Chapter 7 - Like A Little Seed

(Most of this chapter is a philosophical lesson..)

"Mmm...look at the moon." Oogway said, pointing towards the moon. "It's nice out tonight.."
Shifu inhaled the fresh air happilly. "It really is! The air is so fresh!" He sat up on the log. "I love The Forest Of Tranquility.."
Oogway nooded agreeably. "Me too.........it is always filled with such peace.....if only the world could be like that.
Shifu grinned. "Maybe someday!"
The old tortoise nodded. "I hope..."
All of a sudden the bushes rustled.
Shifu nearly lost his grip on the log. "What was that?!"
They rustled even more.
Oogway got into a stance. "Get ready Shifu..!"
Both stood in a fighting stance, anxiously awaiting what would appear from the bush.
The creature emerged.
The two master's eyes widened with disbelief.
........A mouse.
Shifu and Oogway slowly turned to eachother, their mouths twitching. The two masters collapsed in laughter.
Shifu wiped his eyes. "Oh my gosh..what just happened to us?"
Oogway too wiped his tears and pointed to the small rodent. "..I think that's what happened to us!"
The young mouse scurried up a tall tree, twitching it's whiskers.
Shifu smiled. "It's so peaceful.."
Oogway nodded cheerfully. "Isn't it..?"
Shifu stretched as they walked. "I love coming here, it's the perfect place to relax!"
The Old tortoise chuckled. "The reason it is called the Forest Of Tranquility.."
Shifu smiled cheerfully. "Heh.."
Oogway grinned at his student. He had never seen the red panda so happy before in all his life.
Shifu caught his master grinning at him, so he turned away blushing. I'm acting like such a giddy weirdo..
The old tortoise glanced up at a tall tree. He did a huge leap up and landed on his tip-toes on top of the tree with perfect balance.
Shifu just stood there, mouth gaped wide open. Not even he could jump that high! "Whoa.......go Master!"
Oogway bowed and beckoned Shifu up. "You try it."
"What?!" The red panda was horrorified. "I can't jump that high!"
The old tortoise chuckled lightly. "Try it, it's very fun."
Shifu took a deep breath and flipped up into the air, he clawed desperately at one of the branches highest to Oogway and latched on. "Yeeees!"
Oogway beamed. "See, you did it!"
Crack. The branch began falling. Oogway reached over and grabbed the startled red panda right in the nick of time.
Shifu gave a relieved sigh, as he and Oogway climbed down the falling branch and onto the safety of the grass.
"Thank goodness...." Shifu said as he plopped onto the grass. "That was slightly frightening.."
Oogway laughed. "I agree with you on that one. Even I wasn't expecting it to fall." He walked over and sat on a log.
The red panda chuckled and joined his master. "Is the Forest Of Tranquility still as safe as it used to be?"
The old tortoise grinned. "Well, I hacen't been here in a while, do any of your students ever come here..?"
Shifu scratched his chin. "Hmm...Kurisu sometimes comes here to swim or draw."
"She swims?" Oogway asked in awe. "She's a cat!"
Shifu shrugged. "I find it just as strange...but then, she is a very strange child."
Oogway smiled awkwardly. "And let me guess, she hates heights?"
"She isn't very fond of them, no." Shifu laughed as he slipped into the forest's spring "The water is so nice.."
The old tortoise shrugged and hopped in. "It does feel nice..."
Shifu grinned. "Ahhh...I feel good.."
Oogway nodded in agreement. "I would imagine, after you let out all your sorrow. ..Umm....I mean, after you let out everything." He corrected.
Shifu half glared at his master. Earlier He had had all his withheld sadness forced out of him by his master's gentle words and arms. Soon after he had had all the laughter forced out of him by.....his master's tickling fingers. "Right, well I feel good none the less."
Oogway inhaled the sweet air. "It tastes like fruit...I wonder why." Then he smiled. "Shifu, do you remember the seed you planted when you were younger?"
The red panda looked thoughtful. "You mean when I was a cub?"
"no, the second one you planted." Oogway said. "The seed that I said represented you."
Shifu nodded. "Has it grown yet?"
The old tortoise chuckled lightly. "Shall we see?"
"Alright." Shifu pulled himself out of the spring. "Fine, let's go then."
"Do you understand what I meant by a certain tree represents your personality?"
