Peng’s paws were soft from living under the sea. So when he trod on a jagged piece of tin that had been dumped into the lake, it sliced easily through his flesh. The pain had made him cry out, scaring the two-legged creature away from the shore. He lifted his paw out of the water and licked the wound clean. His saliva soon stopped the flow of blood. When he looked up again, the creature was gone. They had met before, that much Peng knew. And they would surely meet again – when the time was right.
Peng settled into his new home. He felt strangely drawn towards this lake and knew it was where he was supposed to be. When night fell, the insects of the rainforest sang a new song. They sang about the life of the Peng, his great power and wisdom, and how he had come down from the stars to balance the violence in Nature. And they sang of the Peng Master who would be linked to him forever. They told of who Peng was and what he was to become. ‘You will live one thousand years,’ they sang, ‘and in your lifetime there will be many Peng Masters. Every so often, there comes a time when both Peng and the master are newly born. It is that time now. You are young and so is your master. Be careful, be careful,’ they sang, ‘for you are both not yet wise, nor strong.’
By morning, the insects of the rainforest were quiet. They had told the story of Peng, so that all the creatures would know him and so that he might fulfil his destiny.
Each day, Peng practised flying. If he was to grow into a truly great Peng, he knew he had to be a skilful flyer. With each new day, he flew higher and higher until he was flying in the clouds, gathering them up before him and chasing them away.
Peng knew that one day, when he was fully grown, he would have the ability to fill up the whole sky. And then, in an instant, to shrink to the size of an ant and sit on a blade of grass without causing it to bend. Such was Peng’s great power. And yet, it was only with a Peng Master that Peng would reach his full potential.
So Peng practised, and waited in the wide lake for the training of the master to be completed.