The Penance of the Lupin
Chapter 1: The Promise and Beginning
The rice fields of each side of the road were full of the different people working the rows as one figure passed by, with his face forward and roughly patched clothes. His hair and fur matted from abuse and the weather. A scar ran along his muzzle leaving a clean white slash, the rest of his body was hidden by a simple shirt and short tattered pants.
He looked up and saw the grand stairway to the Jade Palace in front of him, with tired eyes he set down his own pack at the base of the stairs and took a seat at the fourth tier. With a heavy sigh he looked toward the walls that were made of the mountains around them and toward the sun. His yellow eyes were bloodshot, and his hands wrapped up by bandages looking like they had not changed in a very long time.
As he rose to start the trek up to the highest place in a hundred miles, he reached for his pack as his torn ear swiveled to listen to the scream from the village behind him. He turned to see a pair of crocodiles with axes upending a small cart in the market. He stared at them before dropping his pack and walking toward them with a clear purpose in his eyes.
"Man, this place is so easy to get some cash out of." Said one of the crocs, he had picked up one the smaller villagers by their ankles and snatched the coin pouch from their before tossing them into a cart full of flowers. His fellow laughed a bit snatching a large bottle from a stall and downing the rice wine belching in one go.
"Do you have to do that to villagers?" The wolf walking toward them asked with a flat tone in his voice. He tossed his pack onto a barrel nearby as the Crocs looked at him.
"Yes, yes we do. What? This your territory or something mutt?" The wine drinking Croc asked with a sneer. He let his hand swing down to tap his hand axe at his hip. The other Croc grabbed a small sword from his hip with a grin. "Well you gonna take the things we stole back? Have the guts?"
As he opened his mouth to speak the wolf was charged by the two Crocs swinging their weapons wildly, he ducked and gave them each a quick punch to their arms making the butts of each of their weapons hit one another as he shifted behind them. He had a small grin as they looked at one another dazed.
"Seems I don't need anything like That to outsmart a couple of lizards." He said with the same flat tone, but a clear grin on his scarred muzzle. The two Crocodiles growled and threw one of the plates from a stall at the Wolf, with a quick hand he caught the plate without breaking it and placed it in the hands of one of the peasants near him. "Make sure that goes back for me."
"Stop!" Shouted a loud feminine voice from above, most looked up to see the speaking and saw a Tiger drop from the roofs clay tiles in the middle of the street between the Crocodiles and the Wolf. The villagers cheered as the Crocodiles looked at one another before trying to run down an alley, that is until they were thrown back out followed by a Monkey flipping out with a grin.
"I told you to Stop." Said the Tiger as she walked over to the two bandits and pulled them to their feet shaking them a bit. They looked at her in fear before she pushed them into the waiting cuffs of two Rhinos dressed as guards. As soon as they were in cuffs they were hoisted like a sack of potatoes.
The Wolf nodded a bit before he felt a tap on his shoulder, he turned to see a Crane with a large straw hat on his head to shield his eyes from the sun. Their eyes were inches away from one another, the tiredness and carefulness were clear as the page of scroll. The wolf bowed his head slowly as Crane looked at him nodding a bit.
"It's peaceful now." He said shouting as the Wolf looked back to see him flying away down the street. The wolf simply shrugged his shoulders and went to pick up his pack again until he heard something bouncing toward him.
"Look out below!" A shout came from above, he could only look up to see the patched pants come to land on his head and forcing him to the ground and feeling the brick under him crack from the sudden slam to his head.
"Po!" The Tigress shouted at the panda sitting ontop of him as he was nearly thrown off his back. The Tigress looked down at him and glared moving her hand from it's former place of offering him a hand up. "Never mind...seems the guards forgot this one as well."
The panda looked around holding his hands up ready to fight as the Wolf rose again to his feet with a bowed head toward the panda. He was silent and he looked over to where he had sat his pack and saw that it was gone, at least what was inside as it was upended by something. A small growl of annoyance came from his muzzle after moving his hand to rub his face making all the fighters around look at him carefully.
