Disclaimer: Don't own it. Dreamworks does. I own the OCs.

Ok, here's the typical Friday update, getting it out as soon as I can. I live in NE USA, and since we have a lovely little hurricane named Hanna coming right for us, I might as well get this out now before she hits and we loose power.

Also! I feel I need to make a little warning here: there's an intense amount of violence here. Not so much in the way of blood (as in, there's not enough of it to classify "Blood" as a character) but there is more violence than in previous chapters. Just an FYI.

Chapter 20: The Battle

The previous night's rain had cleansed the air, yet a dense fog still covered the valley floor. Atop the summit of the Jade Mountain, the air was crisp and clear in the early morning. The sun was not due to rise for another couple hours, and dew dotted every leaf, every blade of grass, strung on spider's webs like strings of pearls and diamonds. Inside the grounds of the Jade Palace, the villagers slept peacefully, if not fretfully, none knowing how or when they would return to their homes.

Shifu hadn't slept a wink. He had meditated, but it was not the same. Taking up his staff, he patrolled his home, tiptoeing around the sleeping villagers, his mind wandering as his feet wandered. He was barely paying attention until he came to stop in front of the Hall of Warriors. Sighing heavily, he pushed open the doors and was surprised to find a lone figure kneeling by the Moon Pool.

Wu Lien grasped a shawl around her shoulders, a candle in her free hand as she stared into the water. A star chart was laid out in front of her, and her posture was oddly relaxed.

Shifu felt a moment of panic and trotted over, gently shaking her shoulder. "Lien? Lotus? Lotus, wake up!"

Wu started, gasping and dropping her candle. Hot wax fell into the water and she cursed, collecting her things. "Sorry, I must have fallen asleep…"

Shifu let out a relieved sigh, "I thought…"

"What, that I had died in here? I'm too stubborn to die yet, old one," she teased, but there was no mirth in her eyes. She looked back at the pool, seeing his reflection standing stock still next to hers.

"I thought…" she started, then shook her head, "You'll think it nonsense, of course. Such rational creatures, Dogs are…" she trailed off, wistful.

"Go on," he nodded.

"I thought I could find the outcome of the battle in the stars." She closed her eyes, "But there was nothing but clouds. I thought for certain that I could know. I have an idea, but, I want to be certain…"

"The future is never certain," he said sagely. "What you will know is what will be."

"But I don't know if I'll see my nephew again," she looked at him through her reflection. "Dalang might as well be my son, Mei Xing and Su Lin my daughters. I never married, I never had children of my own, all of my students were my children. I thought, for a time, that maybe I could find someone for me…but the Jiao ruined me. They ruined me forever."

Shifu meditated on this for a moment, wondering what she meant; when it occurred to him, he felt as if Tai Lung had punched him in the stomach again.

"I won't cry in front of you," she said after a pause, her voice sounding frail. "I know you don't want to see them, and I've no more tears to cry anyway. I was disgraced, and have been fighting ever since to regain that lost honor. Now you know…now you know why I've helped your son." She turned and locked eyes with him. "I can't regain my honor…but he can regain his."

"You've regained honor in spades," Shifu said.

"Yes, as 'Auntie Wu', not as Wu Lien," she said bitterly. "Who would want to follow the style of a foolish woman who thought it could protect her? Who would learn from the master of a style that can't do what it set out to do?"

"No single style of kung fu is fool proof," Shifu said, kneeling by her side. He placed a hand over hers, which was resting on her knee. "The style is only as strong as the person who wields it."

"And clearly you see how strong I was," she snapped.

"Lotus, what happened was not your fault. The Jiao Clan has been feared for decades, and they're known for not fighting fair…"

"It was my fault, Shifu!" she pulled away from him. "I had over one hundred students when it happened—one hundred!—and every single one of them was violated, abducted, sold into slavery, or killed! You tell me that's not my fault!"

"You were one woman against an entire army, the odds were against you!"

"I fought entire armies on my own!"

"You can't always fight armies alone! You need help to do that!"

"You held your own against greater enemies," she said. "What would you have done differently?"

"Nothing," he said immediately.

She didn't expect this answer. "What?"

"I said nothing, I would change nothing. From the stories I was told, you did everything you knew to do, and your students performed beautifully, as well as any master could be proud of…" he looked at her sympathetically. "You did everything right."

"Then why did it go so wrong?"

It nearly broke his heart to hear her say that. For more reasons than he was willing to admit. It reminded him of what he had done during Tai Lung's training; for years he wondered 'what went wrong? Where did it all go wrong?' and would agonize over it while his son rotted in prison. No, Wu Lien's question, and the way she said it, made her sound so very unlike her; like she had been defeated, and was accepting it. No, he thought. No. he may not have known her that well, but there were certain things he knew he had in common with her.

