The silver wolf pulled his jacket tighter around him as he approached Artisan Village. Shivering heavily as the bitter cold pushed it's way thought his jacket and his thick fur, chilling him to his very core. He grit his teeth as he pushed forward, the village growing closer with each step. Growling quietly to himself and wondering why it was him that had trekked all the way out to this village and not his sister. He was a master of the fire element, better suited for the heat of the summer or a warm fireplace. She mastered the element of water. She would've been right at home in this frozen landscape.

He shook his head slightly to realign his thoughts. He had a purpose to be out here and it was an important one. He had a duty to fulfill, a quest to save China from the evils that were attempting to destroy it. Though it had been close to ten years since anyone had actually admitted to personally seeing his target, that never stopped them from chasing the rumors of a sighting. While he was searching Artisan Village for one person, his sister was off in the Easter Providence looking for another.

He stopped walking and glanced up, realizing that while lost in his thoughts he had entered the village and had managed to find himself standing right in front of the Inn. He pushed the door open and walked inside, turning around and bracing his shoulder against the door to close it fully as the wind fought back. Successfully closing the door, he turned and walked to the desk, loosing his jacket and pulling some money from his pockets. "I'd like a room please. I don't really know how long I'll be in town though." He stated, looking up at the pig behind the counter.

"You don't need to worry about paying now." The Inn Keeper told him, pulling a room key off the shelf behind him and a guest book from under the counter. "Just sign in on the book. We'll worry about how much to pay when you check out. Stay as long as you like, you're room is up the stairs, fourth door on the left. Number seventeen. Unfortunately the wind has made it hard to keep our fires burning, so you'll have to find a way to heat up your own water. We'll charge you less because of it."

"You need not worry about that, my good man." The wolf replied, signing his name in the book and accepting the key with a grin and a nod. "I'm sure I'll figure something out. Thank you." He said, making his way up the stairs and into his room.

Once inside he set his pack down, removing his jacket and hanging it up on the hook that was hanging from the wall. The room wasn't large, but it served it's purpose. The wolf knelt down in front of the fireplace, grabbing some of the wood that had been left inside and stacking it up. He snapped his fingers before hold his index and middle finger out, drawing a circle in the air before thrusting his palm forward. A moment later the log placed in the center of the stack caught fire.

The wolf grinned to himself as the room started to warm up. He stands, heading into the bathroom, brushing the snow from the rest of his fur before looking at himself in the mirror. His bright golden eyes peering back at himself as he takes in his image. Taking his finger and drawing it along the scar on his muzzle, a product of a skirmish with the Lion Guard of Dai Zhang.

Dai Zhang was the newest threat to the people of China. He was a canine, but unlike any anyone had ever seen. Rumors had it he had arrived on a boat from the west ten years ago, though no one could say exactly from where. The facts and truths about him were a mystery. All they had to go on were the rumors spread around. But alas, he was a large canine of brown and black fur. He was fierce and commanded a legion of many different species, though his most feared was his Lion Guard. Six Lions that were his highest ranking officers and personal body guards. The last time they fought, they left him with a scar. They would've killed him if he hadn't escaped. It was a miracle he did.

After that him and his sister had decided to search for people to help fight. Ten years ago, such a job would've been left to the Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior. But they hadn't been seen nor heard from in such a long time, and ever since it had been said that they had been hunted down and killed one by one by Dai Zhang after he had failed to kill them when he raided the Jade Palace. It was a day no one talked about. In his raid on the palace many died, many suffered.

Dai Zhang had grown tired of trying to fight back the many guards the palace housed, and instead set the structure ablaze. It was on that day that both Master Shifu and Dragon Warrior Po had been lost to the ashes of the Jade Palace. The Furious Five had managed to escape, but no one ever heard from them again. Shortly after, the rumors began.

Come to think of it, he was only a few miles from the Jade Mountain. Maybe once he was done here he would stop by and pay respect before moving on to the next village. He sighed as he took some water from the bowl and splashed it over his face. Stepping back into the warm room he began to unpack his things out onto the table, laying himself out on the bed when that was done.

After a few moments his stomach growled angrily at him. He sat back up, grabbing his coat from the hook as he walked out and headed downstairs. The pig behind the counter looked up from his parchment as the wolf came down the stairs. "Excuse me, sir. I was hoping you could tell me how to get to the closest restaurant?"

"There is a noodle shop a little ways down from here, take a left when you go out the door and keep walking. You can't miss it."

The wolf nodded his thanks, heading back out into the bitterly cold winter weather to find some hot food to eat. He trudged through the snow filled streets for what seemed like ages, the bitter wind once against stealing his body heat as he went. After a while he found the noodle shop. Even in the blizzard induced low visibility, the shop still appeared brightly lit.

A small bell gave away his entry as he pushed the door in to enter the shop. The wolf surveyed the shop and it's various customer's before he was approached by a rabbit who eagerly shook his hand. "Welcome to Noodle Masters, Mr...?"

"Huo." The wolf provided, smiling down at the rabbit. "Xian Huo. I've been told you have the best noodles in town?"

