Kung Fu Kellie and the Legend of Anguo

by Shinn A. H.

  ellie stared up at the solid barrier that reached well above the trees. Were they on the other side? Inquisitively, she walked up to it and felt it with her hands. It consisted of an intertwining lattice that was smooth to the touch. She had seen the material it was made out of before, and racked her brains to figure out where.

  Bamboo, she thought. This wall is made out of bamboo!

  “Kellie!” shouted Jake, running up to her alongside the bamboo wall, huffing and puffing.

  “Jake!” Kellie squeezed him around the shoulders. She was the most happy she had ever been to see him. Releasing the hold and shoving him back, she demanded, “Where’s Jory?”

  “He’s safe…a little hurt, but okay. What happened to you?” he asked pointing to the slashes on her arm.

  “He’s hurt? First, let’s get to Jory.”

  She followed Jake as he led the way.

  Jory was sitting on the ground, leaning against the odd plant structure. He was fiddling with his glasses, bending the rim back into shape, and placed it on his pale face.

  “Lucky I didn’t lose these…” he said.

  Kellie kneeled down next to him and asked, “How are you feeling?”

  “H-horrible! I was kidnapped by a monkey!” Jory’s voice shook and he was clearly distraught by the experience.

  “We thought you were talking crazy talk before ’cause your head was injured, but we believe you now about the talking monkey!” said Jake.

  “No,” said Kellie, thinking back — she caught a glimpse of the animal that took Jory — “that monkey was different than the one that attacked us at the monastery.”

  “There are two of them?” Jory cried.

  “How’d you get away?” asked Kellie, feeling horrible as she looked over her shaken friend.

  “I saved him!” said Jake and began to describe the incident with some zeal. “The monkey had Jory by the neck and swung fast…and I mean really fast, through the trees — I ran after them, making sure they didn’t fall out of my sight — Man that monkey was fast — I was getting closer and closer and was inches away from Jory’s dangling feet, so I reached out to grab him. The monkey must have known this because he swung wider — Then I got an idea! I grabbed some rocks as I was running, and BAM! I hit the monkey right behind the head — I have a great pitching arm by the way — The rock stunned the monkey and Jory fell to the ground. It turned around and headed for us, but I kept pelting it with rocks and got it right between the eyes. It must’ve changed its mind ’cause it turned back and left.”

  “I sprained my ankle when I fell,” Jory said, finishing the story.

  “Oh no!” said Kellie. “Can you walk?”

  “Yeah, but my ankle’s swollen and it hurts….What about you? What happened to you?” he asked, noticing her wounds.

  “I — uh — was attacked by a tiger.”

  “WHAT?” they said at the same time.

  “A very hungry looking tiger tried to eat me,” said Kellie. “It knocked me down and when I expected it to be over for me, another tiger — the most beautiful I have ever seen — saved me. I don’t understand why….”

  “Wow!” said Jake. “That makes our story sound like peanuts.”

  “Humph!” Jory let out, as he dug through his bag. He handed Kellie alcohol swabs to clean her cuts. He also pulled out other items from his survival kit: a nylon cord, a flashlight, a signal mirror, matches, aluminum foil, blanket, and a rather intimidating switchblade. When he found what he was searching for, a piece of first aid cloth, he wrapped it tightly around his bad ankle and tried to get up. Kellie and Jake rushed to help him, but he protested. “I can do this….I’m gonna have to. We need to find the necklace.”

  “We can’t go on,” said Kellie. “You’re hurt! We have to go back.”

  “I’ll be fine,” he said firmly. “We have to find Anguo.” He hobbled around to feel out his leg. “It’s not too bad.” His face grimaced.

  Kellie and Jake looked at each other with grave hesitancy. After failing to convince him that it would be best to abort the mission, they mutually agreed to go on for a short time longer. If no sign of the talking monkey’s home was detected, they were going to turn around.

  “What do you think is on the other side of this wall?” Jory asked.

  “Isn’t this bamboo?” asked Jake, rubbing the tightly woven wall, made from unusually thick bamboo stem.

  They explored the oddity that seemed to keep going on both ends: Jake followed it along in one direction, while Jory limped the other way.