He grabbed her elbow and started dragging her out of the Hall of Warriors.

"Shifu, you better have a good reason for this in the next three seconds, or I'll…"

"Good," he smirked. "For a minute there, I was worried that feisty Monkey woman had left."

"Don't patronize me," she seethed.

"I'm not," he said, pointing down to the valley; from their vantage point, they could see where the fighting would happen. "There he is, waiting…just as you were, years ago. He is waiting, not expecting what we'll do later today. Lotus, this is our chance—your chance—to make him pay for everything…"

"I don't want revenge, Shifu, I just want peace," she pleaded. "If we lose today…my heart couldn't take it!"

"We won't lose. I have a very good feeling we won't."

"How do you know? Without knowing the future, how can you be so certain?"

"I'm not," he quipped, "Matter of fact, our odds suck."

She made a wry expression.

"But," he continued, "I have this feeling in my heart that somehow, things will turn out for the best."

"We may lose someone…or more," she reminded him, fear edging into her voice. He knew that all too well. "We may, but we must still hope…"

Small pink peach blossoms wafted through the air around them, swirling and twirling in the air like snowflakes as the sky began to brighten far on the horizon. Shifu smiled at the comforting scene. Peach Blossoms. So, he was still looking out for them, was he? Bless his soul.

"We just need to believe," Shifu smiled.

Dalang hadn't slept either; he had spent his night wide awake, thinking it to be his last. He had faced his father the night before, rain pelting down onto their unprotected heads. Shen had taken one impassive look at his youngest son—while Feng watched on with a smirk on his face—and delivered the sentence: death, by beheading.

Dalang liked his head; he liked it very much, and didn't exactly want to lose it. His wracked his mind, thinking of a way out of this. Tigress was safe, and, if he gave himself the chance, he could make an escape, defeat his father, and thus save the valley—and rid the world—of Jiao Shen for good.

His thoughts were interrupted when he realized he was not alone in the tent where he had been bound, his hands tied tightly behind his back. The Creature entered the tent, the animal's feet caked with mud all the way up his calves. Dalang stared back at the single yellow eye that stared back at him. There was no way to read his expression, but that eye spoke for him.

"Come to deliver my sentence?" the tiger asked.

The Creature snorted. "Hardly."

"Then what do you want?"

"Answers. Your brother isn't very talkative this morning and I want to know when I'm getting my money."

Dalang paused, surprised. The Creature's accent had changed dramatically. It sounded so fluid and natural, and he realized in that moment that the coarse, gasping growl ever present since first meeting him…it was an act. Instead, this new voice—still gravelly, yet with a slight lilt to the end of his sentences—sounded more refined, yet still foreign. This thing, this mercenary, was hiding far more than he let on. The tiger decided that, for one reason or another, if he told him the truth, perhaps he had another ally? "Never."

"That's what I thought. He going to try and kill me, is he?"

He nodded, "I wouldn't put it past him."

"So is he going kill me with you, or have one of his men do the dirty work while he sits back and enjoys the show?"

"No, he's going to behead me himself—he's been waiting a long time for this, he wants the satisfaction of spilling my blood."

"Truly I've never met a more caring father," the Creature quipped, arching an eyebrow and crossing his arms. "Sun's going to rise in another hour."

"I know."

"I'd call you a fool for giving up so easily, but I know as well as anyone what its like to lose the one you would give your life for. You did the right thing for protecting her."

Dalang stared back at him, then said quietly, "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Don't be, it was a long time ago." The Creature's one eye flicked side to side, then he knelt in front of the tiger, getting right in his face. Dalang could hear the ragged breath coming in and out of the Creature's mouth, and he wondered what exactly was going on.

"You breathe a word of this, and I'll kill you, myself," and to Dalang's shock, the Creature removed his facial mask. The tiger sucked in a sharp breath, getting a glimpse of the Creature's face before the black thing returned the mask to its proper place. "You don't have a plan yet, but I do. Jiao Shen has double-crossed me for the last time. One way or another, you'll live to see your woman again. You have my solemn oath."

Dalang still looked slightly traumatized by what he had seen, but nodded. "How?"

"You let me worry about that." The Creature stood and slipped right back into his faked accent, "Ye've got plenty t' worry about t'day, lad. I suggest sayin' yer prayers an' hope that the gods o' death are feelin' pity t'day." The yellow eye winked once, and the Creature was out of the tent, leaving Dalang to wonder about his fate.

The twelve warriors sat in the Hall of Warriors, the metal brazier in front of them as it had been the previous night. Po had created a light breakfast for them, partly because they wouldn't be in the best of shape to fight on full stomachs, but largely, because each one was so nervous they could barely swallow.

