Notes; After day dreaming about various birds as a summer vacation hobby, such thoughts brought me to write a story about Crane. This is also a Crane/Viper story, but you never know, I'm known for plot twists. My friend Paige knows for sure, yep (nod). So with no further ado, please enjoy, and I'd really appreciate plenty of constructive feedback from readers.

P R O L O G U E

It was cold, and damp, and the thunder roared and the clouds cried heavy tears. He was alone.

In a way being in solitude comforted him, but the droplets of rain that constantly fell upon his dungeon's roof said otherwise. He wasn't afraid, but disappointed that his own brother would betray the dynasty - betray their father. He was angry, furious that he hadn't seen the signs, hadn't seen the whole situation coming, but that's only part of the long term consequences of running away from the Tai Peng palace, one weren't able to keep tabs on his own sibling. Not that he used to care; he never did. But now, he had his regrets. When he ran away he didn't expect of becoming a custodian at a local academy, nor did he predict of ever being a part of a lethal group called the Furious Five. Honestly, he wanted to become a writer, but fate had other plans, apparently.

And now he lies in wait, in a rusty dungeon in his very own home - old home. The lamp that occupied the corner by his side gave him a bit of comfort, and warmth, and the scroll he scribbled on was running out of space. It was a mess; the scroll, but writing was the only thing he could do at the moment. Until it was time to die, if his brother is planning on executing him. Whatever the consequence, it will be severe.

Or perhaps, maybe he's being punished now. None of the guards had bothered him, let alone give him a bit of company even if they were threatening him. It was nothing but pure silence, with the rain gently tapping, and the wind moaning with the storm. The thunder roared, and lightning flashed; he could almost see her face. The woman that he longed for, and after being stripped away from her, he can no longer go back. It was upsetting, but it was life. There are no accidents, as Master Oogway would say. Yep, totally. So he sighed, and continued writing.

"I have, but failed you father. In fact, I've already failed your wishes as soon as I ran away from Tai Peng, from my home, from my family. It isn't surprising that Peng has decided to lock me up. I just hope that he'll change his mind about the Gate, or we'll be doomed for sure. I mean, I don't want to be stuck in this dungeon while the world is a hell hole. It'd be miserable, and loud. Very loud. You know how I hate the sound of swords clashing and the Terracotta Army fighting for their kingdom, but hey, look where I ended up. I'm one of the Furious Five, or was one of the Furious Five, before I was locked away." He laughed, but settled down right after and cleared his throat, "The important thing is, to not let Peng open the Gate. If you ever get this message father, I beg of you to summon up your strength and get out of bed. Times have changed ever since mother left our family, and it especially changed Peng. I have my regrets of not being able to guide him when I had the chance, but now, it's too late. I cannot stop him, but perhaps maybe you can. It is a simple favour I ask of you, and if you ever fail, at least you tried..."

"Crane."

The bird master nearly squawked, his paint brush drawing a straight line across his scroll at the sudden fright of an abrupt call from a stranger. He set the brush down, and tried to look into his visitor's eyes. The voice sounded feminine, but he knew it wasn't Viper. The person before him was tall, bright, yellow eyes that glowed in the darkness of his dungeon. He almost thought it was Tigress, but the woman before him wasn't as tall as the Five's leader. Crane rolled his eyes at his mistake, "Furious Four sounds more like it..."

"Excuse me?" His visitor seemed to take a step forward, and although her retort was sounded kind, Crane couldn't help but back into the damp, rocky wall of his dungeon. He turned his eyes away from her, beak touching the wall, and his breaths came in short. He couldn't concentrate, although he had been trained to. Crane hated to admit that he felt vulnerable without his other four colleagues, including Po who he had drawn very close to as a best friend. The panda always seemed to be in his own little world, and it made Crane jealous. He knew that Po sometimes felt fear, but he wasn't afraid to show it. Crane however, was afraid of being afraid. He was afraid of showing he was afraid and he couldn't help but cuss when he saw the smiling face of his old friend; Mei Ling as she removed her sedge hat and offered it to him.

"You'll need this," She smirked, handing Crane his new straw hat, and pulling off her cloak to reveal her green uniform, and her shinai that she often carried during her training at the Lee Da Kung Fu Academy.

"What the hell Mei Ling!" Crane exclaimed with a whisper, placing the sedge hat on his head, "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

The cat shrugged, turning and looking over her shoulder before she stepped out of her friend's dungeon, "Surprise." Then it was serious business, but the mountain cat still had a smile on her face, as she always does, "I've busted you out, now let's take you back to your real home."

Home, back to the Jade Palace. Crane returned a smile to Mei Ling, but it soon after disappeared as she turned to the sound of guards marching up to his cell. Crane wasn't worried about the guards, oh no, he pondered about the beginning. He went back in time for a moment, to when his journey started.

D I C T I O N A R Y

Shinai; A bamboo sword.

Lee Da Kung Fu Academy; is the school where Crane worked as a daily custodian among training students. That is where he also met Mei Ling. Said location can be found in the Kung Fu Panda's short, "Secrets of the Furious Five".