Author's note: Hey guys. Feeling better. This chapter is barely being posted. It' like 11:30 at night. I'm tired.
Only a couple things to say:
1) I'm gonna be at Knott's Berry Farm tomorrow and will not be able to post a chapter.
2) The Walking Dead is almost over this season! Murel is DEAD!
3) This story is unfortunately, coming to an end soon. Only 4 Chapters after this one, but those chaps will be xtra long. Trying to determine a sequel. Please give me your input on it.
I don't own KFP, story is almost over.
Chapter XXI - No Rest for the Wicked
Jenko lead Shen, Po, Zayn and Tigress through a thick bamboo forest over night. A few of Shen's wolf lieutenants came along for extra security. The journey was short, like the leopard promised, and it was mostly silent until decided to speak.
"Soooo, read any good books, lately?" Everyone gave the panda a glare as if to say, "Shut it, now's not the time".
The mood was tense, and nobody spoke for a while. After another six hours of fast travel, Jenko suddenly stopped and held his fist in the air to indicate for them to do the same. Jenko's ears cocked back, and a rustling in the bushes was heard. Zayn retracted his hidden blade, Dax took his crossbow out, Shen revealed a few blades he had hidden in his sleeves, Tigress turned her paws to fists, and the wolves all took out a boomshot and aimed in different directions.
"Hold up," Jenko stated with his fist still in the air. They all lowered their defenses a bit and the eye patch wearing feline started to whistle a mellow tune. Suddenly, from the bushes came a dark, slender figure that began to approach them slowly.
"Um, Jenko? What's going on?" Po questioned nervously as he pointed at the figure. Jenko grew a small smile and kept his head straight at the figure while he spoke.
"Remember when I said I had a man on the inside?"
"Yeaaahh..."
"Well, I kinda lied." The figure came into the light and revealed itself to be a female leopardess that was wearing a purple, skin tight black suit, identical to Jenko's.
"Jenko." The figure's voice was calm and somewhat seductive towards the leopard.
"Nala," Jenko responded, his grin getting even larger as she approached him, her tail swaying with her hips.
"Um, who is this?" Daxolus asked awkwardly. His question was answered when Nala and Jenko both came up and wrapped their arms around each other and endulged in a passionate kiss. Everyone stood around them awkwardly for a moment until they were done. Jenko stood back and introduced her to everyone.
"This is Nala, Nala this is Po, Tigress, Shen, Dax and Zayn." They all exchanged pleasantries before Nala addressed the situation at hand.
"So, I suppose you're all here to put a stop to the Mogui?" she asked with a hand on her hip.
"And get our friends back!" Po added with an enthusiastic fist in the air.
"Riiiiiight, and you must be the Dahaka." The leopardess now gestured to Zayn. The tiger furrowed his brow.
"What was your first clue?" he answered.
"Well, other than the whole mix-breed prophesy, he was said to appear as if he has a ten-foot stick up his ass," she replied sarcastically. Zayn smirked jokingly.
"Wanna check?" She chuckled at his little joke as well.
"I'm gonna like you." She walked back over to Jenko and stood tall. "Let's keep moving."
After a few more hours of travel, they had arrived on a high hill top that surveyed Vaas' palace. It was a large, ten-story building that was glorified in black dragon and lion designs. The walls surrounding it were covered by the same designs and the leopard guards outside were wearing outfits identical to Jenko and Nala's. The stone on the building looked old, but still sturdy.
"Okay, this is it. Vaas' palace" Nala stated as they looked down onto the massive structure.
"Wow, this guy must be loaded!" Po exclaimed, not taking his eyes off the building.
"Running underground fight clubs and selling illegal herbs should make you a good amount" Dax reminded him sarcastically.
"So what's the plan?" Tigress asked as her eyes narrowed around the landscape.
"Me and Nala will walk right in and prepare an attack from the inside. Shen and his men will bust the front door right open."
"You heard the man! Go get the others ready!" Shen ordered his wolves. They nodded and darted back into the forest to prepare for the onslaught.
"There's a service tunnel around the back. The rest of you find it and follow it straight to the center of the palace. Take these charges and set them under the palace dungeon. That's where they're taking your friends." Jenko gave Dax a few sticks of explosive and pointed out to the courtyard. There was Zhong and the grizzlies wheeling the cage with the masters into the palace. "Once you guys free them, there's a small chimney in the dungeon. Light a flare and fire it up through it to signal Shen's army for the attack."
"What do we do after that?" Po asked, now ready to fight. Before Zayn answered the question for him.
"Raise hell." Everyone gave his words a nod of determination and agreement. "Let's do this."
Nala and Jenko, Shen, and Po, Zayn, Tigress and Dax all split up into their teams and got to work. The leopards made their way down the hilltop and casually walked up to the front gate. The guards stationed on the wall ordered the gates open, and they did. The two agents of the Chinese Secret Service casually strolled into one of the most guarded buildings in the country.