  “Hey, we need to stay together!” Kellie shouted.

  “Come here!” Jake yelled. “Over here!”

  When Kellie and Jory arrived at the spot where Jake was jumping up and down, they were surprised to see an opening. It appeared as if someone hacked their way through the bamboo wall.

  The three of them were examining the breach when Jake said, “We have to see what’s on the other side.”

  With no objections from the other inquisitive two, they crouched down a bit to get into the hole. They were practically crawling through the wall, which was about fifty feet thick. When they emerged from the small tunnel, each of them gasped. They were now in a desolate area with nothing but bones, ashes, and dirt. Nothing living was in sight.

  “What is this place?” asked Jake.

  “What is that?” Jory asked, pointing to a white object at a distance, discernibly distinct from its bleak backdrop.

  Slowly, they walked closer to the thing, and as they neared, it moved.

  “What the — ?” cried Jake, jumping back.

  What they came across was the back of a huge bird with its head lowered to the ground. It lifted its beak, revealing itself. Kellie, Jake, and Jory were taken aback by the grandeur of the animal. It was the most elegant bird Kellie had ever laid eyes on.

  “That’s a white crane!” Jory said excitedly.

  “I hope it’s not hungry,” Jake said nervously.

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” said Jory. “Cranes eat berries, plants, insects, small-sized rodents, and fish. Not people.”

  “Good to know,” said Jake.

  “I wonder what it’s doing here,” said Kellie curiously.

  “Waiting for Bao Yu,” said the crane.

  “Whoa!” yelled Jake, as the three jumped back. “Where are we? Do all the animals here, talk?”

  “No,” he said, “just the mystical animals.”

  Stepping forward, Kellie said, “M-my name is Bao Yu. Do — do you know me?”

  The crane’s attention turned to Kellie, his eyes meeting hers as if he was analyzing her. “Are you sure you are who you say?”

  “Of course! Yes, my name is Bao Yu.” Kellie thought that was a funny question. “I am Bao Yu…if I am the ‘Bao Yu’ you are waiting for.”

  After his beak slowly lowered and raised, scrutinizing her some more, he took a dramatic bow. “I was told you were here….It is a pleasure.”

  Taking another step closer to the bird, Kellie asked, “How — how do you know of me?”

  “In due time — in due time, you will learn who you are. It is not that day.”

  “I don’t have a lot of time,” said Kellie, as she got desperate. The monks wanted to send her away immediately, and after they move out of Taiping Monastery, she would unlikely have another chance to get clues about her past.

  Frustrated with all the secrets that have been kept from her by virtually everyone, she couldn’t stop herself from becoming discomposed. “You must answer my questions, now!”

  “I wouldn’t yell at the gigantic bird if I were you,” Jake whispered, leaning in to Kellie’s ear.

  Ignoring him, Kellie continued to ask questions, but lowered her voice. “Please, please…tell me what you know.”

  “It is not my decision,” answered the bird. “Who are your companions?”

  Jake put his hand out to introduce himself. “I’m Jake.” Then he slowly lowered his hand, glancing at his silky feathers.

 
; “I’m Jory.”

  “And I am called Zurich,” said the crane.

  “Where are we?” asked Jory.

  “This is the Bamboo Forest. It once was a serene and magical place…before it got destroyed.”

  “That sucks,” said Jake. “How did it get destroyed?”

  “An intruder hacked his way in through the protective bamboo wall — the big hole I am assuming the three of you entered through. The intruder set the trees on fire. As you can see, not one bamboo survived. Sadly, some of the forest animals also died in the blaze.”

  Kellie wanted to pry information out of the crane about the “Bao Yu” he was waiting for. Could he know anything about her past…and specifically, who her parents are? And what did he mean by, “It is not my decision”? Whose decision could it be? She felt butterflies in her stomach and tried to calm herself. She was standing in front of a talking animal that could give her the answers she desired her whole life. But instead, she asked coolly, “Do you know who did this?”

  “A monkey with a lost soul,” answered Zurich.

  “Does this monkey also speak?” asked Kellie, perking up. “And is yea high,” she said with her hand at chest level, “and is old and scary with shaggy gray hair?”

