The recruits had been given the day off from training…which was something Ping didn’t even remember until after Mushu had woken him up at dawn with a bowl of mó gu tāng poured over hot congee.  "Why did you have to wake me up so early?“ grumbled Ping, his face nearly in the bowl as he scraped up the last bits of mushroom.

"You can’t spend every free day sitting on your behind,” scolded Mushu, who looked less threatening than ever in an inexplicable pink apron.  He yanked the spoon out of Ping’s hands, brandishing it like a weapon.  "Unless you want it to flatten right out like a big, fat, pancake.  You’re losing all that hard work you’ve put in, Mulan!  Now don’t dawdle over your breakfast and let’s start with a nice walk around the camp.  Come on, come on, come on!“

So it was that Ping found himself trudging the perimeter of the camp by seven in the morning.  He curled one arm weakly around his stomach, thinking that for all Mushu’s planning, the guardian had forgotten that the sooner you moved after eating the more likely you were to get cramps.  Ping had cramps.  But at least he was only walking, and the crisp air helped revive him a little.  Sooner or later, the tiny dragon would probably bully Ping into jogging…because it was harder than it seemed, to brush off Mushu’s suggestions, when you remembered that he could spit fire at you if he got annoyed enough…but for now, Ping could almost smile.  Maybe taking just a walk more often wouldn’t be so bad.

"This isn’t your usual run around the camp,” Mushu pointed out, swaying on his perch on Mulan’s shoulder.  "You’re gonna loop around the lake too, get a little more spring in your step before lap number two.  Mulaaaaan,“ he cajoled as the soldier groaned out loud.  "The less often Pretty Boy sees you first thing in the morning, the better.  Trust me.  And I thought I had dragon breath…”

“I cleaned my teeth after breakfast,” Ping pointed out, hurt.  "Anyways, just because the captain is - “

Ping felt the cold shock of scales sliding down his back under his jacket before he could look around and see the figure outside Captain Shang’s tent.  Naturally, the recruit’s first instinct was to slink away, even though he was sure the captain hadn’t heard Ping talking "to himself.”  But had Shang seen him?