Okay people! Just to let everybody know, the next few chapters are going to go over just what happened while Tigress was out; also, considering the situation of things, the general demeanor of characters is going to be dead-serious; Feng-Shu has succeeded in his conquest, and the warriors of the Jade Palace are on the top of his To-Kill list. What do you expect?

Chapter 21: The Results of War

The two warriors stood along the pathway of the forest, neither saying a word while loose leaves looped in the gales surrounding the two. Tigress, while not gaining much information on what had happened, she still knew what Po meant; much had transpired since her disappearance, and she knew that she had to find the others if she was going to bring the land out of this perpetual darkness. The onyx clouds in the sky remained unyielding, giving no light to the scenery, as if the world itself had been transformed into an empty soul, forced to wander the Earth, lost in a world that he knew but wished to be free of.

"Tigress, we need to get going. No doubt that someone will come across the body, and we need to make sure that we aren't followed." Po began, steadily walking down the forest road with Tigress following a second afterwards.

Pale strips of light began to break through the immense clouds overhead, dimly lighting the scenery with the ashen light of the moon. At least now the two warriors knew what time it was. Silence filled the forest as the two continued with their stroll to a location only Po knew. The light chirps of scattered crickets would hit the two's eardrums ever so often, but the silence was never broken if not for a mere second or two. Tigress would glance up at Po every few minutes; his face stayed adamant on the road before them, never changing in his lead to his and Tigress' destination. Yet, Tigress, even with the sudden appearance of Po and his newfound demeanor, could still see a glimmer of his old clumsy, goofy, kung-fu fan-boy persona that she knew and loved in his jade green orbs. Tigress let a small grin creep across her face as she followed Po in their stroll, her mind still trying to imagine where their destination would be, and just what would happen upon their arrival.

Base of Unknown Mountain: Time Unknown

After hours of walking through the dense forest of bamboo and other such foliage, Po and Tigress finally arrived at the moss covered base of a lone mountain; to Tigress, the stone wall seemed familiar, as if she had visited this location before. Stopping before the wall, Po twirled the Cloud Hammer in his paws before bringing the massive weapon behind him, only to thrust the head forward, shattering the stone wall, revealing a hidden tunnel leading into the catacombs of the mountain.

"After you, Master Tigress." said Po, stepping aside and waving his hand towards the entrance of the gaping hole.

Master Tigress began to walk up to the entrance, stopping next Po and saying "And they say that chivalry is dead." flicking her tail before making her way into the stone tunnel with Po close behind her.

For the next few minutes, the two warriors began walking through the pitch black tunnel, during which Tigress' eyes had gone to slits to adjust to the darkness once again. The only thing the feline master saw, however, were stone walls on all sides, going into the mountain for eternity.

"Tigress, you're gonna need to close your eyes for what's coming up." Po said, breaking the silence that Tigress thought would continue for the entirety of their private stroll.

"And why, Dragon Warrior, must I do so?" the master replied with a hint of sarcasm in her tone.

"It's a surprise, and I wouldn't want to ruin it, especially this one."

"Oh, very well."

Slowly, Tigress' eyes dropped to a close, Po taking her by the paw and leading her down the rest of the tunnel they had been walking through. Reaching yet another wall, Po held an arm up to keep Tigress from going forward, though she had already stopped to avoid coming into contact with it.

"Alright Tigress; I want to open your eyes in three… two… one"

Upon Po's mark, Tigress' eyelids instantly shot open revealing a wonder unlike anything that she had ever seen before. Through another entrance that had been created where the wall used to stand lay an entire underground city. In the center of the gigantic mass lay a small collection of stone buildings and different karts and rickshaws darting between the pathways within the labyrinth of structures, lying within a pit that seemed to be the size of Gongmen upon first observation. In the center of the city, a towering torch lifted by a single pillar gave light to the center, providing a fresh illumination that Tigress had not been reacquainted with for quite some time. Around the terra village, positioned on the circular wall above the pit, were a series of soldiers wielding swords, halberds and bows, strolling between the empty spaces and stone towers that had been constructed along the barrier. However, what surprised Tigress to the greatest extent was not why lie on the ground below her or where she stood; what captured her attention the most was what had been built at the roof of this hidden village. Protruding from the ceiling of the gargantuan cave were a series of abnormally large stalactites that had been hollowed out in some areas, different avian species soaring to and from them with what appeared to be a collection of scroll in their talons.