The Five sat directly across from Tai lung, Su Lin and Mei Xing. Po sat to Su Lin's side, Shang on the panda's other side, while Mei sat side by side with Tai Lung. Both leopards looked to be extremely uncomfortable with each other, but they weren't about to talk about the unexpected night they had together.

Wu and Shifu sat at opposite sides of the circle they had formed, the picture of tranquility; inwardly, they were as nervous as the others. Shifu noted the ever-increasing light in the sky and nodded, pushing his bowl away.

"It is time."

Regardless of whether they were finished or not, everyone stood and made their way to the gates of the Palace. A few of the villagers were awake to see them off, and some of the magistrate's guards were there to escort them as far as the village gates. Tai Lung wished they hadn't bothered; this morning was already starting to feel like a funeral procession.

Shang looked grim-faced, armed with a borrowed sword from the armory.

"Nervous?" Mantis said, landing on the tiger's shoulder.

"I'd be a fool if I wasn't," he admitted. "I've seen what Shen can do—he's a worthy opponent. Tai Lung will have his work cut out for him."

"I thought Po would take care of him?"

"One of them will have to," the tiger said grimly.

Far behind them, Tai Lung and Mei Xing walked side by side as they descended the steps into the valley. Finally, knowing he needed to address the awkwardness that had come between them, he whispered, "We did agree last night that it wouldn't get weird, right?"

Mei nodded, "Yeah."

A moment of silence.

"It got weird, didn't it?" he asked.

"Yup."

"Damn."

"Uh-huh. I don't regret it," she quickly reminded him. "But…I don't know if I, you know, feel anything…"

"No, I understand. I don't regret it either."

"I'll bet," she smirked. He chuckled, "Maybe…in time, you never know."

"Right," she said. "It's a little too soon. Though, I wouldn't mind a repeat."

"Gods no," he agreed.

"Should we switch to a more appropriate topic?"

"Probably."

"How are you going to defeat Shen?"

He paused. She sent him a look, "You don't know, do you?"

"I'm kind of making this up as I go."

"Couldn't tell."

"Quiet, you."

By the time they made it to the gates, Shifu nodded to the warriors, who broke ranks and spread out along the walls. They would come at the army from all sides, providing the distraction that the red pandas needed to get to Dalang. Per Shang's instructions, they knew that Shen would meet with Tai Lung and likely bring Dalang with him. Getting him away from the patriarch could prove tricky, even for two masters.

That's when Po got an idea. He passed it along to Su Lin and Mei Xing, both of whom grinned wickedly and set off to put the plan in motion. When asked what he was planning, Po just smirked, "There are some who say the best weapon is one you never have to fire. But I think, the best weapon is one you only need to fire once."

Tai Lung grinned; he would get the distraction he wanted. He looked up and noticed the guards had allied themselves on the battlements, and he jumped up the walls to the first tower. He spoke to a swine, "Stand your ground, unless the Dragon Warrior tells you otherwise. We don't want unnecessary sacrifices."

The pig nodded, then cleared his throat, "For what it's worth, I don't think you're that bad…well, not anymore."

"Thanks." He walked across the wall to where Tigress was standing, inside the other tower. "Ready?"

"Ready to claw Feng's face off," she growled.

"Good. I leave him to you."

"How gracious of you," she said dryly. As the sun's rays peeked out and started to bathe the valley in golden sunlight, the beauty of the morning was marred by the appearance of the unified army of Jiao Shen.

The tiger patriarch marched out in front, having shed his heavier woolen tunic and shirt, but still wearing the red cloak about his shoulders. Behind him, his three most trusted mercenaries dragged Dalang behind them, the condemned prisoner looking grim.

Shen spied the leopard on the wall top and held up his arm, signaling his soldiers to stop the advance.

Tigress slipped away without either the patriarch or the leopard seeing.

Tai Lung took a deep breath and offered one last silent prayer that this would work, then jumped off the side of the wall, landing in a crouch before the army. Straightening up, he was quickly reminded of his escape from Chor-Ghom. He only hoped this was as successful as that had been.

Shen glared at the leopard. "Where is the Dragon Warrior?"

Tai Lung smirked and pointed to the dragons on his sleeves. "You're looking at him."

Shen looked very surprised. Good. "I must say, you play a good bluff, Warrior. Now I understand why you were so willing to give the precious hero away in exchange for my worthless son."

Dalang was forced to his knees, one of the mercenaries grabbing a handful of fur and yanking his head back to look up at his father and his brother in arms. Tai Lung looked at him sympathetically, then glared at Shen. "We agreed last night, Dalang goes free, and you get me."

