Chapter 9: Outside the Box: The Allegorical Tale of the Sky Clad Panda…the Re-Born Phoenix

Once in a land far away, ruled a panda king.  The king sheltered his only son from the outside world as war hunger and strife covered the realms.  The young prince after years of noble teachings had an awakened curiosity.  Overhearing guards and nobleman speak of the outside world, the noble panda began to plot to see the unknown phenomena.  On a gray day, the Panda dressed as a guard, left the palace, and visited the nearby village.  He bared witness the poor people and what they did to survive.  It saddened the young prince and made him angry in turn.  The panda prince was about to return to the palace when he saw guards running towards him with swords.  To his dismay, it was not about the young prince.   

            The Kings Palace that he had grown up in was under siege by a neighboring kingdom.  He quickly hid in a large thicket of trees and watched the whole scene.  From the air, winged monstrous figures dropped what appeared to be large eggs, but when they hit the ground, vast gases and fire roared into the air.  On the ground, large beings with a snout and tusks were charging into the gates and easily breaking them down.  The palace flooded with invaders attacking with swords and weapons unknown to the panda.  The young prince saw his family fly away in a Dirigible to the east.  To the noble panda, all was lost. 

            The noble prince was in turmoil and despair.  He lost his home, family, belongings, and his last breath of hope.  The panda then had a recollection of a visiting teacher.  He taught the panda; the only way to see worldly change, the individual had to change within.  In this thought, the panda then looked at his noble yin and yang armor given to him at birth.  For a second, the prince had hope but then fear set in.  He knew, to survive the journey he had to let go of this armor for the invaders would discover him.  Quickly the panda found a shaver in his guard backpack and removed his hair.  A cold draft then blew through and frightened the panda for it was an unknown feeling to be without the past and the ties to it.

The only step now was to create a plan, goals to achieve to survive the journey.  No, the prince could not overcome a hoard by himself.  He must find his family he must head east.  The prince spotted near the thicket, a glowing shop and ran quickly to its doors. The door to the shop was heavy oak that opened swiftly.  The panda entered a warm circular room.  A seductively clad but veiled woman greeted the young prince.  Without haste, the panda pleaded the woman for clothes.  The women laughed with a loud cackle and said, “few mortals enter here only bearing their truths.  For this I will help you noble prince.”  The Panda stunned for being recognized witnessed armor made of silver materialize in front of him.  The woman handed the noble prince the armor and said, “I know it is you great noble panda.  I ask of you to remember me on your journey.”  She whispers to his ears, “know the moon is behind you on your journey”.  She also told the panda, “go to the edge of town where there is a small hut to obtain more clothing.”  Now clad within armor the Panda freely walked to the edge of the village where a man was standing by a hut that glowed.  The hut was inside of a tree and the man wore green vines as clothing.  The strange man invited the silver armored Panda into his hut, as he knew of what armor the prince wore. 

The Panda kindly asked, “do you have any spare clothes”?  The man smiled and nodded.  Within a cupboard, the man pulled out golden leggings made of the finest metals that shimmered in the hut’s candlelight.  The man said to the panda, “you may have these.  I only ask you that you remember me on your journey”.  The Panda thankfully accepted the pants.  These were no ordinary leggings.  When the panda put them on, his armor shimmered bright as the sun.  “What is happening,” asked the noble prince.  The kind man bellowed in laughter, “is known as quicksilver.  Know that the sun has your front.”  The Panda then asked, do you have any weapons?  The plant-clad man said, “no noble panda, for weapons are unnecessary where you are headed.”  The panda confused by what that meant gave thanks, left the hut, and headed east. 

As the noble prince journeyed east towards the rising sun, he noticed everything looked different.  The plants were more vibrant, and there were no people on the road.  The prince looked around thinking to himself, “I would have thought armies would be abundant on the road after the siege.”  At that thought, a Crane swooped through the air and sat two paces away.  “Are you lost asked the Crane”?  No said the panda; I am heading east.  The Crane paused and looked at his bright armor and smiled.  “Here take this bag of mine; it will have items for your journey.  I only ask you remember me on the road ahead”.  The crane then whispered, “Know that the winds are with you on your road.”

The noble panda prince continued onward when he saw something miraculous on the road.  It appeared to be a large python trapped in its old skin.  The python saw the panda and cried, “Help!”  The panda quickly asked the snake, “What happened?”  The snake was silent staring at the brilliance of the panda’s armor.  Then remembering its predicament said, “I was letting go of my past when I grew angry and could not let go.  My anger trapped me in my skin.”  The panda asked, “Why are you so angry?”  The snake then said, “I lost my wings and legs because I am accused of  leading all humans to destruction.  All I did was offer a women who was hungry, a fruit from a tree.  Ever since then, I have been stuck in a state of shedding skins and crawling on my belly.” 

The noble panda felt saddened for the python and anger arose.  The panda breathed deep, the anger dissipated, and the panda regained focus.  The prince then remembered the crane bag given earlier, and found in it, a bottle of oil that might provide lubrication.  Noble panda dabbed the oil on Python and within a second, the slithering snake shuffled out of his skin.  In addition, from the oil on its body, legs and wings began to form and expand.  The Python then asked, “What is that you put on me?”  Smiling, the panda looked at the bottle with big words on it and held it up to Python, MERCY.  The transformed dragon like being with wings and feet grabbed a large branch with leaves and blew fire across it.  The Python then took his old skin and wrapped the branch with it.  He said to the panda, “Now may your journey be lit with light and mercy.  I thank you for this day.  Know fire is with you on your road.”   

