Chapter 7

As Biyu and I watched the General, he didn't notice us. We were standing on top of a building, a few blocks away from him, but he took no note as he was eagerly watching the battle taking place in Gongmen Harbor. I watched closely, and then heard the sound of Biyu unsheathing her daggers. I took that as she was getting ready to charge, so I took my staff off my back and got ready. I looked over at Biyu, but noticed that she seemed only scared, not ready for battle.

"Biyu, I know you're scared, but right now that will only seal the fate you see in this battle. I won't let anything happen to you, but you need to focus and keep your defenses up" I said

As she tore her gaze away from the Phantom and looked at me, her face turned from scared to serious, and she nodded.

"He is using a bow, so he can't defend both sides. Fly around to his other side and we'll take him from both sides. Go now" I commanded

"Be safe" She replied then flew off

I waited until I saw her waiting to attack before I gave her the signal to move forward. We evaded his sight until we were one block away, then we attacked. In a burst of speed, we charged, my staff held in one hand behind my back while my other hand was ready to defend out in front. Biyu charged with both her daggers in front of her making the shape of an X. The beast saw us half a second before we hit, nowhere near enough time for him to react. I hit him into the air with the end of my staff, and then used my free arm to boost Biyu into the air in pursuit. She passed him up and used the back of her heal to knock the Beast back down.

"Batter up!" I yelled before using my staff as a bat to hit him way far away, until he crashed into a building

The area was covered with dust, so we couldn't see anything. Biyu landed beside me, a smile on her face, but I remained alert.

"This isn't ever yet" I said, causing Biyu to become alert as well

"Oh how right you are, young Xing" we heard from the dust

Suddenly, what seemed like a bolt of darkness was shot at us. I pushed Biyu to the side while jumping to the side myself, and the bolt barely missed us. Then the Phantom emerged from the dust, his bow in hand, and an evil grin on his face.

"I do hope that was just a warm up. Otherwise I would've come here for nothing" he said

"You haven't begun to feel our strength" I replied

"Oh good, I was getting worried. Shall we continue?" he asked, and then shot another bolt at us

We jumped into the air, dodging again, but we were quickly intercepted by him. He had leapt in our direction and did a flying kick that nocked Biyu on her back. I used my leg to block the kick, then through a jab at his chest. He quickly caught it and through me at Biyu, who managed to catch me. The Phantom then began shooting a barrage of dark bolts at us, which we knocked away with our weapons.

"Biyu, throw me!" I yelled, giving her my hand

She quickly grabbed it, spun me around once, and then released me. I had my foot extended in a kick, but he slapped it down the used a butterfly strike to knock me back. I slammed into a wall a few feet behind me, the air being knocked out of my lungs. I could see that out of anger, Biyu charged at him. I tried to yell out for her to stop, but the lack of air stopped me. She tried jabbing at his face, but he grabbed her fist with one hand and her elbow with the other, lifting her into the air and bringing her wrist to his knee. With a painful snap, both her wrist bones broke and I could tell were sticking out of her arm. She screamed out in pain, and was thrown off to the side.

I began to get up and grabbed my staff, then began to charge. He had already taken aim at her, and I could see the energy building in his bow. Just as I reached him, he shot, and I kicked him a few yards away. Helpless, I watched as the dark bolt raced towards her. Just before it struck, I noticed a black blur, then the bolt hit and the area was covered in dust from the explosion. I fell to my knees, devastated. My staff dropped to the ground at my side, and my head hung. No…I promised her I wouldn't let this happen. Biyu, I'm sorry I thought. I then heard an evil laugh next to me.

"One down, one to go. Any last words?" he asked, and I heard his bow charging

"Flames of the white tiger" I said, too quietly to hear

"What?" he asked

"FLAMES OF THE WHITE TIGER!" I repeated with rage

I then grabbed my staff and charged it with that attack, then hit him in the chin. The energy from it knocked him backwards, and I then charged. I swung my staff it his face, making contact and causing him to lose a tooth. When he looked back at me, I kicked him in the gut, causing him to spit up blood and fall to the ground.

