The Last Chance

Meanwhile, the leopards had recovered from the punch and were standing up again. Po kept his head down after he had dared a look down to the street.
"Alright, what's your plan?"
Shen was still silent and looked around.
"I have no soldiers, but here must be firework, isn't it?"
Po thought a moment.
"Yes, three streets away there is a firework shop."
"I think that will be enough. Show me the way."
Po ran first, but suddenly a lot of household furniture was thrown at them and smashed on the roof tiles.
"Hey!" Po cried. "That's unfair!"
The panda turned around and parried off the unusual projectiles. Shen was agile enough so that he could avoid the objects what the leopards threw at them.
At least, it didn't take much time and they arrived the house. They jumped down the roof and Po wanted to open the door.
"It's closed."
Without a reply, the lord cut through the door lock. Po had no time to say a word more, and together they entered the salesroom of the store. The shelves were empty.
"Uh, in the storehouse must be something," Po said. "I had with my dad..."
Shen didn't wait, and walked into the storeroom with wooden boxes. Through the windows, sunlight shined and made free the view on the firecrackers.
"That's enough," Shen said.
"Do you think you can handle it?" Po asked unsurely.
"Panda, I have worked with gun powder where you haven't been on earth."
Loud voices cried at the shop entrance.
"Okay." Po became anxious. "What's your idea? It would be not bad if it came fast."
"Just a few minutes," the lord replied. "Keep them busy."
"How?"
"Think about something, no matter what, or has a Dragon Warrior no ideas in his head?"
"Uhm, okay."
With that, Po ran back into the salesroom. Not too late. One of the leopards was going to charge through the door frame, and crashed against Po's belly. The leopard bounced off and crashed against his follower.
"Bloody idiot!" the leader cursed.
Po cleaned his throat. "Well, first, my name is Po, and second,... um... second... as the Dragon Warrior, I have to fight against you because of a threat to peace."
The bigger leopard snorted. "There is no peace as long as that monster of a bird is still alive."
Po tried a smile. "Alright. I know he isn't the best buddy. The most time he is a little too dark thinking, but..."
Suddenly, a loud explosion came from the storeroom. Po ran back, but for a moment he couldn't see because of too much smoke. But just for a few seconds.
Now he realized a hole in the ceiling. Shen jumped outside; Po ran after him. But the attackers thought the same. Po heard their fast steps close behind him.
He had reached the roof barely; he was ready for a new fight. But a wave of the lord's wing let him froze.
"Stop!" resounded the peacock's voice and made his tormentors immobile.
"The ground is covered with powder! One step more and I blew all to the air!"
Po looked surprised and shocked together when he saw the burning fuse in the lord's wing. But without firecracker.
Po looked at Shen then at their attackers, who didn't dare to move. At this moment, Shen gave Po a wave with his head.
"Retrogresses," the panda heard the peacock speaking quietly. "Let me exterminate them."
Po thought he wouldn't hear right.
"What?"
Shen narrowed his eyes more. "I said what I said and I mean it. I will finish it here."
But before Shen could throw away the fuse into the gunpowder, one single word restrained him.
"No."
Angry eyes met the eyes of the panda, who shivered from the peacock's glance.
"Are you out of your mind, panda?!"
"Not more out of mind like I did with you."
That answer let Shen be silent for a second of time.
"That's not the same, panda," after he had found his voice again.
"But yes, Shen," Po tried to stay calm. "And I'm not here to judge, I never did. Not with others, not with you, not with them."
Shen blinked, but he didn't want to keep it in his mind the time on the shipwreck.
Suddenly, loud voices came from the distance. Both got distracted and saw how guards of the palace were running in their direction. At the same moment, Po extinguished the burning fuse with his fingers. Shen watched the panda speechlessly. Po tried a smile and reached out his paw.
The lord's posture had tensed, in his face a little relaxation, but he couldn't take it. The peacock shook his head.
"Sorry, it has no use, panda."
With that the lord made a run-up and jumped down the roof.
"Hey, wait!" Po cried after him.
The loud voices became louder. Po looked around and saw how close the guards were. For a moment, the panda didn't know what to do. Then he found back to the reality.
"Don't move," he cried at their attackers, who still stood in the storeroom, but he knew, they wouldn't stay there forever, but at the moment, he had no idea what he should do or say more. He only knew he wanted to run.
"Shen! Wait!"
Po jumped off the roof and ran after Shen. For a little moment, the peacock hesitated, but then he made a new run-up. Po panted and tried to overtake him. The lord had almost reached the end of the village, but suddenly...
Po stopped in his run and stared. A big figure had jumped from the site and pressed the peacock on the ground.
"The fun is over!"
Po was wide-eyed. "Master Storming Ox?"