Lei Mei Tsun the Winter Blossum
by
Artemis_the_Dalmahusky
((Contains World of Warcraft races and factions and other such things related. THe only difference is i am adding furries and furry species not indigenous to Blizzards World of Warcraft franchise. If this bothers anyone, I am surry but this is something I love))
When Lei Mei was born her parents were very poor and unable to provide for her. So they set sail on her fathers fishing boat and sailed off to China where they had heard rumors of a vast empire. One night a dark sky was all her fahter could see, thick roiling stormclouds and heavy surges in the sea. He did his best to stear the small boat against the crest and keep it aloft. For the most part he had succeeded untill they had spotted land and the boat hit a rock encroachment. The boat had been damaged and started to sink. Her mother, a rare snow leopardess kissed her crying daughter on the cheek and put her in her basket, wrapping her tightly in blankets. She set her up in the hiest part of the ship, praying to the gods that the boat would survive and they would be seen. But as fate would have it, her mother got caught on heavy rope and anchor that was used to anchor the boat for when they fished. Try as her father could to save his wife, he too was pulled down into the vast deepness of the ocean shelf, never to be seen again. But there was still the crying, writhing infant in the cabin and the boat stopped sinking.
The next morning Shao Ironbelly the Pandaren monk came out of the Monastary where he looked upon the ocean and saw the boat there. He had never seen such a boat, especially out in this area and decided to go investigate. Surely there must be ingrediants for a new brew in there as the boat looked like a trade boat he thought. He had no idea that on this day his life would be changed forever when he came aboard the creaking, wobbly deck. He looked in some barrels and found some grains and barley but nothing much out of the ordinary. "Where could the owners be I wonder?" he asked himself quietly. His ears flipping around and catching his attention to a weak mewling crying sound coming from the cabin. "What's this I am hearing?" he says before he taps the door as surely there must be someone in there. He looked out and what he saw made his heart sink. For in the water float the body of a male pandaren. The wooden crest on his necklace denoted he was from the Ironbelly family. Though he did not recognize the face of this man but he turned his attention back to the door.
It seemed stuck when he tried to open it, and he looked up and saw the frame seemed to be jammed. He balled his paw into a fist and with a grunt punched once. The door frame cracked and freed itself. He pushed it open and was greeted by disaster. So much water and debris, small wood chips showing this was not an abandoned boat but a wreck. His ears turned and so did he, seeing a basket with the blankets moving around and that mewling crying. It was weak. He pulled down the blanket and saw a little baby girl. She looked to be only a month old, her eyes just barely open. He could see the green irises and smiled. She had the eyes of a monk and he knew what he must do. "Come little one, we are taking you home"
Shao took her up to the monastary and came in. A female monk came up to him, "So what do you have here Master?" she asked him. He looked at his prized student. "Oh Flying Lotus my dear. I found a child stranded on a wreck out on the sea. I could not let her die so she will be raised here. It might not be the best life to give a child but it is a chance to survive" he says then leans into Flying Lotus and whispers in her ear, "She has the eyes of a Mistweaver." Her eyes opened wide, "Are you sure Master Shao? A Mistweaver? Here? At Tian Monastary? One has not been seen at this monastary in over 60 years. Ever since Elder Shin passed on. Whos daughter is she?" she asked. He merely chortled at her, "Flying Lotus......Her father was family though I have no idea who he is I just know my families crest and he wore it. He must have come from far away to be traveling in a boat the likes of which I have never seen before" he says. She nods at him and then sighs, "Have you decided on a name for her?" He looks at her and nods, "I think so.......I shall name her Lei Mei" he says. He opens the blankets, "And someone needs to be changed" he says as he notices the smell. Flying Lotus smiles, "Ill take care of this and bathe her as well" she says.
She took her and did what she had said, changing her diaper and giving her a bath. The first thing she noticed was the tail, and the fur pattern. She had never seen such a thing before, even on the females of their race that had tails. After she had her partially dressed she called Shao in. "Look at this pattern and tail, it is so unique" she says. "Mmmm yes indeed, she looks to be a hybrid from beyond the mist. Stories have told of creatures we have never seen in the lands beyond out continent so that must be where her father went to. I remember hearing of one of our brothers leaving the temple and going to the sea to be a fisherman, but never to return" he says. She nods to him, "Well I will raise her in addition to my other duties. I am sure Father would love to see her too" she says and goes off to take her home. "Tell Elder Tsun I want to take him up on that drinking challenge he issued!" he yelled after her before returning to his bonsai bushes.
