Her paws twitched and her ears perked upwards. She clenched her jaw and forced her eyes open. Her amber orbs scanned the room, piercing the veil of darkness surrounding her. This room seemed like some kind of sloppy, small house. Everything seemed strewn about, almost lazily. Everything, that is, except the kitchen. There even seemed to be an extra bed near the door, sideways and non-organized.

She moved to get up, instantly surprised by how tight the bed sheets were tucked in. She pulled out her right arm, careful not to tear the sheet. She didn't know what she was so careful, something about this place seemed . . . benevolent. Almost the whole arm was bandaged. She clenched her paw, allowing her muscles to contract. She winced in pain, her arm crying out in protest. Her eyes narrowed and lowered her paw. Hanging up on the other side of the room was her red qipao.

She quickly grabbed the bedsheets and lifted it slightly, her entire torso, up to her neck, was covered in bandages. She was not happy about that. Whatever happened must've been bad, terrible even. What could have caused the amount of damage to her?

She closed her eyes, searching her mind for any recollection of what happened. She found nothing recent, her mind just reached a blank. That was a first for her. The last thing she was able to recall was being on a mission with Po. Shifu had sent them out for something, she shook her head trying to remember. Her eyes snapped open, Po!

If she had sustained this amount of damage, then what happened to him? And where was he?

She quickly tore away the bedsheet and sat up. She ignored the pain shooting up her spine and twisted her body to place her feet on the floor. She stood to her feet, but only made a few steps towards the door before collapsing to her knees.

"Dammit." Her claws dug into the wooden floor. She was far weaker than she would have liked. How was she going to find Po, . . . or what remained, at this rate?

She grabbed the edge of the ebd and pulled herself up to her feet. Her knees shook and her right arm seethed in pain. She could feel the familiarity of stitches snapping apart. As far as she cared, this place wasn't safe. She didn't want to think of any alternative motive to healing her wounds. And without Po . . . why save her instead?

Her ears twitched as she heard the crunch of snow. They were coming. She grit her sharp, feline teeth and readied her claws. She hated using her claw in a fight. Using her claws meant killing intent and she was no savage. The last time she openly used her claws was during the Shen fiasco, that event had warranted her rage.

This time, it was all defensive.

However, her stance quickly faltered upon seeing the large panda come through the door. The, now open, hole in the wall cast light into the room. She quickly realized the panda was older than she would have thought. He dropped the crate of food he was carrying. She could see radishes on the top of the crate. He smiled, "Ah, you're awake." He noticed her claws, unsheathed and ready to tear apart skin and flesh. Despite this, he seemed unnaturally relaxed, although his look did carry a bit of worry. "Oh . . . I see." He turned his head and took a step back. "Hey, Son! I think your friend may have received some head trauma!"

Tigress narrowed her eyes, her surprise dying down. But her curiosity remained, wasn't Po the last panda?

Speaking of the Panda, he rushed into the little hut. "Tigress?"

That's when she broke down, "Po?" She fell to her knees and slumped backwards against the bed.

"Woah!" The larger panda picked her up and placed her back on the bed. "Her injuries didn't get worse, did they?"

"I told you they were bad!" Po picked up the food crate and took it over to the kitchen. "I thought a week of rest would do her well, but looks like we need to get Jian back up here." He set down the crate and turned back to Tigress. "Why didn't you stay in bed?"

"I— I thought you were dead." Her eyes dilated,

Tigress landed on her back. She felt a rib crack as she bounced and rolled onto her stomach. She coughed, not once, but twice as she pushed herself to her feet. For the first time in a long time, tears rolled down her cheeks. For the first time in a long time, she was crying.

The gaping hole in the factory wall mirrored the void that suddenly consumed her. It's moonlight illuminated the debris and disturbed dust sprung into the air. Her knees gave out but she never hit the floor, the peacock's gorilla soldier grabbed onto her, intent of never letting her go or attack.

Not that it mattered, she wouldn't attack. She wouldn't resist.

She was numb . . . all except for the stinging sensation in her paws and the burning of her heart.

She shook her head, she had no intention of reliving her nightmares. He was alive.

Po looked at his dad. They shared a look, they had seen her zone out. "Tigress, this is my dad Li Shan,"

Li Shan offered his paw. "It's nice to finally meet you, Tigress." Po elbowed him in the side. "Ow! Oh, right! Injuries . . ." He quickly qithdrew his hand. "Welcome to our little village, I guess."

