The skies over the ocean had never witnessed so many birds flying towards land. Large flocks of pelicans and seagulls cried out to other creatures about the terror they had seen out at sea. The animals of the rainforest heard the warning, scurrying away in fear, desperately searching for higher ground.
For days Peng had felt the dark storm gathering energy, growing bigger and stronger, feeding off the warm air of the ocean. He had been out many times to check on its size and direction. Now he knew for certain that it was heading straight for the mainland.
Peng flew out one last time, skirting around the back of the hurricane. Down below he saw the destruction it had left behind. Massive wind and waves had swamped an entire island, washing away people, animals, houses and trees. Nothing was left but floating debris. Peng knew instinctively that hurricanes were not all bad. They had a role to play in Nature. They brought water when the land was thirsty, and many species of animals needed floods for breeding. But a storm of this size was too powerful. If he could lessen its impact, wear it down before it came to land… If he could lead it away, out to sea again…
But Peng was still so young. He had never fought a storm before. And he knew he couldn’t fight it alone.
When he returned to the quiet of the lake he saw something floating over the trees. Peng felt a part of himself, the tiny part that he had left behind twelve years ago on a small baby’s palm, slowly waking up inside him. He knew that it was time. He called out, his voice like a bell echoing off the clouds. The Peng Master had come to him at last.