Are We Mortal?

Chapter Seven- A Rock and a Hard Place

A/n: Well the next chapter is up. Here you go.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda, only my characters.


Hei An steadily made his way through the Northern village of Xi'an. With his head tipped forward and eyes set on the ground he wove his way pass the busy crowds of the market square. His cloak covered his being, hiding the multitude of throwing knives on his belt. The village of Xi'an sat just east of the Huang He River that separated the Dragon's pass and the village itself. It was a small but productive community; most widely known for its market business system where a man could buy anything he wanted- anything.

But it was also known for its high crime rates; a place where scumbags, criminals, robbers and pirates hid in the shadows.

Hei An swiftly stood aside as an otter ran past with a bag of coins in his paw and a scared look on his face. Quick on his toes was a band of rhino guards armed with spears and swords. As soon as they were pass and in the mass of the market square, Hei An continue on his walk without even the slightest glance back.

It was morning time that Hei An arrived on the outskirts of the village. He had left the Valley of Peace long after his encounter with those at the Jade Palace the previous hours of darkness; all night long he pushed himself from the borders of the Southern Regions and over the endless bridges of the Thread of Hope, pass the many harvesting fields to the walls of Xi'an homes.

He gathered that Shifu knew the position of the White Rose, like he also did, and that they would bring the Dragon Warrior along to save time. No doubt that the Furious Five would join in the venture as well. Not a problem on Hei An's behalf. They were sure to take the path he had taken, crossing the Thread of Hope and making their way to this exact village. There was no fun in just letting them come this way so...easily.

And so, with a sharp turn left down one of the back streets of the village Hei An found himself standing outside an old tavern.

Inside there was hardly any light, but it was how the inhabitants preferred it. All eyes turned to the doors as Hei An entered and made his way to an empty table in the further corner of the bar. He ignored the stares from the other figures around him as he ordered a small alcoholic beverage from the waiter.

He eyed the many varieties of animals that crowded the bar: there were rhinos set in a corner huddle in the enclosed space; oxen gathered by the bar stand hunched over, a pack of wolves sat at a table with drinks in their hands and sombre looks stoned on their muzzles. It was this group that Hei An gave a secret glance at from under the rim of his straw hat. He eyed their bows set on their backs next the quiver of arrows. A plan formulated in his mind. He watched as one of the wolves caught his eye and nudged his companion. Hei An did not need to hear their conversation to tell that they were watching him.

He lowered his hat over his face again.

As the waiter brought him the drink and set it on the table, Hei An dismissed him and took a sip of the beverage. The hot sting of the alcohol burned as it ran down his throat, but it rid the aches and pains of his body. He sighed as he set the glass down and placed his feet up on the table, arms stretched behind his head he closed his eyes and waited.

It was a few good minutes later that his light sleep was disturbed by the sudden rattling of the wooden table and the sound of someone sitting in the chair opposite. Hei An awoke but did not open his eyes or tilt his head back to see who it was that disturbed him.

He already had a good idea.

"I see you've decided to join me." Hei An spoke with a small grin. He did not move from his relaxed position. "To what do I owe the honour?"

The wolf sitting across from Hei An was a hefty animal, he was built with a large physique; bulky muscular arms and broad shoulders, a strong neck and a locked jaw. His weathered face bore many scars and marks of battle engagement underneath his fur, a pair of ice cold blue eyes starred at the lion with malice-like stare. When he spoke his voice was low and calm like Hei An's but held a sense of steel in every word. "One of my boys caught you snatching a glimpse at our group. I thought it'd be a...fine idea to come and see why."

Hei An chuckled. "Is it against the law to see with your own eyes?"

"Not if you don't want to lose them."

This time Hei An laughed, catching a few eyes from all around the tavern. "You have a good imagination there, my friend." Hei An did not see the wolf wince at the word friend. "I'm in need of some help with a little problem I have. And considering the terms I know you will not be able to resist."

"It depends on the terms at hand." The wolf countered harshly as he snatched the lion's drink and downed it one gulp. "We do not just go out and do the whims of just any stranger. We have limitations and traditions."

"Let me guess: money." Hei An speculated nonchalantly. The wolf growled lowly in his throat but Hei An dismissed it with a wave of his paw. "Don't worry about being paid; there will be plenty of time for that and much more if the job is done right." Hei An held up a finger. "But only if the job is done and under my rules, I too have limitations."

"Again, depends on the terms of the subject at hand." The wolf pack leader growled once more.