"Yeah, I guess so." Shifu said a little awkwardly.
"You didn't before."
"I was a cub!"
"No actually you weren't. In fact I remember it clearly.."
Oogway sighed as he walked towards the training hall. Why am I always losing my meditation candles? He wondered. Am I just getting old? .......Ugh, well even the founder of Kung Fu has their time.. "...?" Oogway frowned as he noticed one of the palace geese by the training hall, looking very nervous.
"Zohou, what is it?"
"Ummmmm..." The goose gave a nervous chuckle and blocked the door. "N-nothing-!!"
Oogway narrowed his eyes and pushed Zohou away from the door and opened it. The old tortoise's eyes widened in shock at what he saw. Every single piece of training equipment was now ready made kindling scattered all over the floor, even pieces of the swinging club were everywhere. Spikes were littered across the wooden floor, every piece of equipment was ruined! Oogway shook his head slowly. Did Shifu do this? He wondered. The old tortoise shut the doors and continued to the training yard. He knew he couldn't be angry with Shifu..the red panda was just getting over heartbreak.
Shifu was moving around the yard taking down innocent by-standers (the palce geese) as he smashed every giant boulder around.
Oogway had to duck to avoid the flying debree in the air, they were tossed every which way.
"Shifu, calm down..!"
The red panda completely ignored him and concentrated on another giant boulder in the center of the yard. He got to his feet and began running towards the boulder but was roughly pulled back. Shifu cried out as he hit the ground, he glared at no one in particular.
"Shifu."
The red panda refused to meet the old master's eyes.
"Shifu, look at me."
Slowly, Shifu rose his grim face to Oogway's disapointed one.
The old tortoise sighed and shook his head. "I found my training hall.."
Shifu winced slightly, still glaring. "....."
"Will you explain to me why you destroyed everything in that room?"
"............"
Ooway sighed. "I'm not angry, just disappinted as to why you used my equipment to release your anger."
"....." Shifu turned away obviously ashamed. "..I'm sorry.." His apologie wasn't very sincere at all.
The old tortoise smiled understandingly. "Now Shifu, I know you are going through tough times right now, but you have to remember to-" Then he stopped. "...." He glanced down to see blood dripping from some deep arm wounds on Shifu's arms, coming down from his shoulder. Now Oogway was angry. "What in the name of the great golden dragon happened to your arms?!"
Shifu cringed under his master's harsh gaze. "......I was punching things.."
"To the point where your arms began to stream blood??? Shifu! You know when something like that happens, you come for medical treatment immidiately, those wounds are very deep! Reaching the limits of your body is self discapline, going over them is pure foolishness,
and you know that!"
Shifu glared at his master. "I'm fine! I'm not that weak!"
"Weakness has nothing to do with this, common sense is the issue!"
The red panda clenched his fists and turned the other direction. "...." He crossed his arms.
Oogway gave an exasperated sigh. "Uhhh........let's try a little excercise, shall we?" He swept the air with his staff. A loud "whoosh" echoed through the mountain, a single peach fell into the old tortoise's hand. "Throw this peach as hard as you can at one of the boulders." He placed it in his student's hand.
Shifu's glare was replaced with a look of confusion. "..What?"
"Throw the fruit as hard as you can, with all your strength. Aim it at the peach."
Shifu nodded reluctantly and swung his arm back.
"Oh yes." Oogway said simply. "You're not allowed to smash the peach."
"What?!"
"Go on." Oogway pressed.
More confused then ever, Shifu hurled the peach at the rock, it smashed to pieces, orange goop dripping down the rock.
Oogway swept the air. "Again." He placed another peach in Shifu's hand.
Shifu swung his arm back. "Smash!" Another fruit smashed to smitherines.
The old tortoise tossed another peach to Shifu. "Again."
Smash!
Shifu stomped his foot in frustration. "I can't do it master! It's impossible!"
The old tortoise smiled myseteriously. "Nothing is impossible." He took a peach into his hand and hurled it so hard at the rock all you could see was a blur of orange.
