Are We Mortal?

Chapter Fourteen-Morning's Rise

A/N: I know it's been a while but the story must go on; chapter fourteen here and ready.

Enjoy!

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

Throughout the night the storm ragged on outside as the residents of the Jade Palace and their new travelling companion tried to gain little sleep they could with the howling winds and biting air. Though what sleep they did have was of mere help, especially for Tigress. Her cries were long and full of grieving. It had taken Po a while to calm the feline- but he managed to compose her and settle down to sleep, with his arm wrapped around her shoulder.

Come by morning, inside the cave, Po shuddered as the coldness of the air brushed against his fur, tickling his senses. He gritted his teeth and trembled against the cold winds that danced their way into the hollow cavern. The panda writhed against the stone floor, claws unsheathed and raking against the rock surface. He jolted upright and took in a deep gasp of air.

"No..."Let out in a quick whisper.

Po blinked a few times and brought a paw up to his head; he grunted and shook his skull as if to rid himself of the drumming sensation against his forehead. He then noticed that the paw up against his brow began to shake, violently. The panda grasped it but it did not stop the uncontrollable twitching. But then, as quick as it came, it went.

Po starred at his now-steady paw and let out a sigh in understanding.

Day Three.

The poison was set.

His jade green eyes looked up from the flooring and glanced around the cave, everyone was still asleep. Shifu had dropped off right by the fire, not moving from his spot since last night- he was the last of them to fall asleep- who would be able to after telling a story like that.

Po then noticed something, a cold spot where a certain feline lay by him last night. The panda gazed once again around the cave to see if she had moved.

Nothing.

Where was she then?

It was then the panda looked to the mouth of the cave, Shan Yi's bag pack and sleeping mat was also unattended. Confused by the absence of the two felines, Po grasped his walking stick and crept to the exit. He steadily got to his feet when he was outside the cave and once –in some retrospect- able to maintain his balance, he took in a gasp.

Everywhere he looked a white blanket lay. Every rock, every tree, every little bit of grass plaid was covered in the white crisp of was the cold, wet snow.

But that was not what caught the panda's attention.

Far out into the horizon's distance, just above the sea of grey clouds that settled around the spiked tops of the mountains that were the Dragon's Pass, the curve of the morning sun crept its way above the peaks. A wave of light enveloped the panda. Po's eyes squinted at the brightness of the sun's rays; he brought up a paw to shield his green eyes from the shine. And as he looked away, something caught his eye. He sighed in relief. Just a few feet from the left of the cave's mouth- and where Po stood- perched on the road's edge with her legs hanging loosely off the sides and her head facing the sunrise Tigress sat hunched, paws in her lap.

Po made his way over to the feline but slowed his pace to a very deliberate walk. There was something about the Kung Fu Master that made Po seem uneasy. It was like her aura, the way she presented herself seemed...dark. Like despair was written all over her body. In the gleam of the sunlight, Po could see the glistening of a falling tear.

"Tigress..." Po spoke above a whisper, trying not to startle the feline. The feline's ear twitched in Po's direction but she defied herself facing him, her eyes were dead set on the shine of the golden sun that rose far in the horizon of the mountains. "Are...are you okay?"

Tigress drew in a deep inhalation and exhaled it slowly, but shakily; her warm breath formed a cloud of vapour before being claimed by the coldness of the icy air and disappearing into nothing. She brought a paw up to her face and wiped an eye. "Y-yeah, Po. I-I'm fine." She tried to say with a still voice but every syllable came out like a stutter.

Po's eyebrows lowered as he leaned against his walking staff. For a good few minutes he said nothing; he felt that it wasn't necessary. He just stood there, watching her- his jade eyes admiring every line, every strand of fur and stripe on her being in the shine of the morning sunrise. He could see her shaking- but not because of the cold.

He knew why.

The panda steadily made his way over to the feline and slowly slipped his arm around her shoulder, Tigress' paw slid up take hold of his bandaged arm, clutching it with a tight hold. Po bit his lip to suppress the pain, not wanting to ruin the moment. But animal instincts took over, he leaned in and nuzzled the crook of her neck with his muzzle- a sure sign of affection and care.

Tigress could not help herself but nuzzle back in reply. She closed her eyes and reached for his other paw, brining it around her lower abdomen with his walking stick. She felt safe with him, protected from the cold, from the snow, the ice, the entire world. It could not touch her, not with his arms shielding her. She felt a tear slip its way through her closed eyes and roll down her cheek.

She broke down, bit by bit.

There was no stopping it now, she turned fully into Po's embrace and shut her eyes tighter as if to stop the tears coming- futile though it was. She shook her head as her cries soaked his cloak, Po did not mind. He brought up his arm and tenderly caressed her head, whispering soft hushes in her ears.

