no. Not that light, no. It will always be with me. As well as who'm I love, for that light is their heart that burns so bright. Lighting up the way....through the darkest nights. Holding on tightly.....tightly..never letting go. That light, my little light...burns a beautiful glow..."
At the sound of his master's sweet voice, the soft gentle tune. A song that had love inbeded in every single word. The furious howling seemed to have compleely stopped, as well as the flow of the young cub's tears. The vortex released it's tight grip on them and the palace. The clouds seemed to have parted. It was almost as if Oogway's song had brought peace and civility to the palace, to nature.....to all the valley. Shifu slowly raised his head and gazed up at the old tortoise. His tears had stopped completely, and his eyes miraculously didn't seem to be wet. It was as if that sweet song had driven away all the pain from the storm. He cuddled closer to his master's chest.
"Master Oogway! Shifu! Are you guys alright?!" Came a frightened, squeaky voice from outside the door.
"Master Oogway! Midget, open up!"
Definitely Wu Lian... Shifu thought bitterly.
"Master Oogway! Shifu?! Open the door!"
The wind roared with such inensity that Shifu needed to hold on the bed posts to keep from flying out the window. Water began to splash into the room. Many objects in the room were sucked into the swirling vortex outside. The storm was becoming so strong.
"Shifu!" Oogway shouted over the noise. "We need to hurry, find something to close the window!"
"I-I'll try!" The young cub crawled on the floor, ignoring the shooting pain of stepping on the broken glass. He found a large screen under the bed and attempted to press it to the window. "That'll give us some time! Try to pry open the doors!" He shouted through the wall.
The doorknobs rattled hard, and loud banging was heard. Finally a soft sob.
"We can't!" Ming Yang wailed. "We don't know how to open it!"
"Maybe there's a crowbar..?" Wu Lian suggested.
"Do you see one here stupid?!"
"No..."
"We have to do something!" Shifu yelled. He strained desperately against the screen on the window. "I don't think I can hold it much longer!"
Oogway began to panic. "You have to! Or else we're going to get sucked out the window!"
The wind became a deadly roar. A loud rumble was heard off in the distance..but it wasn't the rumble of thunder. Oogway and Shifu listened intently, even beyond the wall was compleely silent, except for the loud rumble off in the distance. Shifu ran to the window.
"Shifu!" Oogway yelled. "Get back here!" He hurried up to the cub, and was about to pull him from the window. The cub had gone completely frozen...numb. The old tortoise squinted his eyes. "What is it?" Oogway looked up into the sky. What he saw made his blood run cold.

(BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!! Another cliffie! Aren't I just the worst..?)

Preview!!

Shifu shivered and shook himself off. Trying desperately to get rid of the cold water that had drenched his body. The valley was a disaster. Many homes had been destroyed by the storm. But wait................his wasn't the valley! ...Where was he?! The cub got to his feet. "M-master..?" His voice quavered. "Master..?" "MASTER!!" Shifu ran all about. Screaming his master and best friend's names over and over again. "MASTER!!! MINGY!!! WU LIAN!!!!" He hurried to one side of the small village, then the other. Where was he?!! ...............Would he ever see his beloved master again..?

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