I no own, you no sue.
Seated beneath The Sacred Peach Tree, Po ate several of the fruits as he watched the sun rise. Morning gong rang, and, though Po knew he would be punished for it, he remained where he was, contemplating the ache in his mind.
It was not a physical ache, there was no real pain. Yet, somehow, there was. It was like an itch that lingered in just the right place as to make it impossible to scratch. The ache simply was, sitting in his mind, grabbing all his thoughts and twisting them towards it in such a way that, were he to let it, the ache would consume him, he was sure of it. It would turn him into… something.
Of course, he knew what that something was. He simply could not say it.
"Po, come on, you're late!" Crane called, swooping down behind the panda. Po did not move.
"Po, are you okay?" Now, hesitantly, Crane approached his friend, walking around to face him. "Is something wrong?"
And suddenly, as if some magical magnet had finally gripped the iron core of the ache within his mind, Po looked up at Crane and knew what he had to do.
Face set in fear and determination, Po saw the same terror he had felt each time he dreamt of Shen mirrored on Crane's face and he breathed, "Crane, we are animals."
And then he was gone.
"Po? Po, wake up."
The ceiling above him swam in shades of black and white, until a face came into view, concerned and beautiful.
"Finally, he wakes. I was beginning to think you weren't getting my calls," spoke the smooth, cultured voice from above him. Po blinked once in confusion before leaping up, moving to defend himself as he called out.
"Shen! I thought we dealt with you, already, but if you're back for a second helping of awesome, I'll be happy to dish one out!" Po announced as he assumed another stance.
"Po, have you noticed anything strange, yet?" Lord Shen inquired, staring harshly as the black and white male cocked his head to the side, taking a good look at Shen and gasping.
"You – you're a…"
"An anthropomorphic humanoid?" Shen provided, smirking sharply. "Indeed."
"An anthro-what?" Po echoed, gaping.
"Anthropomorphic humanoid. You are one, as well, Po. Look at yourself," commanded Shen, and Po did, realizing he was standing on two sock-and-shoe-covered feet. Where the socks ended, his legs were a sheer, hairless black and fed into his shorts that still covered him. His belly was clean white, and his arms and hands – yes, hands – were the same sheer black as his legs and back. Feeling his head, he found he still had two fuzzy ears atop his head, and slight claws on his hands.
"But I don't understand! How did – what happened?" Po queried, plopping down on his bottom and holding his head in his hands.
Shen sighed, and, taking pity on the ex-panda, placed a hand on his shoulder and replied, "We woke up."
"I don't understand, though. What did we wake up from?" Po continued, ignoring the clawed hand on his shoulder and shaking his head against the sudden change.
"Po, look at me," ordered Shen. Po did as told, turning his head up to meet Shen's hard gaze. "We have begun ascension to the next plane of existence. However, I believe something that tied us down in our previous lives-"
"Wait, what do you mean previous lives? Do you – I mean – are we… dead?" Po interjected, horror splayed across his face.
Shen sighed, "I'm afraid so, Po. It's one of the drawbacks of moving forward. We must leave our old selves behind. Unfortunately, as I was saying, we seem unable to do this for one reason or another, and, as such, I believe we are stuck in the sort of in between until we can find what it is that must be let go of."
Po sat there, taking in the information, and getting a good look at the new Lord Shen. He was mostly hairless, like Po, and pale as the face of the moon. Long, elegant wings sprang from his back and folded neatly against his equally elegant robe. A train identical to the one he had as a peacock draped against the marble of the floor, and a small row of feathers stuck out behind a long swath of snowy hair that fell back from the top of his head. His face was angled and smooth, sharp beak replaced by soft lips, charcoal skin around ruby eyes. All in all, he wasn't unpleasant looking, but, to be honest, Po preferred him as a peacock…
"Wait… you brought me here? How? Why? I'm still so confused…" Po murmured mostly to himself, shaking his head back and forth.
"Po, I will explain everything I know, but we must move, now. There is something following us, and I have a feeling it's not very friendly," Shen worried out, pulling Po to his feet and walking through the large, marble room toward the only door there. He opened it to reveal a large, flat field that seemed to go on forever, immobile grass bending only when stepped on, for there was no wind to twist it.
It was at that moment, stepping out of the marble room, that Po realized the ache was gone.