"They're...they're gone." Tigress sobbed. "They're gone." The words choked in her throat and burned like a flame- like the fire from that very night she lost them.

"I know..." Po shushed lightly. "I'm sorry, Tigress. I wish I could bring them back. I would if I could."

Only more tears came to Tigress' eyes. "I never even knew them..."

"You will, again. You'll meet them, but not yet." Po tightened his grip on the feline, not wanting to let her go, he shut his eyes tighter and fought hard to hold back his own tears. "I don't want to lose you."

Tigress returned the grip on Po's being. "I don't want to lose you either, Po." She tipped her head back and looked up into his emerald eyes; they danced against the rays of the morning sun and afterglow. Tigress was captivated by them. "Not now, not tomorrow, not ever..."

Po's face signalled one of his famous smiles, he brought his paw round and cupped her chin gently, pulling her up to him as he leaned down and kissed her. "Wouldn't dream of it..." The panda beamed.

"But, what about the poison?"

"Nothing this Dragon warrior can't handle." Po bounced his eyebrows, Tigress rolled her eyes. He still had that touch of the boyish persona in him yet. "Besides, I'm sure we'll find the White Rose. We do have till tomorrow."

"I hope we have enough time." Tigress sighed.

Po dismissed her read-aloud thought with a wave of his paw. "Ah, we have time to spare. Heck, we have time to kill." Tigress visibly winced at the last word. Po noticed and lowered his ears. "...sorry."

"Well, whatever the outcome..." Tigress brought her paw down to his and laced her claws with his own. She looked up again into his eyes and for the first time, Po could see someone other than a great Kung Fu Master. He could see it, deep inside her eyes- inside her soul- a young kitten, innocent, full of energy and yet silently pleading. From Po's point of view, it was the kitten inside that spoke, not Tigress. "...can I still have that last dance?"

Po smiled and replied. "One dance..."

"...one chance." Tigress finished as she reached up, wrapping her free arm around Po's neck and pulling him in for a long, passionate filled kiss.

"...Morning." A voice sang out lowly. Po and Tigress quickly separated instantly and looked to find Shan Yi perched on top of a large boulder, sitting casually as he tipped his hat back and winked at the pair, clicking his tongue in the process like someone did when they got 'ideas' in their heads. Po and Tigress felt all their blood rush to their cheeks.

Oh, there was no way of hiding it now.

Po turned away from the panther and rubbed the back of his neck. He thought of something to say, fortunately a question came to mind. "Where have you been?"

The panther waved his paw in the air nonchalantly. "Here and there, I noticed Master Tigress gone and went in search out of good companionship. I wandered along the mountainside a little to find her, turned back and spotted her with you. So, I just sat on this good seat," He patted the surface of the boulder. "...and watched the show unfold."

Tigress narrowed her eyes at the feline; she didn't believe the panther for one bit. "How long have you been there?" She hissed slightly.

Shan Yi shrugged his shoulder without a thought. "Long enough, I guess. But don't worry; I'm no tattle-tale. Your secret is safe with me."

Tigress never took her eyes off the panther as she walked away, heading back to the cave. "We better wake up the others. The longer we delay the worse it's going to get."

Po slowly followed on after her. "Hey, Dragon Warrior," Shan Yi whispered when he was sure Tigress out of ear shot. The panda looked at him with questioning eyes. Shan Yi gave another glance down the path the Kung Fu Master strode along. He then turned back to Po and showed the panda a very sly smirk, winking again and holding a thumb up. "Definitely a keeper." With that he hopped off the boulder down next to Po and walked on back to the cave. Po's cheeks flushed a rosy red but he eventually walked on with a smile.

Oh, yeah, definitely.

It was around noon time that the gang managed to get themselves further into the Dragon's Pass, little was said between the group. Nothing wanted to be said, they all knew that today was the last complete day. The poison had set and the panda they had all come to love had little more than a day and half left. Tigress stayed well close to Po this time, both her love and concern for him was growing with every second that passed by. Her trust in Shan Yi never, however, dwindled every time she glanced at the black feline with scorning eyes and an untrustworthy glare.

At the front of the group, Shan Yi treaded his way through the deep snow, his eyes inspecting the ground- watching for if they were still on track. They eventually travelled into a region of snow covered trees; all of them round and thick, still standing tall after years of endless cold weather and blizzard storms. Po looked over the edge of the mountain to see a few more spread out trees like the one on the other side of the path.

Good place to get a Christmas tree.

If the bandits don't get you first...

At the front, Shan Yi stopped up and raised an eyebrow in question. The entire group came to a halt and all peered at the feline- confused as to why he stopped. Shifu came to his side and saw the quizzical look in Shan Yi's eyes. "Something wrong?" He asked.

