Beyond the End: Chapter 4
Morning, the next day, Shuen-Shio blearily opened her eyes and groaned. “I HATE sleeping on the ground,” she muttered. She then turned and shoved Shio-Hway awake. “I couldn’t get any sleep last night,” Shuen-Shio grumbled.

“Ha!” exclaimed Shio-Hway. “You slept like a baby…..I didn’t get any sleep because of your snoring!”

“I do not snore!”

“Yes you do.”

“Liar.”

“Liar.”

“Hmph.” Muttered Shuen-Shio, “I still think Ling was lying when he said there was only one tent left. It’s your fault.”

“Mine?? Why would it be my fault that we have the same tent?”

“You were the one who knocked him over and sat on him, not me.”

“Hey, at least I wasn’t dumb enough to pick a fight with Yao.”

“What was I supposed to do? Hello. Think. We have to act like guys. Men don’t think; they fight. So I had to fight…..though I wish they didn’t. My arms are sore…..why don’t they have icebags?”

“Maybe because freezers haven’t been invented yet?”

“Ha ha. What tipped you off? It was a rhetorical question.”

“Well…..hey, wait, what time is it?”

“Time to get up….I could hear people getting out of their tents and….” Realization dawned on Shuen-Shio. “Oh crap, we’re gonna be late!”

*****

The general assembly outside the tents was, of course, not very assembled. It consisted of the same scenes from yesterday. All the while, Ling was practicing his daily Tai Chi exercises, Yao leaned against a pole, picking his teeth, and Chien Po simply stood and downed another cup of tea. After the tea was gone, Chien Po looked rather sorrowfully at the empty cup, then reluctantly set it down. “Um, Yao?”

Yao grunted.

“Do you think we should call the soldiers into order?”

Yao grunted, threw down his toothpick, then stood up. “All right, everybody,” he yelled at the mob, “shut up and get in line!!!!”

Fifty percent paused to look at Yao, while the other continued talking and carrying about their own business. The entire fifty ignored Yao’s red cape and resumed their activities.

Yao growled as his faced slowly turned red. “Do you hear me??? Shut up!!! Order!!!”

Chien Po made soothing gestures, “Ten, Yao, count to ten.”

Yao took a deep breath, “One.” He paused.

“Very good.” Encouraged Chien Po.

“Two.”

“Yes, that’s it.”

Suddenly Ling straightened. “Okay, I’m done for today. I suppose we should get the soldiers into order.”

Yao stopped his counting and slowly turned to Ling. “That,” Yao said through clenched teeth, “is what we have been trying to do.”

“Ohhhh! I see!” Ling said brightly.

Yao growled and pounded his fist into his hand.

Chien Po quickly picked Yao up by the shoulders and calmly said, “Yao. Chant with me….Ah-mi ah-mu to fu da….. Ling, get the soldiers into order…”

“Okay!” Ling exclaimed brightly. He then turned to the soldiers. “Hey everybody! Order!” No one listened….or even glanced at him. “Hey! Hey!” No response. Finally, Ling faced the crowd, planted both feet firmly in the ground, puffed out his skinny little chest, cleared his throat and using the most commanding voice he had, “Soldiers!!!”

The crowd paused and looked at Ling. After a duration of about five seconds, fifty percent snickered or laughed behind their hands. The other fifty percent didn’t bother with the hand. They fell over laughing.

Yao, who had just finished chanting turned bright red again. “Now look here, you miserable flea bags!!!” he hollered. “You shut up or I’m gonna come and take you one at a time! Pow!!! No mercy!!!”

Chien Po pleaded to the crowd, “Please, my friends. If you will come to order…..”

Ling paused and turned to Yao and Chien Po. “Do you have a feeling we’re being watched?” The gang of three turned to look behind them. Outside of the main tent, Chi Fu was watching with a smug smile while Shang glared at the gang, fists on his hips. The gang of three looked at him, grinned, and shrugged their shoulders.

Trying very hard not to stomp, Shang walked over with great restraint to his three captains. “What’s going on here??” he demanded.

“Uh…well….we…” explained Ling.

“Do you know that you’re giving Chi Fu the perfect excuse to follow me around for the duration for at least the next week and tell me, ‘I told you so’ every five seconds??”

