Kung Fu Kellie and the Legend of Anguo

by Shinn A. H.

  She fell and her cheek brushed against some pebbles and dirt sifted through her fingers. She was lying stomach down on the ground, the smoke from the car making her cough. Someone yanked her up again by the collar of her jacket and this time she didn’t land back on the earth, but felt a continuous pull up. Cold, fast wind rushed past her head and her hair tossed in all directions. The shrilling cries of her name were now faint until they were no more. Occassionally, something slapped across her face as the gust froze her ears.

  A sudden deafening squawk echoed through her obscure awareness. There was no longer a grip on her clothes and she felt her body free falling. Landing on a soft, warm furry surface, Kellie passed out.

  The blackness began to fade and her sight came to. Kellie’s vision was sharp once more and she immediately recognized where she was. Gigantic Monarch butterflies fluttered above her and she was lying on a soft bed of grass. She felt tranquil knowing she was in Spring Meadows; although, her head was pulsating.

  Hearing delicate footsteps waving through the lawn, Kellie saw a large shadow cast over her, and cool water sprinkled on her face. Instantly, the pain subsided and she knew what healed her.

  “Zurich,” said Kellie, pushing the top of her body up. She took a sigh of relief when she saw that Mulin was a few feet away. “Where’s Jory and Jake? And Mr. Ho?” she asked rotating her waist around.

  “We did not see them,” said Zurich.

  “What?” Kellie said in a raised voice, exploding to her feet. “Where are they? The accident…I’m not sure what happened….We hit a tree…I heard yelling. My name — someone was calling my name…then I was being carried away….”

  “You were being taken by one of Hagos’s minions — Fate had us right there. The monkey swung through the trees right past us with you in its clutches,” drawled Mulin. “We did not see your companions.”

  “I have to find them! What if they’re hurt? And Master Zheng…Hagos kidnapped him. He has Anguo. I gave it to Master Zheng and Hagos took him and wants the other stone.” Taking a breath, she said, “I’m so glad to see you both! You have to help us!”

  “You regained your necklace?” asked Zurich, fluttering his feathers, seeming both surprised and impressed.

  “We told you not to go after Hagos,” said Mulin, disapprovingly. “He is dangerous —”

  “We didn’t!” said Kellie, getting impatient. “We found a cave and stayed there until daylight, and found my necklace in the cave, sitting on the Fountain of Truth!”

  Mulin’s hair raised off her back as she switched looks with Zurich. “You discovered the Cave of Gray Slate?” she asked, her ears propping up.

  “Yes…and we found the Saola tied up in there, too! We set it free and the next morning the unicorn led us out of the maze.”

  Mulin’s pupils contracted as she moved with stealth toward Kellie.

  “The Saola is rarer than the mystical animals. She almost never assists anyone through her labyrinth. Consider yourself honored.”

  “You stated Hagos captured Master Zheng and has the stone,” said Zurich, stepping around the plush grass, thinking, then turning to Kellie. “Hagos knows that the jade is where Anguo exists?”

  “Yes, and it is my fault,” groaned Kellie, her face cringing. It wasn’t any easier admitting what she had done a second time.

  “What did you mean by Hagos wanting ‘the other stone’?” asked Mulin, confused. “There’s another piece?”

  “Master Chen broke the stone in two when he was a little boy. He took one and his friend took the other. Hagos now has Master Chen’s half and we think we know who has the one his friend sold his to, but it’s in the other side of the world. Master Chen is trying to get it back as we speak.”

  “Thus, Hagos earlier did not fathom what he had in his ownership,” said Zurich, “…or why would he have left it in the cave?”

  “Well,” said Kellie, “the Fountain of Truth may not have had the proper water in it, so it wouldn’t have revealed anything to him about the jade. He may have been planning to return to the cave and did not expect the pathway to be changed….He attacked the monks” — recalling Hagos’s accusations during the attack — “and blamed them for setting the Saola free.”

  Zurich threw her another notable glance for coming up with the theory.