  She had to remind herself that the main goal was to get Anguo back from the monkey.

  “Yes,” said Zurich, looking at her with interest.

  “Why would he do this?” asked Kellie.

  “It is unclear. He may have possibly been seeking Spring Meadows. How do you know him?”

  “He’s an awful creature,” said Kellie. “He took the life of a monk at Taiping Monastery and has been attacking the others….He also stole my necklace….” Her voice trailed off, thinking about Shifu Lau.

  Now Zurich was taken aback. “The monkey did all these things?” he asked, looking perturbed. “When did all this happen?”

  Taking a deep breath, Kellie said, “He killed Shifu Lau eight years ago — He’s been recently invading the monastery. Last night, he beat Shifu Tan and snatched my necklace.”

  “That’s why we’re here…to get her necklace back,” said Jory.

  “Why would he want a piece of jewelry?” Zurich asked Jory, swinging his beak toward him.

  Jory appeared nervous that a sharp beak was inches from his nose.

  Kellie gave Jory a blank stare, as she opened her mouth, words flitting on her lips. “We’re — uh — not sure.”

  Zurich’s beak now aimed at Kellie; he studied her face and then examined Jory and Jake’s expressions. Kellie could tell the crane knew she wasn’t being honest, but Anguo had to be protected. Besides, she didn’t know the intentions of this mystical animal.

  “The monkey is very, very dangerous,” warned Zurich. “I advise you to stay away from him. He is vengeful and full of disdain.” Kellie could have sworn she saw sorrow in his eyes for a split second. “The three of you,” he said, “have entered a world many do not know of….And as I said earlier, only the mystical animals can speak. Actually, we can more than just speak.”

  Kellie, Jake, and Jory quietly listened, soaking up every word.

  “We are here to help balance good and evil,” Zurich began to disclose. “We are closely tied to yin and yang. Yin and yang is a symbol of what we are and how we live. Light cannot exist without dark, male without female…

  “People, in some point in their lives, must choose between good and evil — at least to some degree. The mystical animals are here to favor good. You see, since the beginning of history, there have been humans who have wanted to rule the world at any cost. Humans are easily tempted and have strong desires that sometimes they cannot control. The power hungry ones have stopped at nothing to achieve it. We are here to help with the fight against evil by training a chosen one.”

  Zurich ruffled his feathers and then looked at the kids listening to him intently. “We have visitors. I suggest you run.”

  “What?” asked Jake, as the three of them snapped out of a trance-like state from listening to the captivating narrative.

  “These tigers are ordinary animals,” said Zurich. “I suggest you run fast.”

  Kellie turned around and saw a streak of hungry tigers forming in front of the gap in the bamboo wall. They resembled the tiger that attacked Kellie earlier; their bones poked from their skin and saliva dribbled down their mouths.

  The frightened teens started running farther into the dead bamboo forest and the predators didn’t waste a second to go after them.

  Zurich flew up and swooped down at the animals, stopping them in their tracks. They crouched back, but quickly regrouped and jumped in the air, swiping their paws at the bird. Although the crane was big, he was also fast. Zurich easily avoided the hits and struck them with his large wings. A couple of the felines gave up and left, but the others persisted, leaping up at the delectable prey. When the bird was distracted, a few of the tigers slipped away and ran after the fleeing kids.

  Kellie yelled, “Run!” as she sprinted for her life, constantly looking over her shoulder at her petrified friends and Zurich fighting off the aggressors. Jake trailed farther and farther behind her and Jory even farther because of his limp leg. Kellie saw that Jake was out of harm’s way for the moment, but the tigers were quickly moving in on Jory.

  “Jory, RUN!” shouted Kellie, who doubled back as she yelled at Jake to keep going. She was running toward Jory when she saw one of the animals about to pounce on him; she watched in horror as it leapt up from its hind legs. Being a hair too far from him, she screamed. Terror arose on his colorless face and he covered his head with his hands as a large shadow fell over him. Just as the tiger was about to grip its jaw into Jory’s neck, the mysterious tiger that saved Kellie, intersected and knocked down the cat.