Shifu's mouth gaped open, he couldn't believe it!
Not a single bruise on that piece of fruit..
Oogway looked over at him. "You see? Nothing is impossible..." He tossed another peach
to the red panda. "Again."
Shifu tossed the peach up in each hand. then eyed the rock.
"Focus your chi, not on the peach.."
Shifu was really confused now. "Then...on what?"
"On your mind."
"What?!"
"To do this excercise you must have a calm mind, and steady arms. Do not douubt yourself....nor the peach."
Shifu squinted hard at the rock carefully, thoughtfully.
"Concentrate."
Shifu swung his arm back steadily, the peach connected with the giant boulder.it did not break. Shifu hurried over to it, only a small bruise.
Oogway grinned. "You did it."
Shifu turned up the corners of his mouth slightly, mustering a tiny grin of his own. "I guess I did..."
"You see?" Oogway asked as he bit into the peach. "To do this excercise you only needed to calm your mind...to allow peace to enter it. This escercise is a method to calm your anger, if the peach does not break...then your mind is steady." He smiled lightly. "At least, for that moment anyways."
Shifu bowed. "Thank you master.."
The old tortoise scratched between his student's ears, a gesture of affection that Shifu pretended to hate..although it secretly made him feel good. He gave a tiny smile up at Oogway. "I will remember master.." Oogway pulled a couple pebble like objects out of his pocket. "Shifu, you are like this seed." His eyes sparkled with a hint of amusement. "But which one..? There are two of them here, which one is you?"
Shifu blinked. "None of them master, I'm a red panda." Although the red panda normally got Oogway's phisosophical riddles....this one made no sense at all.
Oogway laughed. "Are you? Or are you one of these seeds?"
"......I'm quite sure I'm a red panda!"
The old tortoise chuckled. "A tree can represent many different types of personalities,
for example: Apple trees are stong and sturdy, they can brave themselves against cold weather, matter the condition. They have high leader like personalities and taste sweet and tangy. Quite often they are held down by their roots of regrets though. It is not very common to find an apple tree with loose roots. Some grow up as throny trees, that can harm
others, and some grow up to be coconut trees that hide in their shell, and have a hard time
coming out and expressing themself. Which one are you? .In this state, I fear you will grow to be a thorn tree.." He shook his head sadly. "I pray that you won't.."
Shifu shook his head. He still did not understand. "....."
Oogway smiled and cupped his hands over Shifu's. He dropped the two single seeds in
Shifu's hand.
"One of them is mine, and one is yours. This will represent who you will be in the
future, go and plant them now."
Shifu nodded reluctantly and headed to the Forest Of Tranquility. The red panda focused
his chi on the hole and swung his fist, a deep soil hole was made. Shifu planted the seed
and covered up the hole. Eager to see what would sprout.
Oogway smiled gently at Shifu. "Go and check your tree out, I'm going to head back to
the palace now..."
Shifu nodded slowly. "Okay!" He smiled and walked into the forest. The red panda
brushed away a few branches and peered over into the brown soil. Shifu stepped back to
admire his tree, eyes sparkling. It was an apple tree....with roots as loose as can be.

(I think this is about the only chapter where I REALLY got Oogway's personality down! XD,
what did you think of the mouse part? Bet you were expecting Giao Xun!)

Preview of the next chappppiiiiiieeeee!

Shifu gave a low growl at the annoying palace goose. "I swear Zeng, if this isn't important...you are REALLY in for it!" He despised being disturbed from his meditation state.
"Shifu!" Oogway scolded, rapping the red panda hard with the flute. "It is Zeng's job, he is the messager, let him be." The old tortoise turned to the goose and smiled gently. "What is it Zeng?"
Zeng trembled under Shifu's cold glare. "There is someone here asking for Shifu."
Shifu's eyebrows rose. "Oh..? Who would that be?"
All of a sudden the palace doors swung open, in walked his visitor.
Shifu fell to his knees, mouth gaping. "Great golden dragon...!"
The creature grinned and flicked it's tail. "Long time no see, Shifu."

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