Xian stood behind Tigress as they approached the entry gate to the Jade Palace. The wood that had once been a vibrant red was now faded and charred from the fires that had scorched it ten years past. He watched as she carefully stepped up to it, running her hands over the wood before taking a deep breath and pushing the gate open.
Stepping inside they surveyed the damage that Zhang's army had done. The once immaculate palace grounds were now overgrown by grass and covered in debris from the fires. It was obvious that no one had stepped foot on the grounds since the night of the attack. The buildings were in complete dismay and looked ready to crumble if so much as a leaf were to land on them. The pungent smell of dried blood assaulted their senses and the armor clad bones of fallen guards and warriors were strewn about the palace.
Tigress stepped forward with Xian in tow, walking up to where the training hall had once stood. He could see her hands shaking as the memories flooded back into her mind. Without warning, she leaped forward onto the rubble, climbing down into the ruins of the training hall. "Tigress!" Xian yelled after her, running up to the collapsed wall of the hall. "Tigress!" He called again, listening as the feline dug furiously into the rubble. "Tigress, get out of there before that building comes down!" He growled out as she didn't reply to him.
He paced around as he waiting and listened for any sign of her. A few minutes later she launched herself from inside the building, landing in front of him; cradling something in her hands. Xian watched her as she stood back up, her eyes never leaving the cloth in her hands. "What did you find?" He asked, stepping forward to see what she had. In her hands was a tattered piece of cloth. "What is that?"
"It was his." She answered quietly, her thumb brushing over the design. "I had given it to him just a week before. He was wearing it that night... Though something is wrong..." She stated, looking over her shoulder back to the old hall. "What do you mean?" Xian asked, tilting his head to the side as he watched her with keen eyes. She didn't answer him and after a moment she shook her head, walking off. Xian glanced up at the old training hall before following in her wake.
She led him to the student barracks next. This building had fared better against the fires, but over time it had become worn down as well. Tigress tried to push the door open, but with no luck. She took a step back and raised her foot up, kicking the door as hard as she could. It flew off the hinge, allowing them to enter.
Xian followed close behind as they stepped inside. The hallway was littered with debris from the roof that had given way due to lack of maintenance. Xian had to watch his step as he wandered through the hallway. Each of the doors were open and Xian could see inside each of the rooms.
When he looked up, Tigress was standing outside her own room. He watched as she quietly slid the door open and entered the room. He made it to the doorway as she knelt down by her bed, pulling a wooden box from under it. She gingerly opened it before pulling a small figurine from it.
Xian could see what it was from here. It was a hand crafted figurine of Po. He watched as she cradled it for a moment before placing it on her bed, pulling a small red bag from the box next. She opened it and began to place various weapons she was pulling from the box inside of it. She placed the bag on the bed before standing up and walking over to her closet, pulling her trademark red vest from it before she looked over her shoulder at Xian expectantly. Xian blushed as he realized what she wanted, nodding and stepping out of the room, sliding the door shut behind him. A couple of minutes later the door slid open again and Xian turned around to see Tigress standing there. Her red vest was covered in a blue and white jacket, the red bag slung over her shoulder as she stood with a hand on her hip. "Follow me." She stated, walking back down the hall and out of the barracks. Xian followed quietly as she led him outside and up a walkway. A few minutes of walking and they were standing near the Peach Tree of Heavily Wisdom. She set her bag down at the base of the tree before turning around to face him. "If we're going to be working together, we may as well learn about eachother's strengths and weaknesses. I want you to spar with me. It'll be a great way for me to shake the dust off and learn how you fight as well."
Xian nodded and dropped into his fighting stance. Tigress left her hands at her sides for a moment before launching forward to attack. Xian had just moments to raise his arm up to block her punch, turning to the side and kicking his leg out to keep her from tripping him in the process. He used his momentum to bring his other leg up to try and kick her in the chest. She caught his foot, pushing out and forcing him to do a flip to land back on his feet. He immediately ducked low to avoid a roundhouse kick, falling back onto his hands and rolling out of the way as her brought to foot crashing down on the space he had been a few mere seconds before.
Xian bounced back onto his feet, launching into a serious of high and low punches in an attempt to break her blocks. She grabbed his fist in one hand and his arm in the other, dragging him forwards as she thrust her forehead out, headbutting him so hard he flew back a few feet. He landed hard, tucking into a backwards roll before digging his claws into the ground, launching himself forward, colliding with her chest and knocking her over. He regrets this as he finds himself pinned down under her after she reversed the attack. He looks up to see her fist raised back and ready to strike. It comes crashing down and he brings his hands up to catch it, deflecting it to the side as he bring his other hand up to grab her shoulder, pulling her down on top of him.
She managed to get away though, giving him enough time to get back to his feet as she launched into her next set of attacks. Xian took several steps back as he blocked each attack, unable to get a single shot in. Another punch was headed for his face and he managed to grab it, swinging her around and behind him as he lashed his foot out, taking her feet out from under her. Tigress landed on her hands, swinging her feet out and kicking his own out from under him. Xian landed with a thud before realizing she was on top of him again, pinning his arm behind his back. She had won.
"Not bad." She said, letting go of him and standing up. Xian could hear the grin in her voice as he rolled onto his back. He grabbed her hand when she offered it to him, helping him get off the ground. "Not bad at all." She said again with a nod.
"That was you shaking the dust off?" Xian laughed, brushing the snow and dirt from his clothes. "I barely had a chance to get a shot in!"
"Still," she replied, picking her bag up off the ground. "you fought smartly. Though you did hold back on me." Xian raised an eyebrow. "I didn't hold back. I fought with everything I had." At that Tigress let out a chuckle, shaking her head. "We both know you could have easily ended that fight with a fireball."
Xian nodded sheepishly. "Wouldn't want to light you on fire. I tend to try and avoid that with my allies." He jokes, following behind her as she leads him back down the hill towards the palace. Neither of them noticed the avian circling above them high in the sky. "Tigress... is alive?"