"Po… what is this place?" Tigress asked, walking forward with her amber eyes shimmer with amazement in the city that had been constructed using nothing but the earth under the towering giant of terra she stood in.

"This, Tigress, is New Gongmen. After your disappearance, a mass combination of armies and small militias began to take over city after city, causing them all to crumble to the ground." Po said with sorrow floating in his tone. "Many innocent lives were lost in these attacks. Those that survived eventually converged at a single area. The Dragons eventually led them all to this location, building this city as a sanctuary to the broken, offering them solace from the harsh world outside."

"Wait!" Tigress said, jerking her head to Po's sudden recap of the past events. "You said that the Dragons constructed this city. Are they here?"

"Follow me and you'll find out" Po replied, outstretching his arm while Tigress took his paw, only for her to jerk forward as Po began sprinting down a series of steps from the top of the large wall where they once stood, not skipping a single step, nor tripping down them like he had done at the Jade Palace so many times before.

Po's speed instantly increased as he dashed down the pathways of the city, kicking up dust from the ground with every turn through the labyrinth of pathways. With what she could observe from the blur that the city had become, Tigress began to notice a sudden likeness of the buildings; they had been styled exactly like those in Gongmen City, though some had been built to resemble those within the Valley of Peace, most likely being the homes of those that had escaped whatever attack that ravaged the land. Finally, Po came to a skidding halt before a simple home; it had two stories, four windows and a curtain before the doorway acting as its entrance. Small chatter could be heard from the home, which made Tigress' ears fall backwards in anticipation.

"Nervous?" Po asked.

"No; my thoughts are simply wandering about what the reaction of my comrades will be upon entrance of the structure." Tigress replied with her usual hard-core demeanor finally returning.

"So you're nervous?" said Po, repeating his last inquiry as he was trying to joke with Tigress.

"As I said before Po, I'm simply curious. Now, shall we go meet our brothers and sisters in arms?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

Po took in a deep breath while Tigress swallowed a dry lump in her throat. Truth be told, Tigress was incredibly nervous. What would her allies' reactions be upon seeing her after all this time? Would they ridicule her for her actions? Would they… reject her as their friend like raw rice? Well, it was too late for the thoughts to continue in her head at this point. After a few moments of silence, Po and Tigress lifted the veil acting as the door to the home, stepping inside a dimly lit room, only a few scattered bamboo candles acting as the light source. Next to the east wall was a small table surrounded by small tatami mats, most likely the breakfast, lunch and dinner area for the house's residents. Behind the table was an area littered with all manner of cooking utensils and essentials; small wok pans, china dishes and bowls, knives, spoons and chopsticks sets with cabinets filled with what Tigress could only assume was cooking materials above them. Going over to the west side of the home, Tigress noticed a set of stairs going up about five feet, then changing to the right, leading to the upstairs rooms where she hopped everyone else was.

"Hey, I heard someone come in the door!" said a familiar voice from upstairs while shadows danced across the walls.

A moment of silence hit the room before the duo heard "Po's back!" Then, another few seconds of silence hit the air. "No… I can't be" was heard before one of the shadows changed its position on the wall, seeming to get smaller, the owner darting down the staircase.

"Spencer, where are you going?" Shouted another voice.

Suddenly, the grey wolf swung himself around the corner that the two walls in between the stairs had created, stopping in his tracks with utter shock before the widest smile broke across the canine's maw.

"Tigress is back!" the wolf bellowed, rushing up to the feline and tackling her to the ground, his tail wagging rapidly in utter ecstasy.

"WHAT?" Was heard from the upstairs corridors before everyone that was making their home in the building piled into the room downstairs, each having the very same goofy smile across their faces upon seeing the orange feline again after such a long time.

"Alright, alright! Spencer, would you please get off of me?" Tigress demanded before the wolf snapped back to his senses and immediately lifted himself off of Tigress, helping her to her feet from his sudden actions.

