Drums of Fire

[Li Shang]

March 27th

The quiet hours of the night echoed silence across the cold, frozen snow of the late Canadian winter. In the dim twilight of the moon, most creatures slept, unaware of countless steps marching in the cold of winter.

General Li Shang (promoted for excellent service, he thought to himself proudly) was enraptured by the sights and sounds of nighttime in the land of Canada; the snow here was safe, unlike the mountain pass where he fought the Huns. And the different types of birds and animals made the long travel here all the more worthwhile. More importantly, however, was the mission. 

The steady pace of the small army was matched by the pounding of the drums, in a pattern customary in the Chinese army. Atop his horse, the armored leader raised a hand, causing the entire company to pause. Pulling a small piece of paper out of a side pocket, the mounted soldier glanced through the trees and saw the dim light of a fire deeper in the trees. Some local merchants closer to port mentioned a strange group selling beaver pelts to the north and in the woods. Their worn-out condition and odd location were more arrows point the way for Shang to accomplish the task set before him by the Emperor himself.

"We're almost to their camp. Drummers, keep the steady beat; If Fa Mulan is indeed with them, there's no way she won't recognize it. We'll rest once we find where she is. Let's push on!" Stashing away the paper, Shang pulled on the reins of his horse and pressed forward through the snow.

By their resuming of the march, the sound of the drums would be heard for almost miles, but most notably, it began to pound softly in the barn house used by the Dawnseekers.

[John Silver]

There was one individual who was wide awake, up on the deck of his ship keeping watch was none other then Sir John Silver, the ursid was currently leaning against the railing on watch, puffing on his pipe every so often.

"Hmmm?" Silver frowns his ears picking up the sound of the war drums, "Best alert the others" Silver huffs, emptying his pipe before pocketing it back into his thick black coat and quickly limps down the gangway into the barn to alert Mulan who he knew could also be awake on guard inside the barn.

"Mulan?" the ursid rumbles, "I'm hearing drums in the distances, ye think it could be an attack?" he asks,

Mulan

[Zamora]

The first thing that Zamora was aware of was the noise. Shortly after, the realization of just how much stronger her hearing was compared to the soldiers around her.

An hour passes. The noise draws nearer. Still no reaction from the others. Sleep was hard some nights, impossible on others. Maybe it’s a hallucination.

Second hour, now. The mountains make it hard to tell the distance of sounds. The drumming noise echos through the valley. Still, it gains. Closer, closer, the incessant droning.

Third hour. Those awake are starting to react to a distant noise. The soft peal of drums, pressing through the forest. The noise is loud now to one, swept up in frustrated, almost infuriated delusion. The drumming, for three hours now. Non-stop, over and over again. Calloused hands work over a sharpened blade, sharp teeth grinding against one another.

Zamora was going to skin those drummers.

There’s no reaction to the Ursid as he enters the barn, pale eyes forward. Hair blades are up, hissing gently as they shift and slide with each ragged breath. Zamora had taken over watch for Mulan, as sleep was stubborn tonight. It wasn’t anything official, others also stood guard. But the Pit Beast would assist her friend where she could, even if it was for a nap.

She hasn’t expected to lose her mind in the process.

[Mulan]

  Sleep had been a... troublesome friend at best, these past few nights. At worst, it was a cruel trickster. When Mulan wanted its company, she had found her rest to be either fitful or nonexistent entirely. It was a small consolation that she could always find something to occupy her time when this occurred, but given their current state of affairs, she hardly considered it fortunate. Now, when Mulan had accepted a post to keep watch for the night, sleep was only all too eager to greet her, and to her frustration, she hadn't been able to shake it off.

  Mulan's rescue had come in the form of Zamora, who after a little coaxing and a lot of mother-henning, convinced the smaller woman to stay nearby and 'just shut her eyes for a moment'. So naturally, and with just a touch of complaint, Mulan had fallen asleep straight away.

  Her dreams carried her back to a simpler time, when waking early meant household chores. A time of a smaller world and longer hair. Mulan dreamt of when the most frightening face she knew was the scrutinizing glare of a large woman, and not the faces of enemies in battle. She dreamt of being back home with her family. It would be a lie to say she didn't miss them. Her mind carried her between pleasant and unpleasant memories alike, and she turned over in her sleep. Her grandmother's wit, her mother's firm yet loving reprimanding. Her father's guidance and his rebuke. The gentle tones of wind chimes; the rhythmic pounding of war drums.