Hei An's grin turned into a sly smile. He lowered his voice to the level where only the wolf and he could hear. "What have you heard lately on the residents of the Jade Palace?"

The wolf leader raised an eyebrow but shrugged his shoulders. "Not much. Few rumours and stories hit this village concerning the Furious Five or the Dragon Warrior. We have bigger problems at hand."

Hei An frowned on how little the stories of the events in the Valley of Peace were regarded here, but he overlooked the moment and pursued forward. "Well I have gathered stories of my own, that they are heading towards the Imperial City but there seems to be a complication in their plan, for you see..." Hei An paused for dramatic effect, making the wolf leader lean forward in his chair slightly with perked ears. "...the Dragon Warrior is mortally wounded and it is rumoured he's been poisoned." The lion had to restrain himself from smiling too much on the last part.

The wolf leader's ears fell down slightly in disappointment. He leaned back into the chair again. "And what exactly are you speculating?" He asked.

Hei An removed his feet from the table and leaned on the table, claws pressed together. "I plan to make the trip a little harder for him. The panda must not reach the walls of the Imperial City." Hei An motioned to the wolf's group who all watched from a distance with looming eyes. "I saw your weapons: your bows. I know of the story that surrounds your group..."

"The stories surrounding my group?" The wolf laughed. "Ha, our faction is a silent one. We never let ourselves get caught or be known. I bet you can't even guess my name." The leader challenged.

Hei An rolled his eyes from under his hat. "Your name is Chen. Chen Hue Leigh, leader of the Thousand Arrows." The lion replied flatly. "You are skilled with bows and arrows of any kind and are fair in close combat. Your little posse runs around the country ensuring fear in the people's hearts so that they would dare not speak your name. Evidentially, it seems to have taken its affect, but of little meaning."

The smile was wiped clean from the wolf's muzzle.

"Back to the subject," Hei An continued on. "I want to hire the Thousand Arrows for my own use. There is much pay in it for you should you succeed." Chen's ears snapped forward in interest again. Hei An saw from the rim of his hat that he had the wolf snared. "The mission is simple- reduce the chances of the group reaching the Imperial City, the Dragon Warrior and Grand Master, however, are mine. The rules are also simple: you and your men follow my orders to the exact word, any disobedience will be dealt with by me." Hei An was motionless for a few seconds before he offered a paw across the table. "Do we have a deal?"

Chen was hesitant at the conditions that Hei An was providing, but the results, should they succeed, would be so great that they- no, he- would go down in history as the one to bring down the greatest warriors in all of China. Seeing that this was his chance at the big time, the wolf placed a firm grip on Hei An's paw and shook. "Deal."

As they released each other's paws Hei An explained, "The inhabitants of the Jade Palace have already left the Valley of Peace, they will be at the Thread of Hope by midday. It will take them a while to cross it, and at the other end...we will wait for them."

The wolf nodded in perceptive silence. But he couldn't help but ask one question that had not been answered. "What of the Furious Five?"

Hei An tipped his head back to reveal his face, still freshly stained with blood from the strike of Shifu's fists. Chen lowered his eyebrows. The cuts would soon heal into scars but Hei An did not mind, he would add it to the anger and hatred that swirled deep within his heart.

He smiled from ear to ear, it was a grin borne of pure wickedness and dark thoughts. With his white fangs bare he lowly snarled. "Expendable."


It was late in the afternoon by the time Shifu, Po and the Five reached the endless bridges that were the Thread of Hope. The sun was now beginning to slowly descend into the wave of clouds that stretched out in the horizon. Just like the early hours of morning, the sun cast an ember glow about the land.

At the edge of the cliff side, Po stared far out into the distance, his jade green eyes reflecting the sun's blaze, giving them a mystical shine.

He then gazed down at the endless streams of wooden bridges. How far would they go, through the haze of the mist that seemed to settle over one of the overpasses, till the other side?

All his life Po had heard stories of the Thread of Hope, how it stretched on for miles. Some say that it even went as far as reaching a new world, others: that it never ended. But Po knew it was just supposition of rumours from people who had been nowhere near the bridges. Although, seeing how far they reached into the distance- fading into the mist- the panda considered for a few seconds that all those stories were true.

"Be on your guard..." Shifu's solemn voice broke in, bringing Po from his thoughts. "...even here we could run into trouble. As soon as we step onto those bridges be prepared for anything. But no matter what happens, I want you to all look out for each other."

