Chapter 56 - Panda

As the supposed suspect made its way out of the forest's shadows, it was not something that Suna and Zachary could have ever expected.

It was – a panda. Although its stature indicated that it was still a baby, the short, fluffy panda walked out to reveal itself.

Small plopping noises could be heard as his little fleet walked straight forward.

It had a red collar hanging around its neck. It had something written in it, but it was far too dark to be able to discern what it was.

Zachary and Suna lowered their guard.

But the panda cub just looked at them and walked right past them.

"Hey, where do you think you are going?"

Zach called it out.

His words might as well have fallen on deaf ears.

"I am not going to warn you again, furball!"

Zach was getting more and more agitated.

"What was this creature doing here? Is it one of those shapeshifting monsters that assumed the appearance of a cute and wholesome baby panda, just to transform into something nasty that would tear into the three of us all at the same time?"

He thought to himself.

"I know what you are thinking, Zach. I have read about those shapeshifters myself in the books. But watch closely, something feels different about this panda." Suna wrinkled her eyebrows. "For one, he is kind of walking on his legs, instead of a real panda which might crawl on all fours."

Zachary mirrored her wrinkled eyebrows as well. He was now genuinely much more amazed and curious rather than worried. "Now that you mention it, I have never heard nor read of bears or pandas walking on two feet with that much grace, it is like a human or something. As graceful as it is, it's kind of eerie at the same time."

He said while nodding slowly.

"You're right. Maybe it was trained somewhere? I mean it has a collar and all. And look! It even has a small backpack!"

Her shiny eyes glinted, amazed at the creature's endearing get up. 

"Oh, I see it. I wonder what it keeps inside."

Zach said.

When the panda was now beside them, about a meter away, to be exact. The panda took off his backpack and ruffled across its things, it was desperately trying to find something.

"What are you looking for, little guy?"

Suna approached the baby panda who was starting to get frustrated, not being able to find what it was rummaging for in its backpack.

She took a peek inside and had a dumbfounded look strongly etched on to her hungry face.

What's inside was all leaves. All types of leaves from different plants, it was probably the panda's food.

"I really don't know what I expected…"

She sighed.

After a short while, the panda's eyes lit up. It finally found what it was desperately looking for – a foldable bamboo stick.

"Look, Zach! It even has its own little weapon! Just how adorable can this little guy be."

"So, that stick is its weapon?" Zach responded. He took a moment to process his thoughts. "Hm, I'm going to be honest, that is pretty neat."

The panda waved its bamboo stick around, imitating a fighting stance. Swinging it around as though it were a sharp sword ready to cut and weave through his foes like butter.

Suna's face was in awe.

"Woah, those are some legitimate stances and slashes right there, little guy. I wonder what brings you here, though. It is pretty late into the night, maybe you got lost?"

No response.

The panda just stared at the very depths of her soul.

Moments later, the panda licked her face.

Suna slowly got up and turned around towards Zachary's direction.

"Hey, Suna. You alright?" 

He asked.

"C-Can we keep him?!"

She exclaimed.

"I mean you are the one that the Commander and Gavin left in charge, right? That's your call. But I do not think it is a good idea. Something still feels off about this panda, we should just leave it be and get on with our supper."

He shrugged his shoulders.

"Then it is settled! We will keep him!"

"Did you hear what I said?"

Zachary facepalmed.

"Yep! Loud and clear, in fact!"

Suna announced to everyone there.

"You really should not be this loud, it is a bit rude to the animals laying dormant in this forest. I am going to pick Yin up and go back to the hideout. Give me a hand."

Zachary said.

But just before they were about to walk near Yin's unconscious body, the panda sprinted towards Yin's direction and got there first.

"H-How fast is this thing?"

Zachary was confused.

Suna noticed the panda was slowly rising its right hand upwards.

"What's it doing?"

"Beats me."

*Bonk* The cute and adorable panda just smacked Yin's head with its bamboo stick. It was not a playful smack. The panda was actually exerting effort into the heavy strike. 

Both Zach and Suna were shocked.

"I told you so."

Zachary stared at Suna's eyes with such bleakness and disappointment that it sent shivers down her spine.

"The little guy is just playing around. Seriously, Zach, you should learn to loosen up a bit sometimes."

Suna laughed anxiously.

After a few whacks from the panda's bamboo stick, Yin still would not budge.

"Suna, the food back at the hideout has gone long cold now, we really ought to get going."

Zachary said. This motioned her to take on the offensive and save Yin from further beatings by the deceptively cute and endearing little panda.

When she was trying to pull Yin away and lift him up, the panda got angry.

"What's wrong, little panda?"

The panda continued to express its frustration.

He bared his adorable little fangs.

"That really does not answer my question, but alright."

She got close to it and proceeded to lift the panda off the ground herself.

Suna then glanced at Zach's direction. "Sorry Zach, I think you are going to have to be the one carrying Yin, I am all too occupied, as you can see." There was an obvious smirk on her face.

Zachary wanted to protest, but Suna had already left the place all the while carrying the furball on her back.

"Weren't we here to call Yin for dinner or something?"

He thought to himself. "The days just keep getting more and more unbearable."

Although his mouth echoed with complaints, he still piggybacked Yin.

"You're a bit heavy for a dead weight."

After saying that, the back of Zach's head got headbutted by Yin.

"What did you say?!"

His voice was sore and fatigued, that much was obvious.

"I said that you are freaking heavy for someone who's dead weight. Do I need to repeat it a third time or did you get me the second time around?"

Zachary responded.

Yin got quiet.

Having heard no response, Zach nudged him lightly on his back.

"Hey, did you die or something?"

The silence was still apparent.

"Good, just shut up, be quiet, and let's get on with this."

Zachary reached the hideout now.

He saw Suna playfully fighting against the panda.

"You should block with your stick like this, if someone is going to attack you from below like that."

She was actually teaching the creature how to fight.

"Is this what you have been doing?"

Zachary had a look of defeat carved in his face.

"Pretty much."

Suna laughed.

Zach laid Yin on the ground. Well, 'laid' is a bit of an overstatement, it was more like he dropped him down instantaneously.

"Hey! Be careful! We still do not know what happened to him, mind his wounds, Zach!"

Suna exclaimed.

"Watch closely, he has not regenerated ever since we saw him propped up on the ground in the forest earlier."

Suna focused her eyes on Yin, still unconscious on the ground.

After caressing her chin with her hands, indicating a thinking motion, she finally gave up after just a few minutes have passed by.

"Can you explain what I should be looking at?"

Zachary was supposed to lecture her, but he was far too hungry and tired to exert any effort at even that, by now.

"His wounds, look at them. Or what used to be his wounds from earlier, anyway. They are gone."

Zach said.

"Yeah, that much I can see. But why should that be surprising? He can heal or regenerate passively, you've seen that ever since we got here."

"Because, Suna, every single time his wounds were healed by him, there would be steam emanating from his wounds just before it turns into scars. Tonight, though, he just got healed completely."

Suna took a look at Yin once more, studying his sustained damage from earlier.

"Now that you have mentioned it, you are right, there have been no indications of his wounds exuding steam healing him. Maybe it happened while you guys were on the way here?"

She asked.

"Not possible, I would have noticed it."

Zach responded before fixing his gaze on the little panda.

"We still do not know what happened to Yin, but I think we've got ourselves a healer."