  “We have to get going,” pleaded Kellie, becoming more impatient than ever. “Hagos will try to take Anguo’s powers. We can’t let that happen.” She wasted so much time talking, when they needed to be acting. Running to the area where the invisible doorway was the last time she was there, she looked around hoping she could get a glimpse of it.

  “That is not what he plans,” said Zurich. “The power is in its passing, and the night of that event is tonight. Using Anguo’s energy would be secondary to him.”

  Kellie immediately abandoned her efforts to find the entrance and walked back to where they were still planted.

  “What is it he is planning?” she asked, feeling agitated that they did not share this with her earlier.

  “He lost his chi and he can regain it back on the night Anguo moves to its next host,” he answered bluntly.

  Kellie did not know what to make of this information. She didn’t know it was even possible to lose one’s chi. “What do you mean, ‘he lost his chi and he can regain it’?”

  Mulin gave Zurich a disapproving stare and he seemed to ignore her.

  “I don’t think it is the time for this,” she said to him, the two mystical animals now meeting eye to eye.

  “She must understand how dangerous he can be,” he replied. His wings tight against his sides, he began to explain to Kellie. “We, the mystical animals, not only hold great wisdom and skills, but we are also gifted with enormous power — our energy. A mystical animal has never misused this power and a mystical animal has never turned dark, until Hagos. Once he took the lives of numerous humans, we had to take drastic measures. We could not strip him of his knowledge, but on the night of Anguo’s passing, called the Night of Pass, we were able to take away his energy….Yes, Anguo’s presence provides luck to this country, but during its transition, it triggers an anomaly in our celestial dome, allowing other metaphysical occurrences.

  “The mystical animals are aware of the coming of the Night of Pass by signs above: a few months ago, two shooting stars crossed each other’s path. As the special night approaches, the stars grow less and less fixed until we see the moon’s color radiate and an extraordinary display produced above. It is a reminder of why we exist. To us, the moon lets off an essence on the Night of Pass, much like Anguo’s essence visualized with the Seer, though we are uninformed of its current host — That position is granted to humans, the Protectors, and it is their responsibility that the host is safeguarded and in good keeping, whether they are aware or not.”

  The pieces were falling together in Kellie’s head like a puzzle. Somehow, Hagos must have learned that “Bao Yu” held Anguo and that was why he had been searching for it so frantically the past year: the attacks on the monks were becoming more frequent and violent. He must have been getting desperate, knowing the passing of Anguo would be taking place soon.

  Then thinking about what Master Chen did as a young boy, Kellie asked, “Will Anguo be able to pass, even though the stone has been broken?”

  Mulin looked at Zurich with raised eyes.

  “Not if they are separated,” answered Zurich, “but its power may still be accessible on the chosen night.”

  Kellie had a sense of urgency and jumped up and down in front of Mulin and Zurich.

  “We have to save Master Zheng! Who knows what Hagos will do if he gets his power back.”

  “It is not in our place,” said Mulin, with so much calmness in her voice that it riled up Kellie further.

  “WHAT DO YOU MEAN?” she yelled, her voice elevated at the top of her lungs. “You’re the mystical animals….You’re supposed to be helping us fight evil…. Isn’t that what you said?”

  “No,”
said Mulin, frowning at Kellie, as if she was disappointed in her rude outburst. “Our existence is to train humans to fight evil. We do not get directly involved.”

  “But Hagos is a mystical animal and he is hurting us,” said Kellie, not comprehending why they didn’t seem willing to help.

  “We will take care of him,” said Zurich, looking at a butterfly that momentarily landed on his beak and then fluttered off.

  “When? After he kills Master Zheng?” Kellie asked, lowering her tone. “Please, you have to help me. I can’t do this alone….I’m not good enough to go up against Hagos. The monks are the only family I have and I don’t want to lose another member.” Kellie held back her tears, begging them with her eyes.

  Mulin’s stern demeanor softened. “You must stay away from him,” she said gently, “…and we will see what we can do for Master Zheng.”

  “I think it is time,” said Zurich, as he started walking away.