"What is a Wolf Bandit doing within the Valley of Peace?" Tigress asked with a sharp tone and careful eyes. The others looked at him in much more relaxed stances but still ready to fight if needed, the most excited about it seemed to be Po who was hopping from foot to foot.
"I come for Penance," He said in a quiet but even tone looking only at Po, "If the Dragon Warrior would allow me to work to right the wrongs."
"Uh...What?" Po asked deflating from his fighting stance with a puzzled look on his face as he leaned over to Tigress and asked,"What does he mean by letting him do..what he wants to?"
Tigress kept her eyes trained on the Wolf's body as it started to lower it's head, her stance dissolved to one of caution but of normalcy which the others of the Furious Five were used to. She looked at Po and said, "Either he wants to Kill you, or he wants you to forgive him for what he did under Lord Shen. Doing work for you until he feels he has repaid his debt."
"Yes, please allow me to serve you Dragon Warrior so I may gain Penance and one day Peace of my mind." He said looking directly at Po with tired eyes.
"Uh...Well...I guess so...I never had anyone come for me asking for forgiveness but I guess I forgive you." Po said nodding to himself as The Five facepalmed shaking there heads.
"It is not that Simple," Crane said as he kept his own eyes on the Wolf who had bowed his head again. "It's a Duty one takes until they feel they have repaid their debts. Some warriors take this honor until they have been a Hero for their lord or until they die."
"We will discuss this with Master Shifu." Tigress said holding her hand up halting any further conversation. "You will come with us and wait outside the gates until he gives his judgement."
The Furious Five agreed with simple nods as they ascended the steps, Po not far behind them but not climbing it as quickly but not getting too out of breath. The Wolf had followed behind Po slowly looking forward and at the Panda's back. He had picked up his empty pack and was checking the different stitches and if they had been in need of repair.
"So...do you have a Name?" Po asked as he wheezed a bit half way up the stairs looking down at the Wolf who had stood there watching him quietly. "I mean...if you don't mind me asking after you offered that...Penance thing."
"I was stripped of my name a long time ago Dragon Warrior, but I am mostly known with the name they gave me as they threw me off our mountain home. I go by Taoyan, but I hope to one day earn a new name." Taoyan said with simplicity and nodding to himself looking away from the Dragon Warrior.
"Wow..." Po said as he started up again with Taoyan following with each step in equal time. They had climbed for another fifteen minutes until they both reached the gates of the Jade Palace. Viper and Monkey were waiting for them, but not Tigress, Crane, or Mantis.
"Po, Master Shifu wants you in the Hall of Heroes to talk about what's going on. This wolf is supposed to stay here until he comes up with a decision. " Viper said gesturing for Po to go inside and then nodding to Taoyan, "It's a safety thing, I'm sure you understand."
"See you later then Taoyan," Po said as he walked inside scratching the side of his face.
"Thank you for allowing me to be this close to the Doors at least." Taoyan said looking away and turning to sit on the top step. Monkey and Viper seemed to shrug, as much as a snake could shrug, and continued a conversation about cookies. The young wolf closed his eyes and leaned back as he listened to the wind blow through the trees by the steps to the Jade palace. before long he felt a slight sensation on his shoulder before he opened his eyes to see the small red panda looking at him with a stern eye.
"You are of those who served to do what as a result of the proclamation made by the soothsayer to Lord Shen in his youth?" Shifu asked in a sharp tone that left no room for excuses.
"I was, as my family was as well before I tried to save as many as I could before I was found out." Taoyan said simply with an even tone. Shifu looked at him again and put his hand under his chin moving it to look at the wolf's face more closely.
"None of these wounds were treated, the scars rough and jagged while some of the burns are still tender if I am correct." Shifu said, it wasn't a question but a simple statement as if he was talking about a bit of fruit.
