Author's Note: I will not apologize for my absence, for it was not really an absence and I owe no one anything here aside from an explanation. Not long ago my dog had to be put down. Aside from his age, he suffered from blindness, a heart murmur, diabetes, and arthritis. So his suffering had to end. Despite this comfort that I knew he would no longer feel pain I foolishly felt remorse and depression from this event. So heavy my heart I could not even type a single word not involving the furry thing. But I have returned, if this is the wording you would choose to use. Rejoice if you wish, or curse the ground I walk on I care not. But the message has been delivered. Also I have news. In light of the bitching certain reviewers have accomplished, I have created a forum page for my own works. Please visit it if you wish to complain or compliment.

forum/Stories_of_SilverTigerdirector/111968/

Chapter 10: Is This The Final Tide?

A furry back leans against a tree, it's fanged mouth huffing silently in fatigue with it's jade eyes gazing at the sight it spied on. The avian above the creature did not need to hide from being so high up, but the bird was nonetheless nervously adjusting his straw hat every few seconds to make sure his face was hidden from view on this sturdy branch he stood upon. The two warriors had been running and flying almost nonstop down a mountain this past day, and only a mere few hours had gone by since they had made their transit through the string of villages in the Valley of Peace that bordered the Quin Yun Forest.

There were only three villages left until they came upon the village at the bottom of the Thousand Steps. But now that they had arrived at the most recent village…it seemed an impossibility.

The two's gazing of awestruck horror had not gone unfounded; their eyes scanned the masses for hopefully an ultimately low number, perhaps this was almost an illusion. After a few minutes of counting the numbers of heads that led brown and black furred bodies that lugged iron and steel forged cannons behind them, the conclusion was just to feel helpless; the count was uncountable.

The two watched and stood still at their safe distance on top of the tall hill overlooking the crumbling village of post mortem. The hundreds upon hundreds of wolves poured through the rural town, killing the few villagers that managed to stay alive after the onslaught of cannon balls had destroyed their homes and massacred their family members.

They would each flinch internally when they saw a bunny or sheep decapitated, or when a pig that was pinned under the wooden beam of his own home was unimaginably slaughtered and eaten alive starting with the flabby feet poking out from under the beam. The two warriors continued to watch; and an unspoken bond came between them. They could nothing here, not with the number of enemies so high. So they watched. And they memorized faces. They studied who killed and who died. And they made their silent promise. Each wolf would pay for this.

Master Crane could not watch anymore when a bile was forming in his stomach from such a disgusting view. The bird soared away in the opposite direction of the village to keep the wolves from discovering them. The tiger noticed the small flash of white amongst the green out of the corner of his eye, so he soon followed post haste.

The tiger found Master Crane sat perched on a large rock beside a river that lazily drifted past them. Koru knelt down with his staff laid by his side and splashed the cold water on his face.

"That….that was…", he looked away from the water that kept his head somewhat sedated from his own sickness to the bird, "How do we get to your home now?"

Crane, who had kept his eyes on the water, looked down to his left to study the feline beside him. There was no way he could carry such a large creature, not with such a great distance. It was an insurmountable idea in an array of disillusionary thoughts that were currently plaguing the bird's mind as of late. They had seen a few dozen wolves here and there in their traversing. And they had rid China of a few troops on their way when they saw the all too familiar armband with Lord Shen's insignia on the side placed on the right arm of each and every wolf.

But he never would have thought so many would be coming together so close to his beloved home. At least not this soon…

Crane lifted his beak to the other end of the spring, then turned his gaze to the sky that gapped the trees. He could see the legendary mountain in the distance and sighed in thought. But then his eyes widened when he noticed a slight bit of smoke, like the wisp from a candle light, floating away from the gigantic rock.

For a moment he panicked. In his mind came thousands of images that centered around the idea that his friends were dead, his master was dead, and his loving snake kidnapped and tortured. He refused to think she might be dead, he wouldn't allow the idea to even cross his mind. She can't be dead.