"Tigress!" Viper squealed, leaping into the feline's arms and wrapping herself around her long lost sister. "What happened to you? Are you okay? Please tell me that you're okay!"

"Yes Viper, I'm fine. I… just need some time with my thoughts is all."

"So you mean to tell me that you needed a month to simply 'be with your thoughts'? Come on! Am I the only one that- whoa!" James began before Tigress shot him her infamous "if-looks-could-kill" glare, instantly making him back off while taking cover behind Monkey and Crane, only for them to shove him right back out in front of them.

"It's been far too long, dear sister." Crane began, walking up to the feline with a smile across his face.

"Yes it has, Crane."

"I bet the real reason she was gone is because she finally found herself someone to share her 'alone time' with." Mantis replied like his immature would always do, earning him a flick off Monkey's should while he climbed back up the simian's appendage. "Still can't take a joke, can you Tigress?"

"Not when it's from you, Mantis." Tigress replied, causing the room to burst out in laughter.

"Well, she may not be able to take a joke, but at least she can make one."

"Thank you, Monkey. Now, where are Sarah and Ryan? I expected them to be the first to be behind Spencer?"

The entire room had gone silent, as if the death of Shifu had occurred all over again. Tigress knew that something very wrong had happened while she was gone; the silence wasn't somber, so she knew that the two were at least alive. But still; what else had happened other than the perpetual darkness that she knew on the outside world?

"They're upstairs Tigress. Only they can tell you what happened." Crane replied, holding out his wing for Tigress to pass upstairs.

With her typical demeanor returned, Tigress slowly made her way up the stone steps of the residence, looking back at her allies only once before continuing up the steps. Upon reaching the top of the staircase, Tigress entered yet another single-room floor, Sarah and Ryan in the center of the room in Lotus Position, meditating to a degree that could rival Shifu's, the duo surrounded by six candles that dimly lit the room. Ryan however had… changed. Hanging over his left eye seemed to be fur, jet black fur, curved ever so slightly as it hung loosely from his cranium. Suddenly, Ryan's eyes slowly began to open, revealing his bright hazel eyes (or eye) with Sarah soon following, her husband rising to his feet and helping his wife do the same. Sarah's abdomen had gotten considerably larger since the last Tigress saw; no wonder Ryan had to assist her.

"It's wonderful to see you again Tigress." Sarah began with a cheerful smile across her face.

"The same with you and Ryan, Sarah. However, I'm quite curious on what has happened over the weeks following my, ahem, disappearance, if you will." She began with the same demeanor, only to shift back to her serious self, staring at Ryan who knew exactly what she wanted to know.

"Come, Tigress. Take a seat, and we shall discuss the events that have transpired over the course of time." Ryan began, walking back over to the mats where he and Sarah took their seats, Tigress following and doing the same almost instantly.

"As you probably know by now, your disappearance sent the rest of us into a state of worry. We sent countless messengers to even more countless allies, each with a message to be watchful in case you happened to turn up. Our results, as you may imagine, were unfruitful. Nevertheless, we never ceased our search. Unfortunately, a certain assault on the Valley of Peace stopped our operation cold."

The flames of the candles began to flicker with the tension in Ryan's tone before he resumed his tale. Emerging from the light dancing of the candles, shadows began to form on the walls of the room, acting with the recollection of the recent history, retelling its story as if it were a show and not a tale.

"They were undaunted and immeasurable. Feng-Shu attacked without mercy. We instantly began an evacuation, assisting any villagers in the escape of the Valley as we could while holding off the forces that invaded our home. Feng-Shu, however, had brought a secret weapon with him."

The events that had transpired in the Valley began to reply in an incredibly realistic fashion on the walls of the room. Silhouettes of swords and spears flew across the walls, impaling the shadows of the villagers while their very screams and cries of agony could be heard sailing on the wind. The buildings on the walls began to crumble one after another, flames taking their place while the shadow of Feng-Shu ordered his troops to advance towards the Jade Palace.

"Right before our very eyes, demons long forgotten had become resurrected, hungry for the vengeance of their fallen master."

"No… it couldn't be them…" Tigress muttered to herself, staring at the ground in frustration and rage.