No one replied. They didn't need to. All sharing glances at each other with stiff nods and stern faces they lined up in a single row: Shifu at the front, Po at the back, just behind Tigress. There was no hesitation as they all slowly stepped out onto the roped bridge. The wood groaned and creaked under the weight of the group but seemed to hold strong.

Po was timid with every step. Even though the bridge had been replaced by a more recent one- after the ferocious battle between the Five and Tai Lung- it did not satisfy or comfort the panda's concern for the sounds that croaked beneath his feet. Po dared not look over the edge of the rope barriers into the dense abyss below out of fear of leaning too far over and falling to an indefinite death. He kept his eyes the rows of planked wood ahead of him.

For the hours that passed the group steadily made their way across the multiple rows of bridges, the stone archway of the Southern Regions had faded deep into the mist that hung in the air. How long ago that had been since they could see it, nobody had any idea. The mist surrounding the group blocked out any means of sunlight. They could only tell that it was still day time from the way that the fog held a light grey colour- sure signs it was still light out. But Shifu could tell, from the way that with every minute passing that the colour of the vapour was growing darker and darker, the late hours of night were soon to be on them. Shifu pressed his students forward- determined to reach the other side before nightfall. By then, things would only get ten times as worse.

At the back of the group Po stopped and leaned over the edge of the rope barrier, he raised a paw up to his mouth as an outbreak of coughs filled his lungs and forced its way up his throat. The panda removed his paw as he felt a warm liquid splatter onto his fur. He sighed as he stared at the appendage, seeing how black of his fur mixed with the darker speckles of blood. He quickly wiped it on his chest to rid of the evidence. He glanced further along the bridge to find the others slipping further from his sight.

Po quickly jogged after his friends and master. The mist seemed to get lighter as he spotted the back of the group- thankful he had not been left behind in the haze of the fog- they had made it to the last bridge. The panda could see the faint outline of the stone archway of the other side focus into view. The panda moved off his bridge, across a flat surface of a mountainside and onto the last flyover. The archway was now in clear view; the sunlight had now broken through the mist.

"Hey...hey guys..." Po wheezed out as he doubled over just on the edge of the ridge. "...w-wait...up." The group continued on unaware of his calling. Seeing that he was going to lose them and fall behind the panda stepped out onto the bridge.

"Ahh!" Po cried out as the wooden plank he stepped on gave way from beneath him. Everyone turned as they heard Po's shout echo through the air. Tigress saw the panda falling through the gap, getting wedge in between the rocky edge and next plank before it gave way under the extra weight. By then Tigress had already sprang into action- literally- sliding along the remaining boards and grasping hold of Po's arm just before he could plummet into the abyss below. The only thing that stopped her from falling down with him was her foot wrapped around a thread of rope from the barrier.

Tigress groaned as she latched on her other arm to have a firmer grasp on the panda's arm. She had no choice but to sink her claws into the panda's arm to stop him from slipping. "Argh!" Po howled as he felt Tigress' claws puncture his skin, blood trickled down his arm. With wide eyes Po looked below just in time to see his walking staff fall and get swallowed by the mist underneath. Now it hungered for the main course.

The others were rushing across the bridge in means of helping both Tigress and Po but Shifu thought otherwise. "No! Stop! Too much weight and we all go down!" The rest of the Five froze, stunned, unsure of what to do. "Crane! Fly over the edge and h- Argh!"

Everyone was too preoccupied with helping Po and Tigress that they did not hear the arrow come and strike Shifu in the shoulder; he staggered onto the side of the rope barrier. Everyone looked to the red panda and saw him falter. "Master!" The rest of the Five ran to his aid but quickly dispersed as four more arrows flew and lodged themselves in the wooden planks.

Shifu pulled himself to his feet and spun on his heels in the direction the arrow was fired from. It only grazed his shoulder, leaving a tear in his cloak and robe but a nasty gash in the flesh.

Littering the edge of the mountainside where the Northern archway stood the pack of wolves known as the Thousand Arrows drew their bow strings and aimed for the Furious Five. Amongst all the pack of wolves that lined up on the rocky rim Shifu's blue eyes caught sight of Hei An's figure standing with a smile plastered on his face.

Shifu watched as the lion raised his arm, knowing full well what the next words from the feline's mouth would be.

"Fire!" Hei An barked. As ordered the many wolf archers released their bow strings and sent a wave of arrows flying in on the stranded Kung Fu warriors.

Shifu wasted no time as the arrows grew closer on the masters, their steel points streaked with an orange glow from the sunset, the red panda shouted to his students. "Take cover!"