And in that moment of bitter hope he saw relief find his mind when he noticed the tiniest flickerings of torch lights higher up in the mountain. His eyelids shut, and he gave in to his ever coursing concentration that would forever try to probe his emotional mind and keep him mounted on logic in the stead of heart. His nostrils let pass a breath of a sigh, and he peeked through his hat once more to look at nothing in particular past the high verdure of the trees that stood in front of his view of the far off Palace.

"Master Koru…can you swim?", asked the avian. The tiger's ears flattened and he gave a grimace to show his utter distaste for whatever idea this bird was about to suggest.

And though eyes of distaste shimmered in this night, elsewhere lied eyes of another tiger filled with moreover disgust…

"Why should I believe you, you lying piece of hog phlegm!", spat Tigress, who kept tugging on her restraints desperately to claw this peacock's head in two.

"Oh you do not have to believe me, Master Tigress. But whether you do or not, it is truth; your master arranged a marriage between you and the Dragon Warrior long before the panda was even chosen by 'the universe'. Think about it; two masters, one of the last of your kind, and the single last panda in China getting married. It would bring this country into a celebration to worship Kung Fu which would rival that of the Emperor's reign. So your title was given to him, as the husband in the marriage would take any treasure the wife kept in her possession. Even a high ranking title such as this. So you see even if Oogway had chosen you my dear, the panda would have taken it all away. You, as a woman, who is not fit to even be given the honor of being a candidate.", mused Fuhai.

"Then why even fill my head with those dreams! Why would Shifu tell me such things if they would just be taken away!", asked Tigress in a hushed and almost cracked voice.

"To make you strong, to control you!", seethed the peacock, "He was hired by the orphanage to handle you. And handled you have been. Do you not see it woman? You are a puppet."

Tigress looked at her lap and squinted her tear filled eyes, "But…you said that this wasn't about me…", she snapped her head towards the bird, "And it sounds as if all of it is just that!", she growled with a smirk of satisfaction at catching Fuhai's lie.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. So selfish a creature. Even with his lies, the red panda could not raise you correctly.", he murmured almost absentmindedly to himself while examining his blade yet again, "It may seem that the puppet is the center of attention, madam, yet who is the one who collects the admission fees at the end of the day? The puppet master."

"Whatever, if you're going to kill me get it over with already.", she growled in as loud of a voice as she could in trying to alert someone. Anyone.

"My dear what makes you think I am going to kill you?", laughed the peacock as he slid his blade under her vest and sliced away the straps that held it closed, revealing her bra.

Tigress' eyes widened and she fiercely attempted to release herself from her bonds. The leather stretched and frayed like never before, but they would not yield.

"You even dare to touch me, I will rip off your dick and stuff it down your scrawny throat!", she said in almost a roar. She flinched when her own throat now burned; and she coughed up a bit of blood.

"Awww, looks like you've broken a stitch Master Tigress. A shame that will not be the only stitches broken…", he said in a soft maniacal chuckle with his blade softly sliding over the midsection of her pants.

Tigress struggled even more so as she attempted to chuff, but coughed up another bit of blood and gagged from the painful sensation. Fuhai grasped her jaw from under her chin and showed a devious smile.

"Now, now, Master Tigress. You musn't attempt another noise lest you bleed into your lungs. And we wouldn't want that.", he whispered seductively into her ear, "Unless, of course, you do not love him enough to stay alive for him."

The tiger's eyes widened once more. She bit down on her lip so hard that the blood from her throat mixed with that from her now fresh puncture. She shut her eyes tightly and lowered her head.

"Are you going to be a good little cub and stay still?", whispered the gray bird.

Tigress' head bobbed slowly and timidly, and she refused to open her eyes. Yet she opened her mouth and let out a half whisper. It was so weak that Fuhai had to lean in even closer than he had already done.

"What was that?", he smirked in wait. He was finally about to take this female's virginity, thereby crushing the panda's psyche even more than he would if he killed the bitch.

"If you do then at least sedate me…please. I wish not to be…with anyone else but him. Please grant this to me…", her words were like music to the peacock. He almost cackled, but became satisfied with a small chuckle as to not alert the feline's friends from their forced slumber. Even with his sedation their sleep would soon end. He straightened up with a large grin on his face.