"Yes, Tigress. Suddenly, as if from the very pits of Hell itself, Recneps, Ha-El and Haras attacked once again, their strength increased tenfold as they effortlessly tore through whatever remained of the Valley of Peace. The remaining villagers, as well as the rest of the Five and the Dragons, fled the scene while Wu-Ye and I held them off. I managed to take down Ha-El without a problem, but Recneps took Wu-Ye captive and vanished within the next second. Because of this, Haras was able to inject a powerful venom into my being, and at the moment, the effects were unknown to me."

"So… you're dying?" Replied Tigress with a shaken voice, looking up at her ally with fear and worry.

"No, but I have been infected by an infernal virus that threatens everyone around me."

"What is the poison's effect? Does it weaken you at all?"

"No; the poison itself actually increases my strength, speed and stamina to their highest potential, making me an unstoppable force of nature. However, while in this form of absolute power, I am unable to have full control over myself, and cannot distinguish friend from foe. In short, I become of blood thirsty predator that can and will destroy anything in my path." Ryan finished, shedding a single tear while the shadows on the walls finally began to die down, leaving the blood-stained story behind them all.

"Back in our world, animals that were like this were labeled as feral, and were predators that were considered highly dangerous. As far as we know, there is no cure for this venom, and Ryan has experienced both its positives and its drastic negatives." Sarah finished, looking up at the man that she loved before he opened his eyes to respond again.

"During the battle, unbeknownst to me at the time, Haras' blood happened to mix with my own through an open cut, giving me this dense amount of fur. A few days later, I fell sick with a heavy fever and almost lost my life. Thankfully, the rest of the Five and the Dragons were able to find a cure in time."

The mood, which instantly escalated to a tension-high, easily went back down at the sound of Ryan's cure.

"Now, enough about the bloodstained past behind us; no doubt your journey has been long, so you must be in need of food and rest." Ryan began, his statement instantly followed by low growl from Tigress' stomach, which instantly caused her to blush, the bright red shade of her cheeks showing through her orange fur.

One Hour Later

Back downstairs, everyone was enjoying the fabulous and bountiful feast that Po had prepared. There were noodles, dumplings and all manner of other foods, each resident of the structure filling their maws to the brim with such a feast.

"So, what are your plans regarding attacking Feng-Shu and retrieving Wu-Ye?" Tigress finally announced, catching the attention of everyone that had taken their place at the table.

"We had gone over many strategies with each other, but all, for the moment, are utterly useless until we discover just where Feng-Shu is. We've been sending out spies to try and uncover the criminal's location, but we have yet to hear back from any of them." Ryan replied, taking another dumpling while he waited for Tigress' response.

"How long has it been since you sent the spies on their reconnaissance mission?"

"Two days; we've paired each agent with a messenger in case they discover anything of vital importance. For now, we simply wait until we uncover Feng-Shu's location, as we can do nothing else that would be fruitful to our cause."

Silence crept over the table once again before Ryan let out a heavy yawn, stretching his arms before he and Sarah rose from their seats.

"I believe Sarah and I will retire for the night. We will see the rest of you tomorrow."

The two felines slowly made their way up the steps while everyone resumed their meal, only for Ryan to almost immediately rush back down the staircase.

"Someone, get a doctor her immediately!"

"Ryan, what's wrong? What's happened to Sarah?" Tigress began, only for her eyes to shoot open after discovering what the reason for a doctor was. "Po and I will return with a doctor as soon as we can. Po?"

"On it Tigress." The panda replied before the two darted out of the home, leaving everyone staring at each other with puzzled looks on their faces, only for all of them to turn towards Ryan.

"Well, what's wrong? Go on, spit it out!" Mantis demanded, eager to know just what the heck was happening.

"Sarah has gone into labor, Mantis."

Well, that's it for this chapter! And to those of you that are saying to yourselves "Wait; Sarah's only been pregnant for like three months!", here's the explanation. A tiger's cubs are not born until about 90-100 days after conception. A snow leopard's is exactly the same. Using this information, I'm pretty sure you can figure the rest out for yourself. Also, all credit for the "Feral Poison" idea goes to The Green-Eyed Wolf, as she was the inspiration for that point. I also suggest you read her stories as they are excellent!