  “Thank you,” said Kellie in relief, heading to the area where the invisible door should be. “We have to hurry.”

  “For your training,” said Mulin, not budging from the spot as Zurich disappeared between two fruit trees.

  “For what?” asked Kellie confused, turning back around. “Training? I don’t have time to be —”

  “You are a chosen one and it is time for your training.”

  “I got my training. We have to leave. Now!”

  “That was a mere taste of many lessons to come — Your rashnesses will get you in trouble. You must learn to control your temper — Your training will come now. It must….Then Zurich and I will go after Hagos.”

  Kellie never felt more frustrated. She stomped around, hoping to go through the invisible door by chance, but she remained in Spring Meadows and saw no signs of sand.

  “What is she doing?” Kellie heard Zurich ask Mulin.

  “Trying to find the ripple,” said Mulin.

  “Well, I have something for you,” said Zurich tantalizingly, so Kellie would stop her tirade.

  She wanted to ignore him, but curiosity led her eyes toward the crane. He revealed a folded cloth underneath his wing. He glided to her with a hop in his step as he handed her the gift.

  Slowly she accepted the item from him. “What is this?” She unfurled the material and saw that it was a gi set. The material was heavy, but soft. It was a brilliant white color and the most exquisite uniform she had ever seen. The gi top was waist high in the front and the back part fell long to her knees; Chinese frog buttons were aesthetically sewn down the front; the high neck had an ornate floral design, also in white, that wrapped around the collar; matching pants accompanied it. None of her other kung outfits could compare to this one.

  “Why are you giving this to me?” asked Kellie, unable to take her eyes off it.

  “It is for your training,” said Zurich. “Please, go put it on. It’ll be more comfortable than that.” He gestured at her jeans as if she were wearing rags.

  Snapping herself back to what was imperative, she said, “Please…I have to —”

  “Do you trust us?” asked Mulin.

  “Yes — of course…”

  “Then put on your gi,” the tiger ordered.

  Her blood started to heat up as she looked from Mulin to Zurich. They weren’t going to let her out of Spring Meadows until she got her training, which she thought was ridiculous, under the circumstances. A sharp pain shot behind her eyes as both helplessness and irritation set in. Without another futile attempt to argue, she spun around and went behind the bushes. In a flash, she was back out in her new outfit, wanting to get this over with. Her head hurt. She rubbed her blurry eyes and as her vision focused on the tiger and crane, she noticed how they were admiring her.

  “Fits her wonderfully…”

  “Like a true warrior…”

  Kellie admitted the gi hugged her body perfectly; it felt light as air, though it was the most durable fabric she had ever felt. It was much like the uniform that hung in Grand Master Jing’s room.

  “Have you experienced inexplicable physical attributes after bouts of pain?” Zurich asked, as Kellie massaged her temples with her fingertips.

  Lowering her hands to her sides, she asked, “How did you know?”

  “It’s the energy that flows through you and your inability to control your gift,” said Mulin.

  “I would hardly call that a gift,” muttered Kellie.

  “If you don’t learn to first control your senses, it will control you,” said Zurich, as he motioned to Mulin with his wings.

  The tiger strolled about thirty feet away from them and turned around to face Kellie.

  “Does your head hurt now?” asked the crane.

  “Yes.”

  “Look at Mulin and focus.”

  Kellie stared at Mulin with a blank face. “What am I supposed to be focusing on?”

  “On her coat. On one strand of hair.”

  “A hair?” repeated Kellie, sounding skeptical. She squinted at Mulin, concentrating on the feline’s fur. The black and orange colors seemed to blend together and Mulin multiplied before her. She rubbed her eyes and shook her head.

  “Take the pain you are suffering and compact it into smaller and smaller portions as if you are squeezing it into a ball,” instructed Zurich. “Then use that energy to focus on your senses. Right now, it would be your sight. Look again at one strand of hair.”

  Kellie rubbed her eyes again and stared hard at Mulin. Her blurry vision was getting worse.

  “Focus,” she heard Zurich say over and over.

