I apologize for the late late update. New job working me hard overtime, which is good, because I need money. Also, my great grandfather is in the hospital. He is not going to be coming back out. He is comfortable, but it is only a matter of time.

I had this half way written, and I just lost motivation to write, instead losing myself inside Mass Effect (3rd play through, level 50 paragon soldier). So tonight, after a very emotional evening watching his struggling to breathe, I forced myself to type. So if it is of lesser quality, I apologize. The next update may be a little while off, but it is outlined on a paper next to my keyboard, so it WILL be written, do not fear.

"Strike!" Po punched. "Strike! Rear!" Po spun around, throwing a down block and following through with another punch. "Block left! Strike right!" Po threw his arm into a mid-block left and snap kicked to the right. "Hold!"

Po stood balanced on his left foot, his right leg stretched out, his left arm blocking an imagined aggressor. He had been training like this for the last three hours, reacting to his master's commands. He was in the training hall, currently empty save for the giant jade tortoise shell. Shifu stood above his, on the walkway, while he trained in the dirt below.

Sweat began to drip from his nose. His right leg began to waver. He left foot lost feeling. And still he held the position.

Suddenly, a sharp pain erupted on the back of his head, and he toppled over. He rolled away from the would be attacker and saw Shifu standing there, staff held behind his back. "You concentrate too much on yourself and not enough on what is around you. Pain happens, discomfort happens, you just have to deal with it. If I had been intent on taking your life, your head would be rolling right now."

"But one must look into himself to find his inner peace." As usual, Oogway appeared right as Shifu began swinging his stick. Po stood and bowed, as did Shifu. "You cannot simply burry your emotion. It will just dig itself right back out, and create an even larger hole."

"But he lost focus on his surroundings. Had this been a real fight, he would have been helpless."

Oogway chuckled. "Well yes, but I do not feel our little Po would be balancing on one foot if he were being attacked. I do think he would be fighting back, yes?"

Shifu flattened his ears and grumbled out a yes master. Po stood next to him, silent.

"Now tell me Shifu, I feel as though my memory is leaving me. Is there something I am forgetting about today?"

"As far as I care master, this day is much like any other. We eat, we train, we meditate. No special events, no special dates, just a normal day." She straightened himself and nodded to them both. "And speaking of meditation, I do believe I am going to retire to my room. Good night."

Oogway and Po watched as Shifu limped out of the arena and out of the training hall, his cane held proudly behind his back, used more as a weapon as of late than a waling device.

As the door slammed shut, Oogway turned to Po, who was looking at the ground. "Do not fret young one, not all are as distracted as Shifu. He has much clouding his mind, and it will remain that way for a long time yet." He placed his arm on the young panda's shoulder. "Happy seventh birthday. I left you a small gift in your room."

Po nodded, then bowed to Oogway as the aged turtle left. He stayed where he was standing, fists clenched. How could he forget. He wondered sadly. I work so hard. I do everything he asks. And he treats me like I'm nothing.

Anger soon replaced the sadness, and his fists began to quiver. He walked out of the training hall and into the slowly darkening night sky. The lights of the village lit the sides of the mountains, and he began to walk towards the staircase.

He stood at the top, like he had a hundred times before. He had never had the courage to take that first step down, that first step to his supposed freedom.

Tonight, he realized it wasn't courage he needed, it was anger.

He didn't pause when he reached the top of the stairs. He charged down them, jumping three steps at a time.

When he hit the bottom of the steps he rolled, and came up in a crouched position. The streets were empty, and many houses were already turning off their lights for the night. He strolled straight down the main street.

He could see the gate. He could see his freedom. But with every step, he felt his anger fading away. With every step, he felt the sadness slowing down his muscles.

Eventually he came to a step and mere ten yards from the gate. And there Po stood, black and white fur blowing from the soft breeze, tears pouring down his face. He just stood there and cried.

"Hey, you, what are doing there! It's getting late!" Po turned quickly and saw a goose waddling towards him, putting a coin in one of his many pockets. "You should be home! This is no time of night for a young one to be out and about."

Po wiped his eyes and shook his head. "I don't have a home. Not a normal one anyway."

The goose looked at him oddly. "What do you mean you don't have a normal home? Where do you live?" Po pointed up to the Jade Palace. "Ah… that explains that."

"Look, I don't know who you are. But my father didn't even remember my own birthday today. I just turned seven! And this is my FIRST time in the village! My first time being out on my own!" He pounded his chest, but once again, the anger was quickly drained from him. "He doesn't care about me. He never did. All he cares about is Tai Lung. And I'll never be him."

The goose walked to Po's side and put a hand on his shoulder, reaching up to do so. "Trust me, you do not want to be like that mad cat. He turned on the village, killed a lot of people, almost killed Shifu too from what I heard." Po nodded. "You need to be who you are, not what people want you to be. If you are hard core, be hard core. If you are not, well then don't. Learn all that you can, take in all that you can, and let that guide you to who you truly are. If there is one thing I can tell you, there is always someone out there that thinks they know what is best for you. But only you know what is best for you."

"Thank you sir. That helps." Po took a deep breath and turned himself around. "I guess I'll be heading back then."

"Back home you mean." The goose corrected.

"Yeah… home."

Tigress and Mei Ling spun across the stage together, ribbons in both of their paws. They twirled and flipped, spun and rolled. They made art with their bodies.