"WHITE FIRE FINAL STRIKE!" I yelled, then brought my staff down on the top of his head

In a burst of blue Xing Flame, and a little black dust, the Phantom General disappeared, defeated forever. I then turned around and ran to where Biyu was laying. The first thing I noticed was all the stone rubble everywhere. I then saw Biyu, still in one piece, with another person wrapping something around her wrist. I was at first happy, but then saw that he was one of Shens wolves.

"Stay away from her!" I yelled as I kicked him away

He was lying on his back, so to keep him from getting up I put the end of my staff on his chest.

"Wait wait, I'm only trying to help!" he pleaded

"Yeah right! You're one of Shens wolves!" I angrily replied

"Not anymore! I used to be, but he's coocoo crazy!" he replied

"And you just happened to be in the city now?" I asked

"I've been hiding from him here. He would've had me killed if he caught me. How was I supposed to know he was coming here?" he asked in reply

Not seeing any way his story didn't work, I let him up and went back over to Biyu. She was unconscious, but breathing. The bones in her wrist were both put back into place, and her wounds were bandaged.

"Sorry for kicking you, and thanks for saving her" I said

"Don't worry about it. It only took a slab of concrete to block that blast" he said

"My names Sky, and this is Biyu. Why did you save her? You could've been killed yourself" I asked

"I saw the way you fight to protect each other. You two have something special, and I wouldn't want anyone to lose their special someone, the same way I wouldn't wish it upon myself" he replied

"What's your name?" I asked

"Collin…so if you don't need me anymore, I'll be on my way. I've gotta find a new place to live for my wife and I, seeing as this one's been compromised" Collin replied and stood up

"Where you planning on going?" I asked

"I forget the name. It's a valley out past the mountains" he replied

"The valley of peace…that's where I live! If you hang around a little longer I can group up with the rest of the people I'm here with and we can go there together" I said standing up, taking note of how tall he was, almost as tall as me

"Sounds great! I've just gotta find Serena, my wife. She's hiding out near the river, in an old puppeteer's home" he replied

"We'll meet you there. I'm gonna find all my friends along with a sling to put her arm in" I said

Without another word, he nodded and ran off. He definitely wasn't like the other wolves. He was taller, leaner, and his tail was more…fluffy I guess. I looked around for any fabric I could use as a sling, and spotted a large rag in all the rubble. I picked it up and dusted it off, then tied it around my own shoulder. When it was tied, I took it off and pulled Biyu into a sitting position. I then put the sling around her shoulder and put her arm in it. Then she started to wake up and moved her good arm to her head and groaned.

"Welcome back to the land of the living!" I said

"What happen-oh shit!" she yelled as she tried to move her broken arm

"I wouldn't move that if I were you. The Phantom broke it" I said

"No kidding! Did you beat him?" she asked, causing a blank look to fall across my face

"No, we're both dead and the Phantom Beasts are taking over the world" I sarcastically replied

"Shut up, I was unconscious!" she yelled

"Can you walk?" I asked

"Yeah…but I'm gonna need you to go grab my daggers" she replied

I nodded and turned around scanning the ground for them. When I saw then, I walked over and picked them up. The energy in them felt different than the energy in my staff. I walked back over to the now standing Biyu, who took her daggers and sheathed them. We then began our walk to the river silently, just enjoying the view of the sunrise. When we got to the river, I took note that the bridge was completely destroyed, and when I looked out to the harbor, Po was hugging Tigress. The expression on her face was one of complete shock. When Po let go, he was completely tackled by the rest of the Five, all of them congratulating him. He must've been the one who defeated Shen.

"Guess Shen is dead" Biyu said

"Crushed by his own cannon" I heard Collin behind us

When we turned around, Biyu instantly charged. She jumped at him, landing a foot on his chest and pushing him to the ground and landing on top of him.

"Biyu stop!" I yelled

"He's one of Shens!" she replied

"He's the one who saved your life!" I reasoned

A look of surprise swept over her face as she looked down at Collin. She opened her mouth to speak, but was silenced as another wolf kicked her off. Must be Serena.