"I was no medic, and none would serve me." Taoyan said with a wince as he felt a still fresh wound, Shifu pulled his finger back showing a few drops of blood from the small wound. Shifu flicked his fingers away making the small bit of blood flinging from his finger.
"And you intend on serving the Dragon Warrior until you find your Penance?" Shifu finally asked pulling his hand away and putting them into his robe sleeves. His eyes examining every movement of the wolf carefully.
"Penance through the secrets to pass onto the Dragon Warrior from my Clan to aid him in the coming War in the Valley of Peace." Taoyan said bowing his head. "For my brothers will use this Valley as their field until we are all dead except for one." This made all the eyes on the wolf narrow.
"Explain what you mean, what secrets and what War?" Shifu asked putting his hand under Taoyan's chin forcing him to look at him in the eyes, Tigress had her claws out in anger with a growl and her tail whipping back and forth behind her. The rest of the Five seemed less angry and more worried for the Valley's people.
"The Secrets that Master Oogway had taught my Grandfather who taught it to my Mother, and then to her children." Taoyan began, "The Secrets the God had taught them both together, and the secrets that must be shared if the Valley is to survive. Something that Master Oogway had told my Grandmother that would bring peace to one of her Grandchildren. I hope that I may pass it on to gain a small amount of forgiveness for my crimes."
The Grand Master stared at the Wolf's face before letting go turn to face the sun as it began to set, "I was told by Master Oogway that he had battle side by side with a Wolfess in his years discovering different secrets of Kung Fu, the Wolfess of the North had set her a letter in her last few weeks of life to Oogway to say that she hoped that her Grandson would be able to teach his chosen her Art. When I asked what the Art was I was simply told that it was the Art of the Elements and that I would watch as the Five were taught it...along with the Furious Five."
Taoyan rose up from his kneeling spot to look at the Sun and then to the Five bowing his head, "My brothers and I all learned the art, they abuse their skills while I never have used it in the ways not told to by my conscious that it was right except for once."
"And that is what you are seeking forgiveness for?" Shifu asked looking back as the Furious Five and Dragon Warrior simply watched the go between.
"Yes, and I shall start by teaching them my Art when you order me to." The Wolf said looking to the six Kungfu master.
"What exactly is your...Art? Can you at least show us how Awesome it is?!" Po asked seemingly excited earning an angry glare from Tigress before she saw a stone floating between her and Po then shooting upwards into the sky and away from them. Tigress and the other five saw the Wolf in an odd kung fu stance.
"Perhaps...a spar would do us best. If Master Shifu would allow it." Taoyan asked with a smile on the edge of his features looking at Shifu who nodded.
He bowed to the Grand Master of the Jade Palace as the other six walked into the training field in the middle, Taoyan stepping to one side to turn to the five to say, "I ask that it be one at a time so others may observe the different styles of the Art." He smiled a bit closing his eyes as Tigress stepped forward from the rest and bowed in respect and got into a stance.
"I expect that you will last long enough to show it off." Tigress said sharply as Taoyan smiled a little making her narrow her eyes. Shifu stepped up onto a stone nearby and nodded to the two fighters, clearly the referee of the spar.
"Begin." Shifu said his large ears and eyes carefully trained on both of them as they sparred.
Tigress lept forward in a flash as Taoyan smiled moving his hands to his hips and then drawing them up quickly, thinking that it was some sort meditation before the earth below the wolf rose like a pillar in a swift grinding movement in front of Tigress making her stop and bounce it off the stone as he stood above her on the top.
"That is the example of Earth Bending." He started as he suddenly jumped up and did a flip in mid air to bring an axe kick down onto of the pillar making it shatter into rubble as he stood in the dust cloud after the Master of Tiger style jumped up and covered her mouth.
"You...you can control the stones of the ground?" Tigress said in slight awe of the feat before the dust started to clear strangely quickly, after a few moments she saw the Wolf starting to do something with his hands to start to bring a disc of some sort at his side of the wind around them and drawing in the dust out behind him then throwing the disc into the air.