  Drums...


  Mulan stirred to the sounds of shuffling bodies and quiet murmurs. She forced herself to sit up, rubbing the sleep away from her eyes.

  "I'm sorry, Zamora. I must have dozed off for a moment." Later Mulan would understand that had been her plan all along, but for the time being she felt guilty for sleeping at her post. She yawned, then quickly replaced it with a grimace. She could still hear the echo of Chinese war drums from her dreams. She gave her head a shake, sluggishly pulling herself to her feet just as Silver approached.

"I'm hearing drums in the distances, ye think it could be an attack?"

  "No, no. That's just a marching cadence..." Mulan replied groggily, the last of sleep's hold finally falling away from her. It was only when lucidity finally returned did Mulan realize that the percussion was not, in fact, a leftover from her dream. Silver had heard it, and now that she was focused, she caught the murmurings of nervous soldiers who were hearing it as well. The sudden unease brought an abrupt clarity with it, and Mulan was now wide awake, although her apprehension was for a different reason entirely.

  "...I know those drums."

  With little else for a warning, Mulan pushed out of the barn and into the cold night air, pressing forward towards the approaching beat.

[John Silver]

"No, no. That's just a marching cadence..."

Well that answered that question yet another arose.

“But whose is it?” Silver turns quickly as Mulan is up and out the barn door telling him, everyone most likely that she knows those drums.

“Aye, that’s all well and good but how will yeh-“ he squints as the woman vanished into the night. He signs and after a moment goes after her, choppers swirling in his hand having switched gears to hover over the snowy ground Incase it was far to deep.

“Ye’ll be needing a lift?” Silver barks out, hovering along side Mulan now

[Zamora]

It’s the cold that draws Zamora’s attention from her thoughts of murder and mayhem, pale eyes flickering ever so slightly as Mulan disappears into the night. Lumbering form slowly stands, giving a gentle groan as padded feet take to following the woman’s scent. Even running, Zamora would catch up easily. It came with being such a big predator.

It’s only a few wide strides until the alien is keeping her clip behind Mulan, ears twitching slightly with each beat. It seems her friend knows what that sound is, and her choice to approach is leaving the larger to believe that it isn’t all that dangerous.

That isn’t doing much for her need to beat the drummers to a paste, however.

[Li Shang]

The drumbeat, emotional and spirited, contrasted the movements of the trained men; silent and swift, much like the steady snowflakes that fell ever so gently to the ground. Shang once again was impressed with the lot of men he had been given; unlike the recruits he had dealt with in the campaign against the Huns, these men were skilled, trained, and willing to do anything to further the cause of China. Shang had made sure to pass every choice of man he had before the Emperor as well, knowing His Excellency's renowned wisdom would be able to shed hidden light. And so the group moved silently through the crystallized forest.

There was sound. From up ahead.

Sounded almost like someone had opened a door started to run in the snow.

Mulan? No, she wouldn't be so rash...would she?

Then again, he was talking about the woman who took her father's place in war. A serious crime, all for the sake of protecting the ones she loved.

It was one of the things Shang loved cherished admired respected! Yes, it was one of the things he respected about her. Physically shaking his head, Shang couldn't help but grin slightly. Mulan definitely was a one of a kind woman. Hopefully one day, he'd-

A clearing. Shang held his hand high and waved it around in a circle. His men quickly moved into the trees, and the drumming stopped. What came with the silence was the sound of rushing through the trees ahead. The light from what was supposedly the base camp of the Freedom Fighters was dead ahead. Staying mounted, Shang laid a hand on his sword, recognizing the sound as something much larger than a human. 

But he would have no fear. Not in his men, not in himself. Not when all of China waits with baited breath for him to find Fa Mulan.

"Halt! I know not who or what you are, but we are come to find the Freedom Fighters! We seek the Hero of China, Fa Mulan, on behalf of the Son of Heaven, the Emperor of the Middle Kingdom!"