"Yeah..." The feline responded as he knelt down to the snow, brushing some of it away with his paw. He gave a small laugh, but, like one of the gasping laughs when you can't believe the truth even though it's staring you in the face. "...don't kick my butt for this, but... I've lost the trail." Everyone's face fell. Tigress, however, continued on with her glare, narrowing her eyes but smiling inwards at his failure. "Luckily, I know where we are." The panther looked around on the floor, up to the mountains around them and then back down to the snow again. "If my memory serves me correct..." He walked in a circle around the group; they watched him with both intense and puzzled expressions. "...the way we want to go..." He stopped on the edge of the mountain path route and looked up. He then pointed a black claw from underneath his cloak to a mountain summit that stood erect a small distance away across the sea of clouds. "...over there."

Po's face went pale as he noticed the distance of the mountain top. "All the way over there, we'll never make it! We'd have to climb down the mountainside and cross the valley just to get to the other side. That could take all day."

The group huddled close to the edge of the mountain side. "And that's something we don't have." Shifu thought aloud.

The assembly all lined up against the path edge as they starred across the expanse of clouds to the mountain peak.

Their hopes had dropped low to the ground.

Tigress, Po and Shifu's hearts all sank to their feet.

At the edge of the group, Shan Yi sighed as he tried to figure out what to do next. Then his hear twitched. The feline lowered an eyebrow. His other ear swayed around to behind him.

Silence.

The panther went back to his thoughts, stroking his chin but stopped again. His ears both switched to directly behind the group. The feline turned around and looked at the long line of trees covering the higher regions of the mountain. He silently made his way to the foliage and disappeared among the shadows.

No one noticed his leave.

"Shifu..."Po called. "...do you think we can make it?" The red panda's ears lowered back slightly, and Po easily caught sight of it. The giant panda's stomach churned and his chest tightened. "Shifu..." All eyes turned to the Grand Master. "...w-we can make it...right?"

The Grand Master forced himself to look at his students- and more importantly, at Po. His mouth opened to say something but no words came out. He was lost. Po's heart sank down to the floor, but he maintained a calm composure.

Tigress was having trouble doing the same.

And then, like a dam that had held back a tidal wave of hatred, anger and fury Po pursed his lips, balled his paws into fists, wheeled round in the snow and strode from the group. They all watched as he ripped his backpack from his shoulder and threw it to the ground, shedding his cloak and walking stick. The panda wobbled on his weak legs as his heart raced and blood boiled- sending the poison rushing through his veins at the sudden adrenaline. He unsteadily made his way up to the nearest tree, raised a fist and- with a mighty scream- rammed it into the trunk of the tree.

The entire tree shuddered under the force of the strike; cracks ran up the bark and snow fell from the leaves around the panda, dousing him with white speckles. Again he slammed his fist into the bark, hissing and growling at the pain throbbing in his knuckles. He wanted to stop- but something told him not to, something denied him to pause, to hesitate. His body burned like a roaring fire and it needed to unleash its endless power.

Tigress rushed in and grasped Po's wrist to stop another punch from harming himself. Po's head snapped round to her with his olive eyes ablaze like a green flame yearned on inside their emerald casings. Tigress was taken aback and had not a mere second before ducking at Po's oncoming free claws. "Po!" She said in a stern tone. "What's wrong with you?" Her eyes narrowed yet held apprehension. The panda just gave another strike with the back of his hand, but Tigress was a step ahead and caught the panda's wrist. She wheeled him round her and swung him into the tree.

Po slid to the floor with a groan. Tigress breathed deeply as her chest heaved, her face was like stone, but it quickly softened as Po came to. "Tigress." He wheezed, brining a paw up to his chest and letting out a fit of coughs- blood spurting the snow with red poker-dots. The coughing subsided as a trail of blood ran from Po's mouth. "Tigress...I'm sorry." Po looked up at her apologetic eyes and then turned away in shame. "I...I don't know what came over me."

"I'm afraid that was the poison." Shifu's voice put in. "Now that it's set in your blood, Po, you'll lose yourself more and more as the day goes on. You'll be in and out of states like this, their fits of rage. Deadly and dangerous. We'll have to be cautious. With someone your size and species you could tear anyone of us to pieces." The Grand Master paused. "Even Tigress won't be able to stop you."

Po looked to the red panda with fearful eyes. "You mean... what...I'll slowly descend into madness?"

"I'm afraid madness won't even come close to what'll happen to you." Shifu explained solemnly. "You'll go into something way worse. If we're not careful- and if you don't fight this off till we find the White Rose- I'm afraid you'll go feral."

Feral...!

"Feral?" Po echoed with a shout.

Shifu's ears were pinned right against his head now. "It's the last stage of the poison before you'll die. At this point I'm guessing you'll slip in and out, unaware of your senses and conscious mind." He looked to his student with grave eyes. Po was having trouble grabbing the concept of the situation- but his eyes never hid the fear and horror of his emotions.