"I can, as well as you just saw Air." He said with a smile and then got into a stance that seemed rather rigid and nodded. "Shall we continue? Or do you wish to swap on for another one of the five so you may observe?"
Tigress didn't even have to speak before she jumped forward and onto the Wolf pinning him to the ground behind him holding his arms to the ground beside him with a growl, "Not so cocky pinned are you?"
He simply smiled and started to take a deep breath holding it in for a moment before release a large blast of air from his mouth and flinging the Tiger off of him and into Master Monkey. He propped himself up with a small smile on his mouth and nodded to Master Shifu who was rubbing his mustache.
"Dragon Warrior, I would like you to be our new friend's next opponent." The Grand Master of the Jade Palace said. With a bit of an excited run Po stepped into the Arena with the wolf who smiled a bit wider bowing to him.
"Would you like to see Water or Fire, Dragon Warrior?" Taoyan asked with a clear bit of respect for the Dragon Warrior who had defeated many wolves before.
"Um...I guess Water." Po said shrugging a bit before he bowed.
"Good, I enjoy Water personally." Taoyan said as he pulled his arms back and slowly before bringing them forward and levitating a glob of water from the nearby pond in the main square and moving slowly to bring it between himself and Po before doing a swift motion toward the Dragon Warrior and causing a whip of water to hit at Po's feet.
"Oh...This isn't going to be fun." Po said as he watched the Wolf chuckling amd moving slowly before started to run forward toward the water...before a stream from it whipped in front of him and the entire mass in front of him turned to ice in front of him.
"It depends on your definition." Taoyan as he stopped his stance and put a hand on the ice and gave a quick punch to turn it into a ice ball that shot at Po who moved his head enough for it to soar over his head before he moved to punch the ice wall causing it to Shatter and melt. The Wolf smiled as he shot his hand over to grab the Panda's and pull it through to his side and freeze the water around it.
Shifu chuckled seeing what the Wolf was doing as Po launched another punch which landed the same result and then a kick to the same as the last two strikes. "I think the Dragon Warrior is stuck now." Taoyan commented as he tapped the Panda on the head melting most of the wall around his sparring partner with a smile as the cuffs were still frozen before he tapped them again to turn them into vapor.
"You said something about Fire right? That must be an awesome way to do Kung Fu." Po commented as he rubbed his wrist before Taoyan looked away turning to punch into the air rapidly and shoot gouts of scarlet flame into the air then turned around to see the surprised faces of the seven.
"Only when you want to actually hurt your enemy, which is why my brothers love the Element of Fire and it's hunger." Taoyan said with no smile on his face and bowed to Shifu. "I hope that will be enough of a demonstration for now."
"It will do for now. Po please show him to one of the empty rooms in the halls." Master Shifu said turning his back to the group and walking into the grand hall which had only a few peach petals blowing out of the grand room.
"Where did you learn all this...Magic?" Mantis asked as Po and the rest of the Five started to walk toward their quarters with the wolf not far behind with the small insect sitting on his shoulder.
"I...was born lucky and unlucky in the same way." The wolf said walking forward. "I was gifted with controlling these elements with motions of the body, which can be powerful Kung Fu katas and fighting styles. But my brothers were as well, you could say it's a family thing since my grandmother was working with Master Oogway. "
"Could you train others as you say you can train Po? It would be very impressive if you could have a whole Kung Fu school learning how to shape the world around them in Kung Fu Katas, we wouldn't have to worry about Bandits anymore." Crane commented with a bit of a smile walking on his spindly legs.
"I could, but I am teaching the Dragon Warrior because of it is my Duty and Destiny for the path of Penance. Anyone else who would learn it would have a hard pressed time doing it." Taoyan said as they walked into one of the buildings and saw the large kitchen connected to a dining area that was being laid out with different plates of food by Kung Fu Masters.
