Master Shifu sat beneath the Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom, quietly perched on the top of his wooden staff and sipping a cup of green tea. In the background of the night, he heard the sounds of battle, raging in the Valley of Peace, but only twitched an ear. The crystal snowy air was as silent as he, but he looked up when a snow leopard appeared before him. Though the large cat had seemingly made no noise, the old red panda knew enough to sense his former son's dark chi.
"Tai Lung," Master Shifu sighed with all the sadness of his life in those words, "You have come to kill me."
"Yes," the snow leopard growled, and without hesitation, pulled out he and Lord Shen's new weapon and shot his master in the chest. Distantly, Huohai heard the shattering of a tea cup, and ran faster.
"What have you gotten yourself into this time?" Huohai murmured. Tai Lung was gone, and h stood silently by the old red panda who lay crumpled on the ground. He was already too late. Tai Lung and Lord Shen had already practically taken control of China, and all the kung fu masters and the emperors had fallen, but for the inhabitants of the Jade Palace.
"Trouble," Master Shifu painfully coughed, sending a splatter of bright red blood across the snow. Huohai winced.
"Can't you get yourself in trouble somehow else?" he asked.
"Ah, but then who would keep me company?" Master Shifu returned.
"I will always be with you. On the other hand, those who attended the Honored Gathering are all dead. You were right. It was a trap and everyone there is now gone," Huohai mournfully sighed.
"No. That's impossible," the injured red panda picked up his staff and used it to help himself up.
"Nothing is impossible," Huohai murmured.
"This is all my fault," Master Shifu muttered. Staggering slightly, he limped towards the Jade Palace and eventually, the rest of the vllage.
"What are you doing?" Huohai yelped, moving in front of the red panda to intercept him. He was relieved that Master Shifu wasn't dead, but he was still badly injured and he didn't want him down where the fighting was.
""Get out of my way!" Master Shifu growled, and when Huohai quietly stepped aside, he admitted, "I am going to protect my family and stop this once and for all.
By the time he had limped all the way to the village, breathing shallowly in the agony, he realized that Po and the Furious Five had surrendered as he thought, too badly shocked by their Grand Master's death. Tai lung and Lord Shen were turned away from the injured red panda and neither Po nor the Furious Five were aware of his presence. Tai Lung and Lord Shen grinned at each other, victorious with their new weapon-the gun. The wolves, still loyal to Lord Shen, had tied up Po and the Furious Five and now they waited to be exiled and for evil to rule.
"I'm going to kill you first Dragon Warrior," Tai Lung snarled, aiming the gun at the panda's head.
"You told us if we surrendered, nobody would be hurt!" Tigress snarled furiously.
"Yeah, well, I say a lot of things I don't mean. Good bye panda," Tai Lung laughed.
"Stop, Tai Lung!" Master Shifu snarled angrily. The snow leopard paused and whipped around, gaping in surprise.
"But how?" Tai Lung yelped, "I killed you!"
"Master," Tigress relievedly meowed, a single tear escaping her eye.
He nodded to her and turned back to Tai Lung. "You forgot one thing," he smirked. When the snow leopard remained silent, he snorted, "I'm stronger than you. When you first tried to kill me, I wanted to die. Now, I merely wanted to stop the fight. No more of this. Darkness will never triumph over kung fu."
"But master, I can't kill. You know I can't as the Dragon Warrior," Po protested.
"But I can," Master Shifu growled and in front of everyone's staring eyes, he shifted into a giant white wolf. Swatting the gun front Tai Lung's paw, he turned and sank his teeth into the back of the fleeing Lord Shen. With howls of dismay, the rest of the wolves ran for their lives, howling about the ancient werewolves of china and the end of the world. Blood sprayed from the paralyzed peacock and his metal-clad body dropped heavily to the ground.
Turning on Tai Lung, he lunged, red jaws open for his throat. Meanwhile, Po, who was closest to the knots in their bindings, kept working to free himself. When Tai Lung didn't flinch away, the wolf paused, and at that pause, Tai Lung flipped over the wolf and lashed out a powerful, chi-enhanced roundhouse kick at the wolf's left hip. There was a loud snap and the wolf's left leg slumped to the ground.
"You wouldn't dare kill me father," the snow leopard mocked. Though Master Shifu snarled angrily in reply, he knew his son was right. But he had to try. Pulling himself to three feet, he rushed Tai Lung, leapt back, but slipped in the blood that leaked from his chest wound and crashed heavily on one side. Quickly snatching his gun, Tai Lung pinned the giant wolf down and pressed the muzzle to his temple. Suddenly, Po, finally wriggling them all free from their binds, leapt in front of Master Shifu.
"No, I'm not afraid to die," he protested faintly, but as Tai Lung shot several quick shots at Po, he simply redirected the small buttons in the way he had redirected the giant metal balls from Lord Shen;s cannon. The small metal balls rolled on the ground, as peaceful as raindrops. Lunginc, Tigress delivered hard and fast Fists of Fury to the back of Tai Lung's head. Though the snow leopard tried to block her, he failed and crumpled to the ground under the sledgehammer-like blows.
When he got to his feet, impressively only moments later, he looked at the giant wolf. "Hey, I thought werewolves were extinct," he awedly meowed, then turned around and saw Tigress, "Who are you? You're pretty."
This time, Po punched the snow leopard in the jaw, knocking him straight out cold. "Wow, you did a long term Fluttering Finger Mindlip. That's so awesome," he squealed.
"Are you okay master?" Tigress quietly asked the wolf.
"Yes," he sighed faintly. "Where's Huohai?"
"Your brother?" Tigress mewed in surpsise, "Shifu, Huohai died thorty years ago."
Master Shifu stared at her in a daze, and then slipped into unconsciousness, feeling waves of black lapping at his fur.