This was going to take a lot to explain, but Po was like a child in some ways. Shifu changed his words and softened his tone. "Imagine like you're having a dream, everything is a blur, nothing seems real or fake. You have no control of your actions and can't stop yourself, you run around and attack everything you see- people you see. You're strong, incredibly strong and nothing can stop you..."

Po gulped- hard. "...besides another feral animal." He finished, remembering his Master's words.

Shifu sighed immensely; he turned and looked back out at the expanse of clouds and the mountain top. And in his gaze the red panda's eyes hardened, determination and enthusiasm filled his body. His voice was laced with fortitude and will power. "But I'm not going to let it go that far. We're going to get to that flower. We're going to make it, Po. And we're going to cure you." The Grand Master turned back to his newest student. "I'm not loosing another student just yet."

Po gazed into Shifu's eyes and, as if by magic, Po shared his Master's determination, purpose, his beliefs and faith. The panda smiled as he wiped the blood away from his muzzle. He grunted and used the steadiness of the tree to push himself to his feet. Tigress retrieved his staff, backpack and cloak. The panda smiled as he took them all and donned his clothing.

And then, with a broad smile, he said. "Let's ride."

And as the panda took a step forward something fell between the gang. "Whoa!" The panda tripped onto his back side at the surprise whilst the others snapped into their stances. It was the body of a wolf, with all-too familiar clothing. Po shuffled and got to his feet. The body did not move as a small river of blood trailed down to the panda's feet. Po stepped out of the way of its stream and gazed back at the body.

It was dead.

Everyone eased up.

There came the crunching of snow from behind Po's back. The panda turned to see Shan Yi rising to full height, sword in his paw. There was a trace of freshly gleaming blood on its blade. Before anyone could get a word in the panther informed them with a low voice- almost growling. "A scout; I found him in the tree tops..." The panther wiped his sword with his cloak and sheathed it. "Look familiar?" He asked, motioning to the body.

"One of Chen Leigh's gang members." Mantis chipped in.

Shifu's teeth clenched and his hands balled into fists. Po was just the same.

"They can't be far behind." Crane warned. "Up here in the mountains there aren't a lot of spaces to hide. I mean, the only good place to hide would be..." He abruptly paused and then looked to the long line of trees; everyone followed his gaze and tensed up. None of them moved, they were too afraid to do so. "Does anybody get the..."

"...you mean, like we're being..." Viper whispered.

"...watched." Shifu, Tigress and Po all ended simultaneously.

"He's there." The Grand Master spoke so quietly it almost seemed inaudible. "He's waiting."

"For what?" Monkey asked.

Shifu didn't reply but Po felt the need to say it. "The right moment to strike." The panda called to his Master but did not dare take his emerald eyes away from the shadows of the trees. "Shifu, think we can make a run for it down the mountain?" When there was no reply. Po said. "I thought so, any other ideas...anyone."

Shan Yi was still like a statue for a few good minutes as his eyes scanned the tree line. And then, an idea exploded in his head. "I have one..." He said with a smile to the gang, he then remembered the possible threat and turned back to the tree line with penetrating eyes. He gained everyone's attention.

"What you got?" Po asked as he squinted into the shadows.

The panther chuckled to himself and gave a lost-boy smirk. "Ever been sledging, anyone?"

Silence again filled the air, but no one dared turn away from the tree line- only raising their eyebrows at the question.

"I have..." Po's voice piped up.

Shan Yi tried to hold back his laughter at the other Kung Fu Masters. "Well get ready for your first run."His tone then turned as serious as his face. "Okay, here's the plan. Master Crane, when I give the word send a blast of air into the tree line- it'll give me the few seconds I'll need. You'll be able to fly this one out. Po, Master Tigress I'm going to need your strength to help move our sledge to the edge of the mountain. We'll have to be quick; I'm guessing their swarm from the shadows like moths to a flame. Everyone will need to jump on as soon as it's ready." The panther slowly unsheathed his sword. The scrapping of metal on metal making everyone cringe as it cracked through the silence. "No doubt they'll give chase after we're on the move. They're as strong as they are nuts."

"You're nuts." Tigress snorted.

Shan Yi smiled as he gripped the hilt of his sword tighter and lowered it to his side. "Comes with the job, I'm afraid." His face held that same boyish smile.

"And what exactly do you plan to use a sledge?" Tigress sneered.

The panther lightly tapped the blade of his sword against the bark of the tree Po had cracked slightly- giving an opening to a weak spot. "On three..."

"...One..." Crane spread his wings and readied to light into the air.

"...Two..." Po and Tigress got ready to spring into action. Shan Yi gripped the hilt of his sword with both paws and raised it up beside his head, ready to strike.

Everyone took a collected intake of air.

Here goes nothing...

"...THREE!"