"But of course, my dear. I am nothing if I am not a gentleman. My war is with the Dragon Warrior, not with you. So yes…", he said softly while pulling out a small needle and tiny jar of purple clear liquid, "You will feel nothing…aside from this.", his wing swiftly dipped the needle in the jar at an unseeable rate of speed, and he feathery hand flung the needle into Tigress' arm with nary a second.

And Tigress went limp. And her head fell back on the pillow.

The peacock stood there in satisfaction as he began to undress the female. But his vision blurred as soon as his hands lay on the waist of her charcoal pants. He panted softly in panic.

"I…I know this sensation….surely not….", he glanced at the Tiger with a seething glare, and flew away from the trickster to get out of her range as quickly as possible. He did not even tarry to wonder why he noticed a small blur of white fluff move out of the corner of his eye. He began to even smile in relief when he soared above the encampment.

But it was much too late.

Fuhai flew higher than the trees of the large clearing that was the cliff on this side of the mountain, as undetectably silent as his descent. However once he found himself out of her range, his mind fell under the initial spell that was the Quan Yu Mind Drag. And though he did escape the clutches of Tigress' mind, his consciousness was much too weak to keep his dreams from finding him.

Within seconds the bird dropped into the small forest, his body smacking against branches with sharp ends cutting his flesh. The bird ultimately fell into a thorny bush, laying in pain he had yet to realize was soon to be upon him.

And though pain surged through the skin of one foe, it thrived internally in the opposing champion.

Po wheezed and coughed hard in an attempt to catch his breath. He still ran as Shifu did, yet his right arm continually found the mountainside to keep his body from collapse.

Suddenly he stopped and his knees met the ground. His irises stared at the dirt before him in worry.

Though impatient he was, Shifu stopped yet again on the great slope to turn around. He looked at the bear disapprovingly.

"Po I realize how long we have been running, but we must keep going before the peacocks get to the civilians! Shen may not be able to get to them, but Fuhai still carries the ability of flight.", the red panda stated in his attempt to encourage or motivate in some fashion.

"Something is wrong, master!", panted Po in a reply. Shifu walked to the panda and eyed him as if looking for injuries. Before he could speak, Po continued, "Fuhai, he…he's already there!"

"What?", the red panda exclaimed. He looked at his staff for only a moment, then gently put his paws on Po's shoulders and glared in a strange sympathetic manner, "Po listen to me very carefully. What exactly did you tell the Jade Spirit to grant you?"

Po looked up at his master with a partially confused look about him. His ears laid back slightly while he continued catching his breath and began to realize just what Shifu was asking him, "I…I didn't know that was possible, you said-"

"I know what I said, Po, now tell me what you asked!", he replied fervently. His clawed paws almost dug into the black shoulders of the bear, but neither winced uncomfortably.

"I just thought about how I wanted to protect Tigress!", he blurted out in a panic.

"And did he say anything to you-anything you could not understand that made you feel queasy!", the old man was gripping the younger panda with enraged mannerisms. He spoke as one would to their enemy and gazed at Po as if the monochromed thing had grown crystals out of his ears.

"Yeah now that you mention it…", he swallowed hard as he thought of the words, "Oh god…", he clutched his stomach desperately to rid himself from this feeling.

Shifu shut his eyes and turned around, "Po, get up."

The bear nodded in obedience and the two began a slow jog without another word. Po on the other hand was immensely confused at what seemed to be happening with his body and mind. But Tigress' safety was his main concern, his highest priority. He would push through it all. Be it blood or bile.

And as thoughts coursed through every brain cell in the panda's mind, four others were preoccupying their minds with reaction. Thrust, dodge, smash, punch, dodge, dodge, dodge, head butt, kick, smash.

A random but necessary thought process for the four Masters.

Now with his white fur matted in blood, a fact he was grateful for that not a drop was his own, Master Sheep looked over at his companions to determine their status in their own fights before he pursued any others.

Master Rhino was pushing back an entire horde of wolves- at least twenty of them- with a large wooden board while at the same time knocking out the occasional canine that passed his way.