[Mulan]

  It didn't take long for Silver and Zamora to catch up with her, her head shaking against the ursid's offer for a ride. Mulan's pace had been only a light trot at best, if only on the instinct to not go rushing blindly into a wilderness she did not yet fully know. So a faster ride would, for the moment, suit her ill. But as they drew nearer, the rhythm of the drums suddenly went silent, and the forest grew still. Mulan's steps slowed, eyes scanning against the darkness between the trees. Her hand lifted habitually to coax her alien companions to a halt as well.

  An inkling of doubt crept at the corners of her mind. Perhaps it hadn't been Chinese drums after all? Perhaps it had been wishful thinking: the remnants of her feelings of homesickness. What a grim thing to be missing, she thought. A sound of war. But before her second thoughts could overwhelm her with paranoia, a new sound cut through the snow and silence.

"Halt! I know not who or what you are, but we are come to find the Freedom Fighters! We seek the Hero of China, Fa Mulan, on behalf of the Son of Heaven, the Emperor of the Middle Kingdom!"

  All at once, Mulan was again filled with the unease of anticipation. Her instincts again berated her lack of caution; they screamed at her that this could be a trick, to not let down her guard so easily.  But she was just hopeful enough to disregard them for a change. She cupped her hands around her mouth and called out into the cold night.

  "Captain Shang?"

[Li Shang]

Still wary, Shang began pulling his sword slowly out of its scabbard in the ensuing silence. Whatever it was out there, it wasn't apt to respond. Moving his left hand into the air to signal a charge, or perhaps an archer barrage, Shang hears light crunching in the snow, and a voice all too familiar fills his ears.

"Captain Shang?"

The grip around his sword loosened if only for a second. Otherwise, no noticeable features outwardly betray his emotions.

Her voice... It was as if nothing had changed with her in all the time she had been gone. Still clear, still elegant. 

It WAS her, no doubt about it.

Shang slid the sword back and stepped forward. In his mind, he had practiced a powerful, rousing speech, "At last, my dear Mulan, I have found you! Behold, a note from the Emperor!".

But that was for a planned meeting. Shang stumbled to get any word out of his mouth.

"Mulan! Is that you? I... uh... well... It's Shang. Well, not JUST me, but- Oh, you know what I'm saying. Ummm... I have men! Oh, and a letter! Yes, a letter from the Emperor, who... uh... sends his regards."

Incredible. The great General Li Shang, leader of the greatest troops of all time... tongue-tied to his former female subordinate.

The men snickering behind him was another little prick to the self-esteem. He glanced back, eyes a mix of anger and a touch of humor. The snickering stopped. The General looked forward towards the woods. "Mulan, I know we have little reason to come here, but I need you to trust me. Just like when I trusted you with Shan Yu. I carry an important message and package from the Imperial City, and I need to make sure it's you. I've met too many odd creatures and monsters on my way here, and I trust you. I just need you to come into the clearing."

His hands reach for his helmet and pull the covering off his head. Holding it by his side, Shang sincerely hoped that this was no witch deceiving him, and if it were, he was prepared to fight like tigers to find Mulan.

[Zamora]

Yelling, yelling, yelling! An unwillingness to get close, soldiers hiding amongst the trees— she could smell them against the fresh snow —, Zamora’s patience was as low as her understanding. What was with this dance they did? Cautious yet yowling into the dark, rash enough to run into the night alone, but not enough to approach.

The sound that answers Shang isn’t Mulan this time, but instead a tirade in an unknown language. It might even be frightening, if it weren’t for the almost childishly mocking tone it takes. Like schoolyard children repeating their compatriots in an argument; very ‘I know you are, but what am I?’.

A large form with something under its arm presses into the clearing, gesticulating frustratedly with its two spare limbs. It’s impossible to catch all of what’s being said, but even the humans around can catch some of them. ‘Halt’, ‘Emperor’, ‘who or what’, ‘odd creatures’, ‘monsters’, and— Oh. A perfect copy of their marching cadence.

Close enough to be seen, but far enough to not be at the end of a blade, the creature stops. Shang was correct: this thing is much larger than human. With five silver eyes and three limbs, whatever this is, it’s not natural for Earth. The thing shifts slightly, placing whatever— now obviously ‘whoever’ — she was carrying on their feet in front of him.

One Fa Mulan.

There’s a grunt from the larger, and she makes a turn for the woods. The sound of snuffling kicks up, as she begins to skulk around. It seems she’s looking for something amongst the trees, most likely pertinent to the men Shang has hidden away.