"Oh you've been told correct, sir! Please, have a seat at the counter! Ms. Lian will be with your shortly to take your order." The excitable rabbit spoke quickly, dragging Xian by his hand over to the counter-side seats. He was handed a parchment paper that listed the shop's different noodles and how much each selection was.

He glanced up from the menu when he realized someone was standing beside him. She was a feline, a tiger at that. Though her fur had a faded and aged look, and when he glanced up at her face, her orange eyes seemed to be missing that feral spark that all tigers had. "So what'll it be?" She asked him. And while she tried to sound welcoming, it was obvious that the life had left her long ago.

"I'm having a hard time choosing. What would you recommend?" Xian asks, setting the menu down and looking back up to her. She took the menu from him, tucking it under her arm before giving him a nod. "I'll surprise you." She states, heading for the kitchen.

Xian watched as she left, noticing a stride in her step that he couldn't quite place. Maybe it was in his head? Felines were always smooth in their movements, but something about her... he just couldn't wrap his head around it.

He accepted his tea from her when she returned, taking it gratefully in both hands and sipping it cautiously to test the temperature. He watched the way she carried the bowls around, how she somehow managed to avoid a customer who had sudden stood up behind her. It just all seemed so odd to him.

She returned to him a few minutes later with his noodles and Xian decided to test a theory. When she turned to leave he 'accidentally' let his empty cup fall from the counter and almost like it was second nature she bounced it off her foot and caught it in her right hand. "I'll refill that for you." She offered, wandering back into the kitchen.

Xian grinned to himself as he ate. This girl knew Kung Fu. And by the looks of it, she was proficient in it as well. She would be perfect to help them fight Dai Zhang. Xian took his time finishing his meal, watching as the late night slowly drew more people from the shop out to their homes.

By now the shop was empty of everyone but her and him. The kitchen staff were cleaning up and getting ready to go home, and she was busy wiping down tables with a wet cloth while waiting for him to finish and leave.

"So I've been watching you." Xian began, inwardly cringing at the stalkerish feel of those words.

"I'll be sure to charge you extra then." She replied, not even bothering to look up from her work.

"That came out wrong. I've noticed the way you move. Very fluid, very aware of everything around you. Even for a feline."

"Thanks... I guess." She stated, putting the rag into a bucket and walking up to him. "Your meal is six coins. I'll forget the looker's fee, but don't make a habit of it. Understand?"

"You know Kung Fu." Xian blurted out, his keen eyes watching her as she froze for a split second before regaining her composure. "I most certainly do not."

"You do. I know you do. It's in the way you walk, your stance. Even now you're in a stance that will allow you to block me if I were to take a swing at you. It's just in your nature. You must have been practicing for a long, long time."

The tiger shook her head. "You don't know what you're talking about." She stated, walking away from him. Xian sighed, watching her leave before an idea popped into his head. He picked up his cup, throwing it at the back of her head as she walked away. He grinned when she caught it without even turning around, holding it up in her hand as she growled softly. "I think you need to leave."

"I have a job offer for you." Xian stated, walking up to her when she turned around. Her growl growing a little louder. "I said leave." She repeated, but Xian didn't listen. "Me and my sister need your help. We're recruiting fights to take on Dia Zhang. We nee-" Xian's sentence was cut short when the tiger suddenly lashed out at him. He fell onto his back to avoid her strike, raising a leg up to block the kick that came next.

Scrambling back onto his feet, Xian blocked two more punches she tried to land on his face, bringing his arms down to block her knee from hitting him in the gut. When she tried to punch him again he ducked to the left, grabbing her wrist and flipping her onto a nearby table. She landed hard but it didn't stop her. She turned onto her stomach, grabbing the table and using it to swing her feet out, kicking him in the chest.

Xian landed on the floor with a thud, raising his hands up just in time to block another kick. He rolled under a nearby table to avoid her, getting back on his feet on the other side. She was panting harshly, glaring daggers into him. "Don't you dare come in here and speak that name!" She shouted, pointing a clawed finger out at him before launching herself over the table, catching Xian off guard when she landed on him, pinning him down.

The next few moments were spent blocking attack after attack as the tiger's fury made itself known in her fists. Xian had a hard time blocking each of the tiger's punches and a few broke through. He somehow managed to grab her wrist again, flipping her onto her back and pinning her down under his weight. She kicked and growled, trying to escape. "Listen to me!" He shouted, trying to get through the haze of her anger. "I'm not here to hurt you! I just want your help!" He growled loudly and she stopped struggling, her eyes that had burned with fierce anger returning to their almost hollow gaze.

Xian panted heavily as he kept her arms pinned down so that she couldn't hit him again. He studied her face for a moment, for the first time seeing a few of the small scars that dotted her skin under the fur. He looked back up into her eyes and could've sworn he saw ages of pain and sorrow looking back at him. And like a lightning bolt from God himself, it struck him.

"Tigress?"

The feline under him laughed bitterly. "No one has called me that name in years."