"Sit down, it's Dinner time we have to keep our strength up incase someone attacks in the Night." Viper said with a smile as she slithered into her own chair and leaned back as the others soon followed suit. The rest sat in seemingly normal arrangement with Po at the left side of the head of the table with Tigress at the right at the head of the table across from one another. Then down the row on Po's side was Monkey and Crane, on Tigress's it was Viper and Mantis sitting next to one another.
"We pulled you up a seat here on the left side." Monkey said using his tail to point at one of the chairs seemingly stolen from another place and placed there which Taoyan moved slowly to take and lean back in with a smile on his faint if it was a bit faint.
"You did come on a great night, Po had just made his father's famous noodle recipie." Viper said smiling a bit as Po popped out of the room and slid bowls in front of all sat at the table with himself being the last one. He smiled a bit and lifted the bowl to his mouth to take a sip, as the others also did, of the broth. With a few sips he smiled and drank the rest down rather quickly and grabbed his chopsticks and started to eat the noodles rather quickly.
"You spoke of your brothers, would we know much of them?" Tigressed asked taking more refined bits of the noodles and eating them then the rest, Taoyan stopped eating looking at his near empty noodle bowl and put his chopsticks down slowly.
"They normally stuck to the northern lands, so I highly doubt it. You may have heard their names but never really heard much about them. They liked to keep themselves secrete until they planned to attack and warned their targets in advance." Taoyan said darkly, "They always loved a good hunt until they split up against the target and made a Game out of it."
"Sounds like they are more than Bandits...Assassins then?" Crane asked putting his own chopsticks down as he spoke and hung his hat by the string around his neck.
"That's one way to describe them, another would be Bounty Hunter or even Warlords but they are more than Bandits." Taoyan said in a soft tone. "It is partial the reason they plan on taking one another out soon to gain ultimate power of the Elements so they can rule over not only the clan but who ever they want..."
"What other Elements even are there? We saw you do four...how many do your siblings know?" Viper asked as her head bobbed a bit tilting it.
"Each of my Brothers only know two, and my two sisters know three. I was the only one gifted enough to learn four and only because I had stayed home after they went out to cause havoc in the world. As well as they did not learn the Harmony of Soul that I trained for three years in solitude on our Mountain home under my Grandmother before she passed on to the next world." Taoyan said as he started to eat again.
"Oh...I'm sorry to hear of your Grandmother..." Viper said frowning a bit, "She sounds like a very wise woman."
"Very wise, and trained me until she passed away peacefully in her bed. She seemed to wait until I successfully was able to achieve Harmony of Soul and utilize it."
"What is...That technique? Is it something awesome that lets you control the flow of Time or like Teleports or something?" Po asked leaning in, going into a near fanboy tone before he was elbowed in the side.
"It's a Splitting Technique of sorts." Taoyan said as he finished up his noodles smiling a bit more. "I have never used it in true Combat but once and that was against a Snow Leopard who spoke of Pandas and Dragons nearby when he challenged me to a duel where he was able to utilize the Element of Lightning without the power of Fire. I had to show him who I was to have him beaten then and then we shared a nice bit of Tea."
"Was this Snow Leopard nearby?" Crane asked a bit curiously as the others took an odd look on their face.
"Yes." Taoyan said as he looked at the others before another question from Mantis was asked.
"Did he look like he could throw a Gorilla around like a pebble?"
With the simple reply of, "Yes" from Taoyan.
"Did he have sharp yellow eyes?" Asked Viper starting to see the others having the same idea.
"Yes, is there something wrong with this person I should know about?" Taoyan asked as Tigress stood up sharply.
"Where is he living?" She asked as her claws were digging into the fine wood of the table with the others following the standing soon after.
"He lived in a cave in the mountain pass that led into the Valley of Peace." Taoyan said looking at them carefully. "Is he a criminal of sorts?"
