The Emperor's Palace stood in the center of Beijing, looming over the capital city. A large stone wall surrounded it, making sure no villains could get inside. The guards stood on all sides of the palace, armed with multiple weapons. The night was still, the moon bright in the sky.
In front of the wall, some of the guards were taken out. Their weapons were stolen and their unconscious bodies were dragged away. The guards were also taken out on the wall and on the other side of the wall. Their crossbows were dismantled and their torches were put out. Within a few minutes, most of the guards were defeated and their weapons were destroyed.
Inside the palace, the Emperor's daughter slept in her bed, her chest rising and falling with the rhythm her breathing. The window was open so fresh air could circulate in her room. However, the open window provided the perfect opportunity for an invader to sneak in.
As she slept, three snow leopards crawled in through the window. One held a rope, one held a rag and the third one held a sack. They closed in on the sleeping princess, quiet as shadows.
Suddenly, the floorboard creaked. The Emperor's daughter opened her sapphire eyes, casting curious glances around the room. At first she didn't see anything, but then her gaze landed on the flicking tail of one of the intruders.
She screamed, her voice echoing through the palace. The one with the rag leapt forward and shoved it in her mouth. Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed with fear.
The one with the rope held her down and wrapped it around her, tying her arms behind her back so she couldn't free herself. The one with the sack grabbed her frail body and shoved it in.
With the princess tied up and in their sack, the three intruders ran out of the palace. The princess' earlier screaming alerted the remaining guards that something was happening to her, so they grabbed their weapons and charged toward the front of the palace. Unfortunately, they were no match.
The trio of intruders were outnumbered, but their strength resembled that of a hundred oxen and their precision was like a hummingbird's. Each guard that came for them they were ready for, using teamwork to defeat them. They kicked, punched, and clawed their opposition, and eventually, they were out of the palace and running through the bamboo forest with the princess.
The Emperor's righthand man burst through the doors of the Emperor's room, his eyes wide with panic. The Emperor sat up, awakened by the loud noise.
"Goodness gracious, Wèi! What are you doing, waking me up so late at night?" The Emperor spat, furious. Wèi, the guard, was struggling for air.
"Your Majesty! Your daughter... S-she's gone!" Wèi stammered. The Emperor's expression grew terrified.
"Baoshí!" The Emperor gasped. He threw himself out of bed and raced down on the hallway, dressed only in his bed robes. He was screaming commands at the guards, desperate to save his daughter. "Go after them! Get my daughter back now!" He roared, his eyes smoldering orange fire. The guards obeyed and raced in droves out of the palace, pursuing after the intruders and Baoshí.
The Emperor put a hand over his heart, fighting the tears forming in his eyes. Wèi trailed after him as he walked to the Imperial Chamber.
"Your Majesty, what are you going to do?" The Tibetan antelope queried, rubbing his hooves together in anxiety. The Emperor sat in his throne, resting his chin on his hand.
"I have the Imperial Army after them," he replied, "but I need more. Wèi, I need you to write a message." Wèi grabbed a scroll and a quill. "My daughter has been kidnapped by unknown villains. I, the Emperor, order the best warriors in all of China to go after her and bring her back to safety." When he was done, he put his face in his hands. Wèi gave the scroll to a hawk. The hawk flew out of the palace to deliver it.
Noticing how distraught the Emperor was, Wèi turned to the dragon and tried to smile. "Don't worry, Your Majesty! I'm sure they'll bring her back just fine!"
The Emperor leaned back in his throne, staring straight ahead. "I hope so," he responded. "I just don't want the same thing that happened to Nuwang to happen to my daughter."
There was a silence. Finally, Wèi took a step forward. "Who do you think took her?"
The Emperor narrowed his eyes in thought. "It had to be someone who is smart, and strong enough to beat all my guards... Someone who may have had something to do with Nuwang..."
Suddenly, the Emperor jumped to his feet. He had just thought of someone who fit that description. "I think I know who took her."
Baoshí tugged against the chains that held her down against her will. She was battered and exhausted. She was in a dark room with a stone floor and stone walls. The rag had been taken out of her mouth, so she used what energy she had left and screamed.
"Who are you?!" She shouted. "Who did this to me?! Show yourself, you coward!"
That moment, the door opened. In walked three snow leopards, almost identical, except their facial markings and the color of their eyes. One of them held a torch to light up the room. They stopped in front of her. Baoshí pulled her lips back to reveal razor sharp teeth.
"The Wu Sisters!" Baoshí growled. "Xiee, Zhao and Ying!"
"Look, she knows our names!" Ying Wu, the green eyed one, said. Xiee Wu, the blue eyed one, smirked.
"Baoshí, daughter of the mighty Emperor, and one of the last dragons known alive." Xiee meowed. Baoshí furrowed her eyebrows.
"Let me go!" Baoshí demanded. The Wu Sisters laughed.
"She's feisty, like her mother!" Zhao Wu, the purple eyed one, chuckled. That made the trio laugh even harder.
"Why are you struggling, my dear? Do you not realize there's no hope for you left?" Xiee taunted. Baoshí tried her hardest to hide her feelings of horror and despair. The last thing she wanted to do was show them how weak she was. She let out a low growl.
"Why are you doing this to me?" Baoshí interrogated, trying to get closer to them. The chains kept her from doing so. Xiee grew angry.
"Because your father banished us to the Mongolian border. Do you know how cold and unlivable it is up there? He has to be punished somehow!" Xiee snapped, unsheathing her claws in fury. "Your old man is a fool, thinking he can stop us!"
"He's gonna send the Imperial Army after you! Then you'll have to surrender!" Baoshí informed, her voice growing louder. She was fighting harder and harder against the chains. They rattled more.
"Do you think the Imperial Army can stop us? We were trained under Tai Lung, the strongest Kung Fu master ever! He and his army won't be able to stop us, not this time!" The lead snow leopard hissed, clenching her fists. She was growing angrier by the minute. Her ears were flattened to her head.
"Won't stop us!" Zhao repeated.
"Not this time!" Ying added. Xiee shot them irritated looks, but quickly returned her attention back to her prisoner.
"You look exactly like your mother before she died." Xiee changed the subject. She was no longer yelling, but her tone was just as menacing. "Chained, angry, and afraid. Looks like you'll meet the same fate as her."
Baoshí was now crying at the mention of her mother. "Exactly the reason why my father banished you..." She wept, still keeping eye contact with the lead leopard. "You're desperate for power, just like Tai Lung. So desperate you killed my mother..."
The dragon princess couldn't keep her fearless shell up any longer. She broke down in tears, sad and afraid. The sisters glared daggers at her, annoyed by her sobbing.
"Enough!" Xiee snapped, thrusting the torch into Baoshí's face. She immediately stopped crying and was still. In the torchlight, her eyes were fiery like a forest fire. "There's no use crying, no one can save you!" Baoshí said nothing, only stared at her feet. Xiee took a step back and looked at her sisters. "Come on, sisters. Let's leave her."
Xiee walked out of the room, Zhao and Ying following her. The door to the cell closed, leaving Baoshí alone in the dark. She started to cry again, only this time quieter, fearing the Wu Sisters would hurt her if they heard her cry. She said a couple of prayers, her words barely escaping her mouth.
"Oh, father," she whispered, her voice shaking. "I miss you so much. I'm so scared... I don't want to end up like mother. Please, please come save me."