Years later when Lei Mei was more grown up, at the age of 8 years old she was in her class with all her other students. They were all training in the ways of the Ox and the Tiger but she was yet to try to fight because the choice was not her own but that of her body. She did not know much about her abilities and had been told nothing over this year and eagerly awaited the chance to find out what class she was going to be. "Lei Mei Tsun.....come forward!" her sensei ordered. "Coming Papa" she says as her father Elder Tsun called her to the front of the class. "Now you are going to spar with a student of the Ox. As Ox's can take a blow and keep on moving. They are as an immovable mountain that moves still. Now when we see what your style is you will be placed in a better class" he says. She steps forward and bows to her Brother and he does the same, "Begin!" the order is issued. She goes for a jab but he moves fluidly and blocks, stubleing her. She then goes for a kick but he parries with his arm. He was a big boy in her class and she did not know why she could not land a hit on him. Her eyes moved over to the wilted mum on the mantle and sighs. It was such a pretty flower and she loved it but it was time for it to be thrown away. Before she realizes it she feels a foot catch her on the side of the face and kicks her good. She got knocked on the mat and looked at him. "Lei Mei.....you dissapoint me child but I will let you get up and bring me honor once more" he says before she wipes her cheek and then looks at him, a gloweri n her eye.
She got up and took a stance that for some reason struck her in her mind, that of a snake. Her body weaving and moving like the endless coils of the serpent on the tapestry. As he struck her she moved nimbly out of the way and threw he fist forward and struck him hard in the belly. Almost as if a quake went through him he stopped in his tracks. A new energy seemed to take effect of her and she gathered it into a large mass, hitting him with it. The mum seemed to perk up as it health had been restored to it. Her sensei perked up at what he saw. "Lei Mei....stop it" he says as he gets up and grabs her arm. He yanked her away before shouting at the class. "I want you all practicing your punches like i taught you while I go take care of Le Mei" he says before he picks her up and runs to the house and closes the screen behind him. "Who taught you that?" he asks her. "Taught me what papa?" she asks. "The Chi Burst you just did. You not only knocked the boy down but you brought that flower back from the dead. So you know that flower has been dead since Elder Shin. He asked it be kept there untill someone of his lineage was found as a test of the Mistweaver." he says. He looks frantically around and then sighs. "I am sorry but you cannot stay here any longer. The truth is is that the Elder and his abilities are shunned by most of our kind. As bringing life to something that should not be alive is a bad thing" he says. She looks at him and then starts to cry, "But papa....where will I go? WHere will I live? How will I survive?" she asks. He gives her a kiss on the cheek and she can see a tear. "I am sorry but that is your path to choose now. I have something for you though" he says as he goes into a room and stays in for a bit.
She could hear the sound of rustleing boxes and things moving around before something was taken down and he comes out with a wonderfully carved wooden staff. She looks at him as he comes to her, tyieing a guard with the family crest to the middle of the staff. A chinking sound in it as it had money. "You may be my student and a member of this monastary but you are also my daughter. This is money I have saved for you for when you were older so you could start on your own journey but i fear i must now. It is quite a bit still you should be able to survive for a good long time with this......Also...."he says before he hands her the staff. "That is more than just a mere walking staff, and it holds more than just your money. Inside are two swords, forged for my by my father. I have never needed it since i chose the path of the monk but you will need to defend yourself when the time comes and I only hope you never have to use it. I will see you to the gate but that is it" he says to her.
He leads her out of the house and walks to the gate guards. "We are going to the stream to look for firebugs" he says. The guard eyes them both suspicously but snorts and lets them pass. He grabs her shoulder a bit firmly as they walk out, "Quicken your pace child" he says as they move quicker and quicker away. As they run she looks over her shoulder and sees the boy pointing at her and guards start running over towards them. THey ran for what seemed like hours before he stopped and panted. "This is where we must part, I will distract them my child but while you are on your own, learn tiger style and learn it well. It will keep what you really are a secret I hope. Good luck my daughter" he says to her and hands her a scroll that had all the stances and moves listed on it for her to learn before she runs. She knew it was likely she would never see him again. and she cried for it. And she ran and ran, never looking back