  Jory didn’t get away unscathed though and fell to the ground. Kellie rushed to his aid and shuddered at what she saw: blood trickled down the side of his head. “Jory, say something, please! Can you hear me?”

  Jory moaned and sat up in a daze. He felt the back of his neck. When he saw red on his hand, he became woozy and fainted back into Kellie’s arms.

  Jake, now kneeling on Jory’s other side, said to Kellie, “I think we need to get out of here.”

  The two tigers were at it, fighting violently. The animal that attacked Jory was no match for the one that saved him, but fought back viciously. Then another feline from the ambush entered the clash and it was now two against one.

  The crane flew down next to the kids. “Bao Yu, you’re going to stay here….I’ll take the boys to safety.”

  “Why do I have to stay here?”

  “Observe the fight,” he said, as he motioned to Jake to help Jory get on his feathery back. “We need to take care of Jory.”

  “What about Kellie?” asked Jake.

  “Who’s Kellie?”

  “Er — Bao Yu…Kellie is her other name.”

  “Oh…she will be safe with Mulin.”

  “Who’s Mulin?” shouted Kellie, as she watched Zurich take off with her two friends. “Wait! Where are you taking them?” She knew they couldn’t hear her; they already reached the clouds.

  Kellie turned around and saw the exquisite animal conquering her opponents. Fighting the two tigers looked as effortless as fighting just the one, and it almost seemed as if she was toying with them. Circling the wild prowlers, she didn’t take her eyes off her rivals, allowing them to jump at her and strike. She moved out of the way with ease and hit them with immense power. After tumbling back and whimpering in pain, the losing side hastily advanced again. She roared at them with such force; they halted in midstep. Letting out a low grumble, with contemplation they backed away. With one last glare, they conceded and left through the hole from which they came.

  Fixated with what Kellie witnessed, she soon realized she was alone with the enigmatic creature. Kellie began to back away herself, unafraid of the animal, but uncertain what would happen next.

  The victor didn’t take her eyes off the t
igers until the last tail disappeared. Once they were out of sight, she turned to Kellie and strolled leisurely toward her.

  Kellie continued to back away, but there was nowhere to hide.

  “Don’t be frightened, Bao Yu,” said the cat with a majestic voice.

  “Y-you can talk, too?” asked Kellie. She stopped stepping backward and let the animal approach her.

  “So you are Bao Yu,” said the tiger, with a sparkle in her eye. “I knew it.”

  “That is my name, but I’m not sure I am the one you and Zurich seem to know.”

  “I saw you fight the other tiger. You are the one. I told him so.”

  Kellie held herself back from demanding the tiger tell her what she knew. It didn’t work with Zurich and she didn’t want to anger the powerful beast. Maybe if she became friendly with the animal, she would get some answers.

  “Are there many of you…mystical animals, I mean?”

  “Not too many.”

  “Do other people know of your true existence?” Kellie remembered Master Zheng’s astonishment when he learned that the mystical animals were not just a fable.

  “Only the selected,” answered the tiger, yawning as she sat down with a thud.

  It wasn’t going quite as Kellie had hoped and she tried to think of something brilliant to say next that could get her the knowledge she desired.

  “I haven’t introduced myself, yet,” the feline said, instead. “My name is Mulin….You have already met Zurich, the white crane. We are not the only talking animals; there are others like us. You will meet them when the time comes.”

  “I have already…” said Kellie. “The evil mystical animal took Shifu Lau’s life and injured many others.”

  “What did you say?” Mulin replied in shock to Kellie’s unexpected news, jumping up on all fours. “There are no evil mystical animals!” she bellowed as she stepped right up to Kellie.

  This was the closest Kellie had been to Mulin and she swallowed her breath, both out of fear and in awe of the beast.

  “The monkey…he’s not an evil mystical animal?”

  “Oh, the monkey…” Mulin breathed as she strode past her. Kellie felt the tips of her soft fur brush against her arm. Mulin paced around, kicking up ash from underneath her paws, staring out into the nothingness of the desecrated forest. Circling back, Kellie saw the tiger’s narrow pupils settle on her with a new objective.