A panda, two tigers, and a lemur hastily sprinted around the palace and found an iron door that was buried into the ground. Tigress broke the lock and flung the door wide open. Everyone hustled in and made their way through the merely lit tunnel. There were a few wolf guards down the hall that had spotted them.
"Tigress! Thundering Phoenix Kick!" Po yelled out to his teammate, who responded by taking his paw and threw him at the guards while on the run. Po then landed a powerful round house to the three canines and finished them off with a punch into the wall.
"More!" Tigress yelled as four more came sprinting down the hall. Po prepared himself for the attack, but they were stopped by Zayn who now leaped in front of Po and unsheathed his Concealed Killer. One wolf swung a large sword at Zayn's skull, but he missed and got his sword caught it the wall. The tiger kicked him into his friend and began to attack the other. He stabbed one in the gut, but only mortally. The guard managed to pull out his dagger and swipe at Zayn, but he shoved the wolf into the wall causing him to drop his blade. The other guard now attempted a stab with his sword, but Zayn maneuvered out of the way so it struck the pinned guard instead. Zayn quickly swiped his under blade across, slitting the sword wielder's throat. The final two managed to get up and charge with their swords. Zayn, rather than take them in hand to hand, simply pulled out two handhelds and shot the two and they instantly fell lifelessly to the ground, bleeding from their chests. Zayn looked at the cannons in amazement.
"Shen, you do some damn fine work" he mumbled happily. They proceeded down the tunnel a few hundred more yards to a dead end.
"Aw, dead end!" Po complained. "We have to find the dungeon!"
"No," Tigress corrected before he ran off. "We're right under it." They all looked up and noticed a small crack that they could barely see through. Dax began search his pack for the explosive Jenko had given him. He found it and slid it in through the crack. He twisted a few nobs and let the bomb rest as it clicked.
"Hm, I just noticed something," the rodent said in thought.
"What?" Zayn asked, as if something bad were about to happen.
"This bomb is made with twice the powder of a usual stick of explosive." Once he finished his sentence, everyone's eyes widened in horror. They all darted out of the way before the explosion blew a ten foot hole in the dungeon floor. As the dust cleared, the four hopped through the massive opening. The dust fully cleared, and the gang found old prison cells that were mostly empty, except for one. It was them.
"Shifu!" Po screamed as he ran for the cell door. The figures raised their heads to light to reveal that it was Shifu, Viper, Monkey, Crane and Mantis.
"Po!" four of the Furious Five yelled in joy as they darted to him.
Monkey: "I can't believe it!"
Crane: "You found us!"
Mantis: "Way to go, buddy!"
Viper: "Oh my gosh, you're okay!"
They all exclaimed as the y went to their panda friend. Po reached out to touch his friends to make sure they were all okay, and they were. Shifu slowly stepped up to meet the panda eye to eye. He gave him a friendly smile before he spoke.
"I knew you wouldn't let us down, Dragon Warrior." Po smiled back before addressing the others.
"Thanks, master! But I couldn't have done it without some help." He waved a hand to the tigers and lemur to walk over.
"Zayn! Dax!...Tigress..." His eyes couldn't believe it. "I'm glad you all came for us."
"I'd do it any time, master," Tigress said as she reached out to touch her master's paw. Po started searching for the keys all around the dungeon.
"Guys, do you know where any keys are to the door?!" the panda uttered.
"Got it" Zayn answered as he pulled out a boomshot and shot the lock off.
"Oh, sweet! You found it!"
Shifu and the others exited the cell and surrounded their friends. Viper squeezed Zayn tight in a 'thank goodness you're alright' hug.
"So, what's the plan?" Mantis asked, ready to see some action.
"Dax! Flare, now!" Zayn ordered him. Dax took out the flare and tossed it to the tiger. Zayn looked around the chimney and spotted it quickly.
"Um, one question? How the hell are we supposed to get that through a thousand foot hole?!" Po asked worryingly. Zayn just tilted his head up to look through the chimney.
"Gotta be creative..." was all he said when he slid the flare into a longshot he had brought along and aimed it up the vent. He pulled the trigger and the ignition of the zen ball set the flare on fire and launched it directly up through the hole.
Jenko and Nala had made it to the center of the second floor when looked up in the sky to see the flare light up in the sky. The soldiers around them were distracted by its light and the two gave each other a quick nod. The both withdrew a dagger of their own and eliminated them quietly.
"10 seconds. Go" Jenko whispered as Nala strutted over to a support pillar and carefully placed a charge on it. Jenko did the same to another pillar in the opposite corner. They both turned the dials and took cover.
Shen watched as the flare flew up into the air and spiraled back down to the earth. An explosion was then heard from the palace and the guards surrounding it quickly jolted back by it's sudden noise. Shen quietly spoke to himself.
"This is where it will end...DEATH TO THE MOGUI!"