Diana Ling stood at the edge of the stage, smiling brightly, along with Mr. Ping and a small crowd of common folk. When the two stopped and bowed, panting heavily, the crowd erupted into cheers, throwing confetti and flowers.

Mr. Ping ran on stage and Tigress jumped into his arms with a squeal of joy, and tackling him to the ground. "Oh, you looked absolutely stunning! How did you learn to do that!"

"I've been dancing since I was two daddy, and now I'm six and a half! That's, like, a really long time!" She got up out of the embrace just in time for Mei Ling to jump on her back.

"That was so awesome! Tigress, you are such a good dancer!"

"Ah Mei Ling, so are you! We are definitely the best dancers ever." The two girls erupted into a fit of giggles, then turned back to the crown, giving them another bow. As the cheers lowered and the crowd began to disperse, Mr. Ping ran off stage and began handing out coupons to the noodle shop. With purchases, of course.

As Tigress and Mei Ling stood talking, Diana Ling slithered up to them. "Girls, that was incredible! The best performance I have ever been part of. I am very proud of you!" The two girls ran up and hugged their teacher. "And even more impressive, there are two talent scouts here as well, for an academy!" She looked over her shoulder to a Rhino and an aging turtle.

"Yes, you are both very impressive. The skills you have at this young of age are truly gifts. I am here to offer one of you a position in our academy to further your skills." He looked angrily at the turtle. "I would like to offer both of you the position, but as it were, I was recently informed only one position was available."

Tigress and Mei Ling turned and looked at each other. "Only one of us? But we are best friends!"

"Do no worry little one. We must still consult with your parents before anything is made final." The elder turtle responded. "They may not consent."

"Actually… my parents were already going to send me away for school…" Mei Ling looked sadly over at Tigress. "So there really isn't any way I won't be going."

"That is very good to hear. Our academy will greatly benefit from your ability." The rhino looked back at the turtle again. "If my budget hadn't been cut, which I am VERY UNHAPPY ABOUT, I would more than happily offer it to the both of you."

Mr. Ping waddled back up as the rhino finished, and Tigress ran to him, burying her head in his shoulder. "What, what is the matter!" He looked up at the rhino. "Did you do this! I will get my pans, and I will make you suffer!"

Oogway stepped in front of the goose. "Do not worry dear friend. Mei Ling has been chosen to attend a special academy, an offer originally meant for two, but after deliberation, conceded into an offer for one."

Mr. Ping eyed his friend wearily. "And yet I feel there is much more meaning to this. You are far too good at your riddles." He waved his open arm towards Mei Ling, beckoning her over. "Come, we shall have a celebratory meal at the noodle shop! You girls did excellent!" Mei Ling nodded, wiping tears from her eyes, and Tigress stood up stiffly, and they walked with a measure of depressed silence.

Oogway watched them depart, and mentally prepared himself for what was to come. Calm, peace, balance…

"I should throw you off your mountain!"

He sidestepped the charging Rhino, using his staff to trip him off the stage. "Now you listen here, you hard headed fool. You are trying to change prophesy! You are trying to change things foretold far before you were born!" Oogway steadied himself, controlling his anger, and finding his inner peace, smiling as he felt himself relaxing.

Faster than anyone could blink, Oogway was suddenly next to the Rhino, his staff pressed against his neck. "She must stay. If she were to leave, the greatest prophesy will fail, and at the time of greatest need."

The rhino looked up at him, wide eyed. "You don't mean…"

"Yes. The prophesy of the dragon warrior." He looked out the door the trio had left. "It has begun, just as it was said it would. And I must go and begin gathering the Furious Five."

Tigress was finally in bed asleep. Mei Ling's parents had arrived at the Noodle shop not long after they had started eating, along with the rhino, and confirmed that she would be going. Mei Ling was happy at the opportunity, and Tigress had put on a brave face. It lasted about as long as the meal.

Several hours of crying finally led to an exhausted Tigress falling asleep. Now, Mr. Ping was finishing up with a few regulars who had waited patiently. As his last customer left into the dark night, the pig turned. "Hey, thanks for staying open. Here's a little extra!" He threw a coin to Mr. Ping, who caught it easily.

"Thank you Cho Chu!" He set it on the table and continued sweeping.

Then, suddenly, as he was sweeping, he heard the coin drop and roll out the front of his shop.

"What! Hey you, get back here! Your mine now!" He chased the small coin out of the shop and found it laying face up on the ground. "Now how did you get down from that table and all the way out here?" He picked up the coin and brushed it off, turning to enter his shop and continue cleaning.

But as he did, he saw, of all things, a panda child standing at the gate to the village, staring out into the darkness.

Pocketing the coin, he called out to the child, "Hey, you, what are doing there! It's getting late!"

Yocally, thanks for the compliment! And yea, isn't redsaber great? Definitely a source of motivation to pursue this story line.

ShadowTeenGirl, the idea that it would be vipers mom did cross my mind, but I am planning on keeping somewhat to the other characters original stories, so sadly, they are still in the snake village, where viper is fighting gorilla bandits.

FallenAngel, I will give Obsidian Blade a look, and if you could pm a link to the fan made trailer, that'd be awesome

Sweetluckygirl, I think I clarified ages well in this one, sorry for the confusion in the last story, let me know how it reads!

ILoveSnakes, GangnamCat, spida-dawg16, wildkratticusfever, tuckyeyhunger99, AnimeLover'N'KFP(good guess), smiles1998, and anyone else who has favorited and followed my story, thank you!