Before his question was answered Tigress had started walking out of the room 'calmly' as Viper and Monkey bolted out soon followed by Po down the hall beside Tigress leaving only Crane in the room with the confused wolf. He looked at Crane as he stood up before having a wing raised toward him.
"You sat, drank tea with, and sparred with Tai Lung. He is the one who was looking to destroy the Jade Palace and all the people in the Valley of Peace if it meant getting the Dragon Scroll." Crane explained to Taoyan who looked to his bowl nodding a bit.
"To tell the truth he seemed close to death's door when I had met him but when he pulled his cloak showing his many scars I assumed he was a Kung Fu master who was looking for his place in this world." Taoyan admitted and nodded getting up. "I will come with you then, I sense that when I sat with him something had given the Power of Lightning to him for some reason. Not even I or any of my brothers have learned that level of control."
Crane stared at him as they heard shouting coming from the courtyard. The two looked to the window and saw that Po and Tigress were already racing down the steps to the valley with Shifu shouting at them in anger, the other Masters not in the kitchen bolting passed their master shouting words of apology.
"Have you any tricks to run quickly or should I fly ahead and tell them to wait for you to catch up?" Crane asked as Taoyan rose a brow.
"Are we not going to wait for your Grand Master's Permission?"
"We do normally, but Tai Lung was his son...in adoptive sense. If we had his permission he would be coming with us to speak to him, not fight him." Crane said with a sigh, "I have full faith in my Master but...it is our duty and the duty of Po to see if Defeat truly set Tai Lung right."
They nodded to one another as they slipped out one of the back doors as Shifu rushed into the room, Crane taking flight with flap of his wings as Taoyan smiled using a thrust of his right arm to create a pillar that launched him with enough force to send him over the Palace wall onto the mountain going down. He looked at Crane flapping and as he started down the mountain side Taoyan started to run and move his arms in odd pumping actions as if he were trying to pull something up.
Crane soon saw the effect as the earth itself was rising under his feet as he nearly skated over the earth as if it were nothing but a patch of Ice. The Wolf smiled a bit as he got toward the bottom and launched himself again upwards with a jump and flip contorting the air under his feet to allow him to stand on the rooftop of one well known noodle shop.
Crane smiled looking forward to see similar shapes jumping over different buildings and started to fly quickly that way using different aerial maneuvers to avoid things on the main street of the village as Taoyan jumped quickly from roof to roof with single bounds using the air to propel himself quickly until midnight when they were far beyond the village and down the wooded road beyond.
Po had surprisingly kept up well with Tigress and the rest of the Five with Crane and Taoyan not far behind them. They stopped in a clearing by the road seemingly commonly used by travellers for nightly rests coming in and out of the valley with a small pile of wood and ring of stone for a fire pit.
"You two kept up well." Mantis commented from Monkey's shoulder, whom he had road on because he was far too small to run that sort of distance in that amount of time.
"I have my ways of keeping up with people." Taoyan said smiling a bit and looked at Po already rushing to try to light the fire with a tinder box.
"Master Shifu won't be happy if we don't come back with Tai Lung in chains or willingly coming back to the Jade Palace in peace..." Viper said as she curled up on one of the logs around the stone circle as Tigress sat on the cold grass next to her. Monkey and Mantis sat on the second log agreeing silently as Crane took another seat on the third log.
"If I under him from the short time I was with him, he is not concerned with becoming...The Dragon Warrior at the moment." Taoyan said making the others look at him in the pale full moon light.
"Why do you say that? The Lighting you spoke of that he had?" Mantis quested shrugging. "He would probably use it to show he is the true warrior and assert his dominance."
"He was more concerned about the Approach of his new...Charge when I arrived there. I met the little thing when I spent a blizzard there in his cave with him helping explain to him the Lighting and how it fundamentally worked."
"Are you saying Big Bad Tai Lung is taking care of a Child?" Viper asked dropping her jaw a bit.