"You must be Serena" I said, taking note that Biyu managed to land on her feet

"And you are?" she asked

"Sky. Your husband saved my girlfriends life" I replied

"Which I appreciate. Sorry for uh…kicking you" Biyu said

"Maybe we should shave our tails and try and pass ourselves as rats" Collin said

"We'd certainly get kicked less" Serena agreed

"Let's get moving. We still need to group up with my friends before we leave" I said

"Right, let's get moving" Collin replied

We then began walking out to the harbor, and I was soon embraced in a hug by Tigress. I hugged her back almost immediately and squeezed hard, cracking her back a little.

"What are you doing here?" she asked smiling

"There was a Phantom General here, so we had to come take him out" I replied also smiling

"We've got a couple people here who are coming to live in the valley of peace" Biyu said

When Collin and Serena stepped forward, grabbed Tigress by the wrist before she could attack. She looked at me like I was crazy.

"Collin here saved Biyus life" I said

"And they aren't Lord Shens?" Tigress asked

"I used to be, but not all wolves are into killing people, ruling china, and working for a crazy peacock" Collin said

"Plus Shen threatened my life, so we left him and hid out here" Serena added

"You guys get a chance. You'll be staying in the Jade Palace where we can watch you. Sky, what's that black stuff on your arm?" Tigress asked

I looked down on my arm and saw black dust, and gagged. Its remains of the Phantom beast I destroyed.

"Gross! Its remains of that Phantom! Let's go home so I can get a bath!" I yelled

The journey back was slow, and boring. We used up almost all our Xing Energy in the fight, so we couldn't fly. So during the walk, people started thinking up games to play.

"I spy something green!" said viper as we walked through the bamboo forest

"Leaf, Tree, Your Scales, Grass, Something else that's green" Serena said, partially annoyed

"No, no, no, no, and sort of" Viper replied

"Me?" Mantis asked, followed by his weird laugh

"Yep!" Viper exclaimed

"Anybody else see that there is no point to this?" Tigress asked

Everybody who had hands raised them, and Mantis raised his "Thingies" into the air. Viper hung her head in defeat and we all got to thinking of something new to do.

"Well, I've had thirty ideas in the past minute, all of which won't do us any good" Collin said

"No kidding" I replied

We then continued our walk, just looking at the scenery and I was personally enjoying the silence.

"I should've brought my magic kit" Po said, breaking the silence, and my enjoyment

"NO!" The Five said in unison

Po looked hurt at first, but then dropped it and went back to walking. After hours and hours more, we finally emerged from the Bamboo Forest and could see the Village at the bottom of the hill we were on. We all sighed in relieve, and some of us broke into running, including monkey and…everyone except Biyu, Collin, Serena and I. We all kept walking, tired from the long walk. When we got into town, lots of people seemed to be scared of Collin and Serena. They themselves looked a little scared.

"Don't worry, they'll warm up to you. They thought I was Tai Lung my first day here" I said

"I just feel my face has been abused enough today" Collin replied

"See those stairs at the end of the street over there?" I asked

"Yeah" They replied together

"Just climb those and you'll be at the Jade Palace. If you see a small red panda, try and block all the punches he throws. He's a very understanding person, but you need to explain why you are there" I said

"Thanks for the warning. Hope you get better Biyu!" Serena said as they walked off

We turned and walked into our house, where I quickly ran into the bathing area and shut the door, which was basically a sliding door made of paper. I turned on the water and let the bath fill with warm water. The bath was meant to look like the sacred dragon pool in the Jade Palace, so it was basically an octagon in the ground that we bathe in. when it was full, I stripped out of my clothes and grabbed my home made wash cloth, then jumped in and began scrubbing all the dirt and Phantom Dust out of my fur. The warm water was soothing to the touch and the cleanness that fallowed was refreshing.