“Uh…sorry…we…” apologized Ling.

“And what are you three doing?? You should have had them in order by now!”

“Uh…sir….that’s what we’ve been trying to do.” Pointed out Chien Po.

Shang’s glare could’ve blasted a man off his horse fifty paces away. “I made you captains!!! So be captains!!!”

Ling and Chien Po looked at their toes and shuffled their feet. Yao looked at his feet and muttered under his breath.

After several attempts to calm down, Shang finally lessened his glare to an angry glower. “All right. I will help you three out just this once and you are on your own.” He turned to the mob. “SOLDIERS!!”

There was an immediate silence as the men assembled into a line. “How does he do that?” Ling muttered to Yao.

Shang strode back and forth in front of the line of soldiers. “They,” he gestured and glared at the gang of three, “are captains. You will obey them as you would me. If anyone acts otherwise……” After glaring at the assembled recruits, Shang tossed a bow and a quiver of arrows at Yao. “Get on with it. You know what to do.” He left the gang of three to their own devices, praying that it would all work out somehow. Shang sighed. “That’s it.” He told himself. “Maybe if I just close my eyes for a few days they’ll get better. Somehow.”

*****

Meanwhile, Yao stared at the bow Shang had tossed him. Ling began strutting in front of the soldiers. “All right!” he commanded. “You heard the general. Every morning you will assemble swiftly and silently….anyone who acts otherwise will answer to me.” This time no one laughed. There were, however, many glances that were exchanged and many eyebrows raised – that lowered before Ling noticed. He did however, see a slight movement near the end of the line on the right. Ling’s faced darkened when he saw Shuen’s eyebrow crinkled and that he was biting his bottom lip with shoulders shaking. “You!” he pointed and bellowed as low as his skinny chest would allow.

“Uh, sir?” Shio asked timidly. “See, Shuen has this cough and he just didn’t want to disturb you…..” He whacked Shuen on the back while Shuen let out a few convincing coughs.

Ling narrowed his eyes. That first bout sounded more like a burst of laughter. He elbowed Yao. “Shoot the arrow,” he hissed.

“What?”

“Shoot the arrow! At the pole! You know!” muttered Ling under his breath.

“Yeah, yeah, you just watch your elbow.” Grumbled Yao. He released the bowstring and shot the arrow at the top of the pole.

Ling smirked at Shuen. “Congratulations, soldier. You get to go first. Retrieve the arrow.”

Nonchalantly, Shuen walked up to the pole. He tried to shake the pole.

“What are you doing?” demanded Yao.

“Oh,” interjected Shio, “he’s just making sure it’s stable and that the pole won’t fall over.”

“Of all the ridiculous…!”exclaimed Ling.

“Here.” Interrupted Chien Po. He handed two weights to Shuen. “You will need these to get the arrow. Strength and discipline. Good luck.”

“Good luck?!?” spluttered Yao.

Shuen smiled at Chien Po and bowed.

Yao turned aside to Chien Po. “Look. We’re captains. We order them around. They do what they have to do and suffer until they get it right. We do not wish them luck!!! We..!!!” Yao paused and looked over at Shuen. He was frowning at the two weights for a second then began swinging the weights.

“What the….?!?” Ling muttered.

To the surprise of the gang of three, Shuen swung the weights until they were on the other side of the pole and the strings of the handles twisted together. Then grinning insolently at the gaping captains, he proceeded to ascend the pole. Yao grumbled and muttered something about knuckle sandwiches.

However, Yao stopped grumbling when a voice spluttered, “Impossible!!!!” The gang of three rolled their eyes as Chi Fu stomped into the field. “No one can figure the problem out that quickly! One of you must have told him how!”

Yao shoved back his sleeves. “Now look here you….” He growled. He stopped when an arrow shot down right past Chi Fu’s nose and stuck in the ground.

Convulsively gripping on to his board, Chi Fu glared up and shook his brush at the recruit sitting at the top of the pole. “That was a deliberate attempt on my life! You get down here right now! You’ll have to answer to me!”

Shuen shrugged his shoulders and still smiling, started down the pole with the weights in one hand. Unfortunately for Chi Fu, Shuen somehow lost his grip on the weights.

“Errkkk!!!!”

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