Tigress nodded, "How'd we get here?"

Po shrugged, "Can't really remember. No one carried us in and I have no memory of what actually happened. But, it's not like it matters. We've been here a whole week,"

Tigress nodded. If they had been there a week, then it was likely what had attacked them had already passed. However, that wouldn't stop Tigress from being as paranoid as Shifu was during Tai-lung's break out. Someone or something was out there, possibly hunting them. "I haven't moved for an entire week?"

Po nodded.

Tigress narrowed her eyes and stretched out her unbandaged arm. "We should get her moving." Her eyes darted up to Li Shan. Po's dad gestured towards her, "Her body may not heal correctly if she doesn't properly work it. Not to mention, if what you said is true and she is a Kung Fu Master, then we can't take any risks,"

"That's a good idea." Po turned to Tigress, "You up for a little walk?" He didn't wait for a response, "Wait, what about— "

"The village will be fine, we'll just explain the situation." Li Shan smiled, "Everyone will understand."

"Situation? I feel a bit out of the loop,"

"No one knows you're here, Tigress. And the village we're in is not diverse." Po walked over to her side. "We'll head down to the village, go find Jian, and see what you can actually eat. You up for it?"

Tigress nodded and Po slowly sat her up, "Tell me if anything hurts,"

Tigress winced, "It always hurts, it's nothing special,"

Po frowned, "It seems the pain relievers are wearing off. We'll need to get you some more tea." He bent down and put Tigress's good arms round his shoulder, grabbed her waist, and lifted her off the bed. Her feet touched the ground. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." Po walked her over to the door, each step gradual and slow. Each step stressing her body, her wounds. She kept her mouth shut. If Po knew she was in pain from just walking, he might make her stay in the small hut, something she had no intention of doing. She took a breath of fresh air as they neared the door. Almost relieved at the physical activity, even if she couldn't take it on her own.

Her first step outside of the hut was accompanied by crunching sound. There was snow. Her eyes darted around, she could see a village just down the stairs. "Is this house separated from the others?"

"A lot of the houses are. No one wants a repeat from what happened to get us here, so we tend to live somewhat away from the village itself." Li Shan walked past the two, taking a deep breath. Tigress could tell he was suppressing his past, trying to forget. "I'm heading for Jian, I'll tell her about your arrival."

Tigress narrowed her eyes, glaring into the village. "Who exactly is this Jian?"

"A doctor." He smiled and looked at her, his head tilting down slightly to her hunched form, making sure she was okay. "Your doctor."

Tigress's eyes widened before immediately relaxing. She mentally slapped herself. Of course her bandages were wrapped by a doctor, it all made sense. It also meant that the village itself was large enough to warrant a specialist in medicine. Someone to heal instead of create. The jealousy she held dissipated, she was disappointed in herself for even a hint of that toxic emotion.

Po lead her down the stairs to the village below. For a minute, Tigress could actually began to marvel at how a society had not only hid itself away from the world, but was able to flourish despite its weak start. It was strength at its core, something Tigress could appreciate and respect.

That was until they arrived. They had not been in the village long and Tigress understood how diverse the town actually was. As in, not at all. She might as well have been the only non-panda present. She felt unnaturally stressed, almost pressured, what she was witnessing was the turning over of a past genocide. She should have been happy, but her injured state must have made her more weary than curious. Po had been saying hi to passing pandas, but they all seemed to ignore or shoot their look another way.

"They don't like outsiders, not since . . ." Po sighed, "Ignore them."

Tigress could only guess why Po had cut off. Her eyes cut forward, no longer following the passing bystanders. Her mind instantly went to Gongmen, was it possible that Shen continued his crusade after being banished? Could he have hunted all of the pandas in China? She didn't want to think about it, but for the first time she was able to see Po truly happy since Gongmen. Sure, he always had an upbeat attitude, and— to her knowledge— he was never hiding his grief, but she could always tell that he had a longing to be with his own race. Not that she could blame him, only once would be enough.

To see a chinese tiger other than her. Only once, then she would be satisfied.

"Stripy baby!" Tigress's ears perked up.

Tigress could see a small panda approaching them, an older panda hurrying after her. And what she held shocked her to her core. Po's action figure.