Master Antelope, while fast, was staying in one general spot. The key word though was general. The antlered Kung Fu master flipped around the threatening blades and kicked away any weapon he felt too close to his proximity from the dozen enemies around him. His hazel eyes burned with hatred at this army that seemed to mindlessly follow anyone with deep pockets. But he let not his emotions get in the way of the fight. If he did, Master Antelope did not show it in the least aside from his anger.

Master Raccondog had his hands full to say the least. Amongst the now smoldering pile of ash and charred wood that was now the Jade Palace Barracks, the ever intuitive and precise master was busy searching the rubble with great haste while at the same time dodging every wolf that came his way, never even stopping to counterattack once. But the raccoondog seemed to eventually find a small smile in his search. For he had not found a drop of blood in this place yet- well unless you count the blood from the broken nose of a wolf that had foolishly attempted to tackle Master Raccoondog only to slam his face into a jut of wood.

Master Sheep, seeing that his colleagues were of a just and steady pace to victory, searched for the one called Fuhai. But descriptions can be misleading. And unfortunately for the sheep, he felt that misleading mistake strike him in the back of the head.

Now some of his blood was in this crimson cap of his. He turned around from his spot on the cobblestones to look up at his blurry attacker. He saw the chuckling figure raise a long object. And as the object came closer, his vision went black.

And as the vision left the sheep, so regained the vision of a feline who just so happened to fall victim to being saved.

Tigress blinked wearily and blearily at the small thing on her chest. It was a mere yew sitting on her torso. And strangely enough the yew looked extremely relieved. Tigress placed a paw over her own head and groaned at the painful headache once she sat up, inevitably causing the yew to slide back and sit on the bed by the tiger's knee. Apparently the sleeping agent used on her was still very much affective inside her bloodstream. But for some reason her sedation had been shortened greatly…

"Master Tigress, are you okay? I didn't know if I should have woken anyone up since you've been kept secret in here, so I had to make do.", mumbled the yew shyly.

Tigress, who had opened her eyes more, examined the sheep child for a moment, taking said moment to collect her rambling thoughts about her last idea to trick Fuhai into making her sleep so that she could torture him, and her new thoughts of how the young one had apparently saved her by performing mouth to mouth resuscitation on her to get the blood out of her lungs, "You…you saved me?", the yew nodded after the feline's raspy question, "Th-thank you. And thank you for respecting my privacy by not letting anyone i….in here. But….", Tigress rubbed her throat from the amount of speaking she had to do, but continued in a whisper, "But please go and get Master Viper okay?"

One hour later…

Viper, Tigress, and little Nagu sat in the tent around a small lantern placed on the center of the plush mattress. Mantis and Monkey had been woken up as well and continually searched the perimeter for any hint of Fuhai's presence, but there was no sign of the bird.

"So do you think it to be true?", asked Tigress softly as she continued to stare at her warm cup of tea in her paws that rested gently in her lap. Her eyes glistened mournfully in the flickering ember. And though her beautiful fur resonated a great hue of a shine, her face was darkened and depressed. Such a thought to be married to someone, even the one she loved before she was even given the choice was bad enough. But the idea that Po was in on it? It drove a stake in her heart to think about it, and she attempted to avoid it. But there was no avoiding the idea in this conversation.

Viper had coiled herself around Nagi as requested by her parents, who were now sleeping in their tent that now sat mere feet from Tigress' carriage. But though Viper held the now sleeping child in her scaly form, she felt such anger at Tigress' seemingly delirious continuance at this accusation.

"Tigress, you know Po would never do such a thing! Fuhai is just trying to get in your head, and use you to get to Po! It's so obvious!", whispered the snake frustratedly.

"I know that!", softly snapped Tigress. She looked down at her cup once again and sighed through her black nose deeply "But…when it comes to Po, I guess I just…cannot help getting paranoid and sensitive about every fact of his being, whether it be truth or fabrication."

Viper allowed a warm smile to dilute her frown, yet it did not leave completely given the current state of things, "Now sis, I'm glad you're awake and doing better. But you have to focus on the here and now. We'll work on the issues with Po later, right now we have to worry about the villagers."