  “I’m trying,” she murmured.

  “Relax,” he said. “Release the tension in your whole being…in your neck, shoulders, arms, torso, legs, and mind. Let go of your frustrations.”

  Kellie closed her eyes and wiggled her stiff body, allowing every muscle to relax, as if they were overcooked rice noodles.

  “Open your eyes,” Zurich said soothingly.

  The three tigers waving their tails back and forth became one.

  “Concentrate on one strand,” he repeated. “Let your eyes do what they want to do naturally…and don’t resist it.”

  Mulin looked as if she were coming closer. Kellie wanted to rub her eyes again, but allowed her vision to transform in a way she had never experienced. Although she and the tiger didn’t move from their positions, it seemed as if Mulin were right in front of her. A spot on the animal’s coat became pinpoint sharp and a black hair was magnified, as if she were peering through a microscope. Kellie’s face shined in amazement, but as soon as she saw it, it was gone.

  “You have hyperactive senses that you will learn to control at will,” Zurich explained.

  Kellie remembered the times she had blurry vision, heightened smell, and super hearing. But why?

  “Now to the training field,” said Zurich, interrupting her thoughts.

  “Discovering what your vision is capable of was the first part of your lesson,” said Mulin. She and Zurich strolled in a direction Kellie had not explored.

  “Training field? Is it far?”

  They didn’t answer her as she followed them. She was electrified with what she just accomplished, and with some guilt, was intensely enthused about the next part of the training. Master Zheng was still in her mind, but she bit her tongue. I trust them, she thought. Anyway, she didn’t expect them to listen to her now.

  They led her to another part of Spring Meadows. After walking through a thick section of trees with fragrant roses blossoming from them, which she thought was odd (roses grew from bushes), they walked out onto an open field.

  Kellie was astonished with what she saw. The grass was white! The bark and the leaves on the trees that surrounded them were also gleaming white, as was everything except the pink flowers that bloomed from the trees. The beauty of the cherry blossoms was intoxicating.

  Besides Kellie’s jet black hair, she blended in with the colorless field. The crane, too became invisible, while the tiger’s bright orange and black coat
intensified against the pale background.

  “This place,” said Kellie, “is wonderful.”

  “It was constructed to bring out our inner peace,” said Mulin. “Something that is necessary during training. Kung fu was created not only for physical defense, but to find and nuture inner peace as well.”

  Mulin walked around Kellie and said, “Close your eyes and feel your inner chi. Breathe slowly in and then breath slowly out. Shut out everything around you.” The feline’s voice circled her as it took on a melodic sound. “Direct your concentration on your inner chi. As I mentioned before, there are seven different types.”

  Kellie listened intently, eager to learn more about the seven types of chi she had never heard about.

  “It will take many years to master all your chi…if you ever do, that is. Most do not know, nor could ever fully comprehend what chi truly is.”

  A feather brushed past her fingers.

  “The seven types are Emotive, Guarding, Air, Mental, Balance, Blood, and Force,” she heard Zurich now speak.

  “What’s Emotive — ?”

  “No questions — just listen,” said Mulin strictly.

  Kellie heard nothing else as a large shadow passed her closed eyelids, blocking the ray of sun, momentarily.

  “Open your eyes and perform your favorite form,” said Zurich.

  When she opened her eyes, Zurich was standing in front of her and Mulin was a listening distance away, sitting on the still lawn.

  My favorite form, thought Kellie. That was easy. It was the brown belt form she loved and practiced at least a thousand times, right before she obtained her black belt. She executed the series of blocks, hand strikes, and kicks with conviction; her chin was up, a smile on her lips, and her chest was out. After the last movement, she motioned a kung fu salute.

  “That was beautiful, my dear,” said Zurich, “but terrible.” He looked neither impressed or remotely pleased.

  “What?” asked Kellie diffidently. Her mouth cracked open and her torso collapsed. She didn’t make one mistake. It was flawless.

  “Your breathing is all wrong!” said Zurich, showing some impatience. “We don’t have much time.”