Po held his breath, waiting to see how this new student would fare against the Furious Five and Master Shifu.

"I'm ready. Hold nothing back." Ebon seemed lazy in her stance, almost like she didn't mind the fact that she was about to be attacked.

Viper waited a split second, then moved with lightning speed, aiming straight for the wolf's legs. She may have been fast, but Ebon was faster still, leaping swiftly out of the way. But Viper wasn't phased and quickly struck again, forcing Ebon to show off her defense.

Ebon had been expecting a hard fight, and was able to keep her defense up constantly. It was spectacular to see her glide out of harm's way so easily, then be ready to block the next blow. However, what she had in defense, she lacked woefully in offense. She never struck first, always waited for her opponent to hit first. That was true not only with Viper, but Mantis, Monkey, Crane, Tigress, and even Master Shifu.

"Dragon Warrior, your turn."

"Yes, Master." Po walked out and noticed how exhausted Ebon was. After going through all the Five and Master Shifu, he wasn't really surprised.

Ebon was on the alert, waiting expectantly for his strike. But it never came. He was forcing her to attack him in order to get the battle started.

"Master, I leave the first move to you." She was respectful, if not reverent in her address towards him. It seemed she favored him above the others, but Po was oblivious to the fact.

"No. I'm waiting on you. Move."

Shifu was hoping the frustration would be too much and she would lash out, intending actual harm, thus making it necessary for her to leave the valley. He was sorely disappointed.

Not a sound escaped Ebon as she lunged, ready to attack. At the last second though, something went wrong, and she failed to do it correctly, leaving her wide open for Po's block. She was thrown back against a wall, hitting her head sharply.

"Oops." Po hurried over and bent over her. "You alright?"

A growl rumbled through Ebon's body as his hand moved towards her body.

"I'll live. Thank you, Master." Moving quickly, and in spite of the pain growing in her skull, she leaped up and gave him a quick bow.

'Weird.' Po bowed back and let her walk back to her place.

"It does seem that your defense is something formidable. However, that offense was-"

"Pathetic," Tigress muttered under her breath.

Shifu didn't say it, but he agreed. The attack had been perfect, up until that one moment. Not even Po would have been able to screw it up that badly, and that was saying something.

"I am sorry, Masters." Ebon seemed shamed, her tail drooping slightly. "I will improve."

Shifu seemed to be debating with himself. Turn her away, or add another student? She did seem hard working, strong, swift, and fit. Good qualities for a warrior to have. However, she was a WOLF. Wolves were never trusted before, and if they trusted her and some disaster struck, what then? It would be his fault, his responsibility.

"I need some time to meditate."

"I understand, Master." Ebon bowed to them all, then turned and walked out of the gate.

"Where's she going?" Po had been hoping to hear more about her.

"I'll look." Mantis jumped over to the gate and looked out. Jumping back, he landed on Monkey's shoulder. "She's waiting out there." He waited until Tigress, Crane, and Shifu had moved out of hearing range. "When I checked her over this morning, she growled. You think that's normal?"

"What do you mean, growled?" Viper put in.

"I just touched her and she growled at me."

"Maybe she doesn't like being touched," Monkey said with a shrug.

"But aren't wolves social animals? She'd be used to it," Mantis argued.

"Only one way to find out." Po grinned and walked to the gate, finding Ebon sitting against the wall. She appeared to be asleep, but at the sound of Po's footsteps, her eyes snapped open.

"Yes, Master?" She started to get up when he waved her down.

"Nothing." Po sat beside her, noting how she moved away. "So, what happened in there? That one kick was awesome."

"I-" She kept her eyes glued to the ground. "I'm not sure."

"Ah, well." Po shrugged. "Next time, right?" He started to put his paw on her shoulder when she began growling. All he had to do was look at her, and the answer was clear. She was struggling with herself, trying desperately to stop the growling, but her instincts were strong.

"Forgive me, Master." When she finally stopped herself, she had to struggle even then to keep her lip from cruling into a snarl. "I have never been able to safely come into contact with anyone since-" She stopped and absently put her paw over the scar on her arm.

"It's alright. You've been through a lot." He didn't move his paw away, in fact, he moved it closer, making her growl again. "I'm not gonna hurt you when we're not training. I promise." He moved it closer still, then waited. The growls never completely dies down, but they softened. He inched closer, waiting again for the growls to stop. The process went on until he lightly touched her fur.

Ebon was struggling with everything she had not to snap at the offending paw. For years, she'd only ever known pain to come from another, never any sort of comfort. Still, if he could give her the chance that everyone else refused her, maybe she could at least try to do the same by trusting him.

Po waited until the growls had died away, then carefully settled his paw on her shoulder. The growls only doubled in intensity, but she never moved, other then to curl her lip up, warning him to be cautious.

"There, that's not so bad, is it?" Po didn't wait for an answer, but started talking, telling her about his first day with the Masters, and how no one had believed in him either. Slowly, but surely, the growls died out altogether, and she just sat there, listening to him. She couldn't believe how he, the Dragon Warrior, had been so terrible in the beginning.

"Master," she finally said when he paused.

"None of that 'Master' stuff. I'm just Po."

"Po, then. How- why didn't you ever quit? How could you not lose faith in yourself?"

"Well," Po sighed, giving her shoulder the tiniest squeeze and grinning when she only curled her lip at him. "It wasn't easy. I almost did give up, actually."

"What stopped you?"

"Master Shifu. He was out of options and had no other choice really."

"So, why are you willing to give me any sort of chance?"

"No one thought I'd be much of a fighter either. Hey, I sucked more than anyone in the history of sucking." He waited for a reaction, but her face never changed. The only difference was the look in her eyes, the way they looked told him she thought it funny. "But, Master Oogway helped me see part of my problem."

"What was that?"

"I wasn't sure whether to quit or not, go back to my dad, or stay. I was so wrapped up in what had happened, and what will happen, I wasn't thinking about what was happening right then and there. How did Oogway put it? 'Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That's why it's called the present.'" Po grinned when she managed the smallest smile.

"I suppose that is true." Ebon then realized how peaceful she felt in his presence. He was a passive being, willing to use the patience he'd gained over the months to wait for an answer. "Can you answer one more question?"

"Sure."

"How can you give someone a chance without giving them some sort of trust?"

Po thought about it. "I guess you can't." He grinned, then finally removed his paw from her shoulder. "Come on. I've gotta get the next meal ready, and you're gonna help."

"Yes, Po." Ebon followed him back through the gates, nodding at the other Masters as they passed.

OK, I realized after I'd finished this that it had a bit of a White Fang thing going through it. I didn't really mean for that, just to let y'all know. Anywho, I REALLY like reviews, even if they're flame! Weird, huh? Anywho, y'all know what to do!