"No, another traveller who was sick and was spending his time with Tai Lung until he was fit to travel again. Seems he had a penchant for wandering off." Taoyan said as he got up when Po threw the Tinderbox into the tree line with a frustrated shout. "Here." He chuckled and snapped his fingers making a small flame dance in his hands and dropping a large ball of it onto the wood causing it to come alight.
"Do you think Tai Lung is really more focused on...helping someone?" Mantis whispered to Monkey who shrugged as Tigress closed her eyes and didn't move. After a while no one spoke until they heard a faint snoring sound coming from the place Po was leaning against the log.
"I doubt it, after showing his skills Tai Lung was smart enough to not try to attack him again. I wouldn't want to fight Taoyan full on either." Monkey muttered as he pulled the small pack from his pack to start tossing different loaves of bread at the others.
Each caught their loaves, including Mantis surprisingly enough and started to nibble on it. The fire was starting to dance in the night as Taoyan looked back with the reflection playing off his pupils. "I detest fighting to hurt people anyway. He offered a friendly spar is all, when he started to use more abilities I simply followed suit."
"So what was that Splitting move you were talking about?" Po asked as he moved to sit on one of the logs with a bit of a plop making it shake a bit.
"It is a technique that only those who master their Elements can gain any hope of Mastering. Once one masters their Elemental talents and then they train for a very long time or in times and with great need they can split themselves into different bodies. One for each of their Elements and then another for none at all." Taoyan says sitting next to Crane. "It is of great danger to all those around it because each of the forms will take another part of your personality."
"Wow...it'd be like splitting up into like five Kung Fu Masters with all sorts of powers." Viper said in slight awe while looking at Tigress with a smile and asked. "It'd be pretty amazing."
Tigress opened her mouth to say something before a sharp howl cut through the Night making them all stop and Taoyan stand up looking toward the moon. They all got up getting into a defensable position their eyes scanning the tree line around the clearing, Tigress had her foot on one of the logs while the others were inside the log circle before another howl closer this time came through the night.
"Sister your howl has always been so clearly disguisable." Taoyan said and looked straight ahead as a laugh like a crystal bell came through the silent night. "I am guessing this is not just a visit between siblings."
A wolfess dropped in front of Taoyan, a head taller then him with crystal blue eyes that reflected the fire light like a mirror had a smile on her face. She reached up and patted the smaller wolf's face who growled making her laugh again and pushed him back as she looked at the fire in the center then at the others around it.
"Made some friends I see little brother." She said with a smile tapping her foot causing the fire to change colors in front of the others. "You remember what happened to that little village that decided to keep you around last time we found you don't you? How the buildings burnt and you ran like a coward that you are."
"I ran because you and your band were chasing me, Nani, while Cho was harrassing the others defending the children and I knew I could make you all follow me." Taoyan said glaring at his sister. "Besides, the last time I think I recall you running with half frozen fur on your body."
"You really are looking to die..." She said pushing him back toward the fire as she pulled her hand up to make a pillar of flame erupted from it toward the moon illuminating the treeline showing the different wolves and other bandits in the branches. "And I'm all too happy to have the honor of doing it."
As Nani reared her hand back to strike Taoyan in the face a bolt tore down from the north and a hulking shadow followed after with high speed to throw multiple wolves from the trees toward one another as the Five bolted up to knock the trees and the bolt nearly hit Taoyan and struck at Nani's feet who jumped growling. Her shining blue eyes were filled with hate and she growled as she ran into the trees again.
The battle took less than a minute as the wolves soon retreated out in the trees and the others had grabbed those knocked out or thrown away by the hulking shadow who was now standing with shining yellow eyes the only thing able to be seen.
"I followed them from the Mountains." A deep voice coming from the shadowy hulk as a chuckle followed soon after. "I hope you do not mind me missing your Sister too badly, Taoyan."
"Tai Lung," Tigress said glaring at the yellow eyes. "why have you returned to the Valley of Peace?"