"Sky, I might scream in a minute, but don't worry. I'm redoing my splint and sling and cleaning the wound on my arm" I heard Biyu say from the kitchen

"OK, but don't cause yourself too much pain" I replied

I went back to scrubbing my fur, and was about to start on my legs when a blood curdling scream caused my fur to stand stiff on end, even weighed down by the water I stood. She was definitely using the cleaning alcohol. Once I got used to her screaming, I went back to washing my legs, scrubbing roughly on my shins to get all he crusty stuff out. When I was fully cleaned, I turned off the water and opened the drain, letting all the water go back down to our homemade filtration system. I used a wind technique to force all the water out of my fur, the put my cloths back on. I then grabbed my staff and walked into the kitchen, where Biyu was wrapping her wrist in a clean white cotton bandage. I also took note of the new sling she made that was sitting on the table.

"All done?" I asked

"Yeah. Can you run down to the market and pick up some of that new water proof wrapping? I'd like a bath too" She requested

"Sure, where did you leave the-" I was interrupted

"On the bed" Biyu said

I walked into the bedroom and grabbed the small sack of coins we always have, then walked back out to the kitchen.

"I'll be back in a few minutes" I said, then grabbed my staff and walked out the door

The streets were alive with celebration! The bandits that would normally be robbing people were dancing with the venders, and even the Ladies of the Shade were here putting on a show with their…what do you call it? Some kind of dancing that uses umbrellas I guess. As I walked into the market, I saw that they were putting discounts on some items. I walked over to the medical vender and asked him if he had any of the wrapping Biyu requested.

"Yeah, we have plenty of that. 70 Yuan a case" He said

If I didn't know the customs, I would've given him the 70, but I know that we can barter for a lower price.

"Way too much, I'll give you 30" I replied

"You know what, since you are my friend, I'll price it at 50 Yuan" He said

"45 Yuan or I walk" I replied

He sat there for a moment, thinking about it, and then I could see by the look on his face he made a decision.

"Ok, 45 Yuan" he said

I gave him the money and grabbed my case of wrapping, and was about to go home when I looked over at the armor shop and saw an amazing pair of gauntlets. I walked over to inspect them, and saw just how great they were. They had two sections, hand and wrist. The hand portion was like a glove, except it only covered the top of my hand. The wrist part was made like a normal gauntlet. They were made of black leather and iron, the iron being in the middle and surrounded by leather, giving the illusion that they were made for style, not defense.

"How much for these?" I asked

"100 Yuan" he said

"Fair price, for this quality! I'll take them" I said

I handed him the money, which was 4 gold coins from the pouch, and began my walk back home. On the way back I decided to stop and watch the Ladies of the Shade to their Parasol Dance! That's what it's called! At east I hope I'm right. As they were dancing, I noticed Dou Dai, a pig obsessed with using machines to beat the Furious Five, was running through the crowd and happened to run into one of the dancer's right as they were going to create some kind of weird structure like cheerleaders do. As the structure began to fall, so did the dancers. I saw one dancer after another fall, but I only stood there and watched.

I only moved when I saw Song was about to be crushed by three other dancers, and that wouldn't end well. I dashed out and grabbed her off the ground, picking her up and getting out of the way so fast that I didn't have time to take a breath. When the chaos was over, all the dancers stood up, unharmed and slightly shocked. I put Song down and asked if she was ok.

"Yeah, thanks" she said

"No problem, I just helped save China, what's one more life?" I asked

"Wait, what?" She asked

"I'll explain later. I've gotta get this to Biyu" I replied

"Ok, just hurry! I want details!" Song said, then walked back over to her dancers

I then walked back to the house and walked in, hearing the bath filling up. I walked over to the bathing area and knocked on the door frame, not wanting to hit the paper.

"Come in" I heard

I pushed the door open and walked in, shutting the door behind me.

"I got the wrapping" I said

"Good, the sweat in my fur is starting to crust up!" Biyu replied

I took note that her shirt was off, but her chest wrapping was still there.

"You know, this stuff is hard to get used to. It's really rough" Biyu said

"I honestly have no interest in knowing" I replied

"Can you help me wrap my arm?" She asked

"Yeah, hold still" I said, opening the package of the wrap

I started covering the original wrapping with new wrapping. When I was done, I put the leftover wrapping in our first aid kit. I then left the bathing area and went into the kitchen, enjoying the peace. Finally home…