            With a crane bag hanging from his armor and torch in hand, the noble prince continued east.  Shortly in the distance, noble panda saw the road cross over a river.  Approaching the river, he heard a singing voice so clear and peaceful.  As the prince approached the river, he saw it was sacred wise Salmon making all the noise.  It was dusk out now, but the torch given by Python made his surroundings seemed like day.  The Salmon glanced for long moment at the torch and then the armor of the prince in awe.  The prince at this point was tired and hungry and had the expression of sadness.  Salmon asked the panda, “Why are you so sad”?  The panda replied, “I lost everything; and my family fled to the east.  I will never be able to go home.”  Salmon with a smirk on his face said, “In the end we always return home.”  Here Salmon, “these branches of fruit fell in the river.”  Two branches of the most delicious fruits appeared before the prince.  The panda gave thanks to Salmon.  The salmon replied, “No, thank you for stopping and speaking with me, often I am hunted not befriended.  I only ask you remember me on your road and know that you have water allies on your road.”

            The panda ate merrily and drank the cold waters of the river.  With the torch, the panda set up a fire and slept until day.  When the Panda awoke to his astonishment, the fire did not go out and no one was around.  With the waters from the river, the prince put out the fire and continued onward.  After a mile walk on the road, the panda stumbled upon a large forest.  To the panda, it looked like a maze of trees and hills.  Fearlessly the panda entered the forest onto a winding trail.  Not far along, the trail disappeared and the prince found himself in a grove of trees.  The panda thought he had gone mad when one of the trees stepped forward.  A loud voice echoed, “Why have you entered the sacred garden”? 

The panda recalled the great siege at his father’s palace and the reason for journeying east.  At this point, there was no reason to hide and the noble prince explained his story.  The tree grew silent.  Remembering the Crane, the prince looked into his bag and saw a jewel that was brilliant in color. In his wisdom,  the panda placed the gem next to the tree and bowed.  All the trees then stepped forward.  A loud voice rang through the trees, “bless the being on this road for most that come here burn, steal, and hunt our kin.  This noble panda gave back what was once taken.”  Panda thanked the trees as they parted away showing the path.  One tree loudly stated, “Remember us on the road ahead, know earth allies are with you on this road.”  Panda bowed and continued on his road.  Not far ahead, the forest ended at a clearing.  The clearing looked like a stone circle with huge pillars sticking out of the ground similar to an ancient temple.  As the panda entered the stone grounds, land surrounding it fell away.  A winged hooded figured swooped down and landed near Panda with a loud thunder noise and lightning blaring across the sky.    

The hooded figure walked around the noble prince glancing at his armor.  The hooded figures eyes were of fire.  The sword carried by this figure also was made of fire and silver.  The figure then said aloud, “How dare you enter the house of Thantos uninvited.”  Panda replied calmly, “The house of what?”  The hooded figure laughed aloud and then said calmly, “Forgive me I mistook you as a thief.  I am Thanatos the once acclaimed Angle of Death.  But that was long ago, I now am a freedom fighter, a breaker of chains, offering change to the mundane world.”  Thanatos then pointed the sword at the panda and said harshly, “You are here uninvited.”  Remembering all his allies, the noble prince called out, “my allies I call to thee, great air, fire, water and earth.  My allies sun and moon, please come, aid me in this space”.  Within a second, all his allies the Veiled Woman, Green Man, Crane, Python, Salmon and the Trees appeared before Thanatos like an army for war. 

Thanatos stood silent in awe of those who appeared.  He then took his sword and slashed it into the ground.  The crane bag, torch, food, armor, and leggings passed back to those who gave them.  Panda was now sky-clad with nothing.  The prince stood helplessly in fear.  Then remembering the wisdom each ally gave on his journey, the noble prince turned towards Thanatos and said, “Is that all you got?”  Within an instant, white and black fir ascended from the sky and clocked Panda like armor greater than silver and gold. 

Thanatos then bent a knee and bowed in recognition of the transformation, and divinity of the Panda Prince.  Thanatos then stepped forward and spoke; “Wise noble prince, from the beginning you had all you need to be triumphant.  You had the knowledge of kings.  You had to lose everything to see it, to break down all what was, to bring forth your truth.  Your allies helped guide you, but still it was up to you to choose.  You have found the balance to rule.  I ask you to take up my sword to aid in your rule.  Help others break the chains they bare.  Do so and your kingdom will thrive”.  The noble prince stepped forward and with honor accepted the sword.  Within a moment, lava erupted from the ground beneath the panda and vast winds from the earth shot the panda into the sky.  The panda fell for what seemed a day before landing in a pool of water. 

The panda recognized the container of water as a fountain in his Fathers Palace.  The King was walking by at that moment.  The concerned King pulled the prince into his court for he was missing for days.  The panda prince told his story of the war and his journey, but the court laughed at each part.  Panda searched his body for the sword, but it was nowhere on him.  The prince then remembered the wisdom gained.  The panda closed his eyes, thought of his allies and with a firm voice spoke.  “Here me good people of my kingdom, I am the noble prince and I come with news.  Our kingdom will fall to invaders, not because they want land, but because how we are treating our own people and each other.  Teach every soul in this kingdom to have hope and offer food and shelter.  To all who hold ill will to your neighbor, offer mercy.  Do this in remembrance of all that is divine in this world.”  As the prince spoke these words, light from the sky filled the court and shined upon him and the sky bellowed thunder and lightning.  A crane feather fell from the ceiling upon the prince’s arm.  He knew, he just used the sword of Thanatos.  The King star struck, honored the noble princes wishes and the kingdom did thrive; and with it the Panda.