Po would have never let anyone touch his action figures. "Lei Lei, now is not the time. Tig—" He sighed, "Forgive me." He hesitated before speaking, "Stripy Baby is hurt right now, way too sore to play."

"Play?"

"Shush, Tigress. I'm speaking for you." He looked Lei Lei in the eye. "I'm sorry, but we need to see Jian before her medicine wears off." He smiled uneasily, "Do you understand?"

Lei Lei nodded and hugged the action figure closer to her. The older panda took her hand and led her away. "Who was that?"

Po ushered Tigress along, continuing the walk. "She's just a kid Tigress, she can't hurt you,"

"She is the only one not afraid of me, right?"

"C'mon, that's nonsense. Why would anyone be afraid of you?"

Tigress looked up at the panda. He was looking straight ahead with an unwavering frown. He knew. They were afraid of her, anyone could tell that just from the way they seemed to edge away. They were afraid of her for being a tiger. The thought stung in her mind, if only for a moment before she shoved it down. In their eyes a tiger was different. Dangerously different. It reminded her too much of her past.

Tigress decided to take a moment to take in the village. It was expertly crafted, all the essentials to a functioning society perfectly spaced out and with a beautiful view of valley nearby. Of course, Tigress thought, It probably looks better during the spring months.

"Tigress, we're here." Tigress looked up to see a building with a sigh in front. "Welcome to Jians little workspace." Po guided her up a small set of stairs and the two entered the door.

"I thought you said she was a doctor? Where are all the patients?" Tigress looked around, only seeing a couple of chairs and another door.

"Small village, Miss Tiger." Li Shan and an old panda walked through the door. "Nice to finally meet you, awake. Last time we met you were a bit . . . out of it." She looked over at Po, "Well, don't just stand there you two. Let's go!"

They walked through the doors and Tigress instantly got a whiff of some kind of air sweetener. She looked around the room, surprised by all the plum blossoms. Po led her over to a table, placed against the wall and picked her up. "Sorry," He placed her on the table, laying her on her back. "Let's not dwell on pride any longer than we have to."

Li walked over, "Why? Is she prideful?"

"What's the name of the game, doc?" Po tapped his fingers, ignoring his father.

"We need privacy. You two should go do something while you wait." Jian crossed her arms. "No need to wait in the outer room any longer than you have to."

Po nodded, "Did my dad fill you in on everything? Her head— "

"I know. I was the one who wrapped her head in bandages, remember? But, your dad did tell me that she zoned out for a few seconds. I got it covered. Now, go. You can come back later." Jian walked over to Tigress.

Po looked over to his dad, "We should get her something to eat." He turned his head, locking eyes with the old doctor."What should she eat? Heck, what can she eat?"

Jian sighed, "Anything, Po. She doesn't need to eat that mush anymore." She waited until the door closed. "Where does it hurt?"

Tigress gave her a look, narrowing her eyes. "Nowhere,"

Jian shook her head, "Alright, look, the boys are gone. You don't need to act tough anymore. Just you and the family doctor."

"Family doctor?"

"We're all family here. Even if the Tǎoyàn family won't accept it." The old panda started to unwrap Tigress's head bandages, "So, want to tell me about what happened when you woke up? I made sure you didn't receive any head trauma earlier. Unless, they dropped you on the way, of course."

Tigress's finger's tightened on the table she was laying on. "It's . . . personal."

"Please, I can't help you if I don't know— "

"I didn't know what was happening. When I awoke, I was in a dark room alone and I just couldn't think. I thought Po was dead and when I saw him— " She cut herself off. "I'm fine. I must be tired."

Jian's eyes were heavy and she gulped in uncertainty. Tigress raised her eyebrows as Jain spoke, "Are you and Po married?"

Tigress blinked at the odd question. "No, we're just good friends." She was certain her blush was hidden under her fur. "Why do you ask?"

Jian had set the bandages on the table and started to poke around. "It's a bummer, really. It's doubtful Po will get out of it, now,"

"It?"

Jian chuckled to herself, "Of course, you don't know. Po may not know himself and I'm not sure if Li Shan remembers. If you were involved with Po in any shape or form, you'd be worried about it, alright." Tigress could tell the old panda was hesitating. Tigress herself was uncertain she wanted to hear what she had to say. A pit had fallen in her stomach as the horrific feeling set it. Tigress was certain she knew what it was.

"What is it?"

"An arranged marriage,"