Tigress' heart sank at the thought of Po once more in such context. Was he alright? Was he looking for her? Would she be able to look him in the eye if he showed up somehow through the army of wolves and a pair of malicious peacocks?

Again Tigress sighed, then nodded, "I suppose we are headed for the Sanctuary then?", she said in more of a statement.

Viper nodded as well, "Yes. And there we are to wait for five more days, according to Crane."

"And then?", whispered the tiger, a quizzical look on her face. Though a brother he was to her, predictable Crane was not when it came to strategies. And no matter the logical she always found his abilities annoying yet fascinating at the same time.

"And then we're to go to Gongmen City unless reinforcements show up…if he's…", she choked out the last word silently and swallowed a lump in her throat before averting her eyes.

Tigress nodded and slowly drank the rest of her tea, all the while Viper hummed to the sheep a lullaby that put the reptile herself to sleep. The tiger softly got out of her bed and slid out of the tent to examine their surroundings. It was almost morning by now. She looked up at the distant mountain that was absolutely drenched in fog; the sunrise brightly simmered from the floor of the cliff that stood between her and that last resort place Master Oogway had decided to use in situations like this. Her yellow and amber eyes glared in disdain at the speck of a castle on the mountain.

That horrid castle. That one last place for Kung Fu if anything should happen to the Jade Palace; the last stand as it were for Kung Fu masters threatened by persecution. An odd name that was to somehow cast fear into the hearts of evil…

Ragnarock Cave.

And with a depressive state at which a tiger brood, a jovial one rose in the peacock of machinery.

"Are you comfortable little lamb?" laughed Shen in amusement at his new prey. The sheep had been chained to great weight even larger than the Dragon Warrior himself. There was no escape. Master Sheep glared at Shen whilst struggling in his restraints on the floor of the Hall of Heroes, "Tell me where your friends have gone and perhaps I will end your life swiftly."

"You will never get away with this, you unnatural freak! Kung Fu will forever reign!", he spat. Shen, who stood a few feet away with his blade drawn, walked closer.

"Oh do not worry, I enjoy the slow, torturous deaths the most. So keep talking lamb! Lest you taste the hasty tongue of my blade!", hissed Lord Shen with his dagger at Master Sheep's throat as he lowered down to his prey's height to look more menacing.

Master Sheep smirked at the easily angered peacock, "You do not have the guts, Shen. You have never killed anyone. I heard the rumors, you merely commanded the slaughterings of the panda innocents. You cannot kill. Mommy and Daddy raised you better than that!", finished Master Sheep with a mocking tone.

Shen's eye twitched at mention of his parents, and straightened up to his full height, "You insolent little-", he swung his dagger downward to cleave the cranium before it, but the sickening smack never came. Instead came a clanging. Shen looked to his left to see a bloody and bruised Fuhai standing beside the feuding with his own dagger out to counter Shen's.

"Shen, this is no time to play. Gather the wolves. It is time to end this before it gets out of hand.", stated the gray one as he withdrew his now no longer needed blade once Shen lowered his own nonthreateningly.

"Finally!", cackled Shen, "Time to take our revenge, my wolves!", exclaimed Shen to his generals that stood at the ready close by to guard the peacock. At their master's words, they chuckled in dark satisfaction. But it was soon doused from the other people's voice.

"Do not forget who commands this army as of now! The true battle has only begun! And you are not fit to rule such a high number of men into battle with a feeble mind such as yours.", said Fuhai coldly.

Shen, gripped his dagger with newfound vigor, yet remained calm. He smiled a small smile and nodded once in a small bow, "I understand, uncle. Without you I would be all but alive."

Fuhai accepted this bow and turned his back to begin torturing the sheep. Shen walked towards the open doors of the Hall of Heroes to peer out at the full view of the Valley of Peace below. Shen smiled again in a more devious fashion as his gaze fell upon the distant villages.

"Yes uncle…", he muttered under his breath as the screams of the sheep echoed throughout the Hall, "So many wolves at your command…"