"Agreed," Shen nodded, then unsheathed his sword, raising it over Dalang's head. "Yet you never specified how he would go free."

Before the sword fell, Shen was knocked back, crying out as Tigress delivered the first blow of the battle.

The battle was begun.

Feng ordered a charge of the walls, and the six score soldiers advanced with a mighty roar. Almost instantly, the plan was set into motion. Crane swooped down from above, diving in and out of the charging crowd, wings and beak and feet furiously striking. Monkey and Viper teamed up, easily taking out the first five warriors in their way. Mantis took down two large brown bears simultaneously; neither one believing an insect could display such power.

As for Tigress, she wasn't letting Shen anywhere near her man.

Shen was amazed how ferociously she fought, and every blow she gave became harder and harder to block. The real shock came when she jumped over his head, leaving his front exposed.

Tai Lung pounced.

Shen roared and advanced, striking the leopard hard in the jaw. Tai Lung was propelled backwards a few feet, hitting the ground hard. He shook himself out of it; okay, for an old guy, Shen was strong! Undeterred, the leopard pulled himself back up, punching a few times, Shen dodging every strike. The tiger was faster than Tai Lung had expected, but he was nonetheless disheartened.

The shouts and battle cries from the Furious Five helped spur him along as he advanced, getting Shen as far away from Dalang as possible.

Tigress ran to Dalang's side, severing his binds with one swipe of her claws. She stopped just long enough to give him a deep, soul-searing kiss before giving a quick "I love you" and springing back into action. Dalang stood quickly, jumping when Shifu suddenly appeared by his side.

"Take this!" the master threw a belt laden with knives at him, "We're getting you back to the Jade Palace!"

"I'm not leaving Tigress alone!"

Wu appeared on his other side, hitting his knee with her closed fan, "Get your tail in that village before I take grandchildren out of the equation!" she threatened.

"Yes, ma'am," he obeyed immediately. He ran straight for the wall, but was intercepted by a large Siberian wolf. Dalang drew two long daggers from the belt, blocking the downward blow from the straight sword and kicking the wolf right in the gut. His knives slashed through the air, flashing in the morning light; the wolf didn't stand a chance from the expert fighter. One enemy thus disposed, the tiger continued, looking over his shoulder and seeing the two masters in action. He couldn't tarry long to watch. He looked ahead of him and saw a good ten soldiers baring down on him. Showtime.

Shifu didn't even flinch as the large bear's fist collided with his open palm; the red panda grabbed hold of one of the bear's fingers and effortlessly lifted him over his head, swung him around once and let go. The bear threatened to fall right on top of him, until Shifu leapt high into the air and kicked sharply, sending the foe backwards into a column of his comrades.

Wu Lien's feet danced across the field, her fan inflicting more damage to her opponents than they to her. She had a couple scratches and bruises, but now she wasn't letting anyone in. She noticed Shifu watching, and decided to show him exactly what the Lotus style could do.

She leapt high into the air, somersaulting once, twice, three times before falling towards the point of a raised sword. To the shock of Shifu—and the wielder of the sword—Wu landed on the tip of her toe, delicately balancing on the sword tip. Her eyes temporarily closed in meditation, the jade eyes opened, flashing like Saint Elmo's fire before she jumped, laying her opponent low with a powerful downward kick. She had cracked his skull, and he was bleeding profusely.

Shifu gaped a moment, then jumped up to the top of his staff, kicking a charging opponent in the face before jumping down and kicking his legs out from under him.

"Impressive," she said.

"You too," he smiled back.

Further away, a collection of Manchurian fighters—wolves, bears, foxes, and assorted wild cats—were staring confusedly at Po, who had assumed a fighting stance and was ready to attack. One fox turned to his brethren, "Is he serious? No, seriously, he's got no muscle; he's just a big fat—"

He was cut off when Po punched him. The others stared in shock for a moment, then a large overly muscled brown bear said, "Alright, that panda's mine."

He fared no better than the fox and was knocked cold with just two strikes. Po grabbed the tails of two wolves and yanked them back as they tried to run away. Tying their tails together, he twirled them over his head like a pair of bolas and threw them far away, the two canines howling in fear as they landed hard on the ground yards away, taking out a couple of their comrades.

A lynx tried his luck, pouncing and brandishing his claws. Po braced himself, then used his signature move on the poor cat, bouncing the feline off his stomach and sending the lynx sky high. While waiting for the animal to fall back to the ground, he took out the others who threatened him, then stepped back as the lynx fell back to the earth, leaving a sizable crater in the ground.

A nearby wolf nervously remarked to his vulpine companion, "You have got to be kidding me! They even have a panda style of kung fu?!"

"I dunno about you, pal, but I'd take on the tigress any day."

"Happy to oblige," she said, sneaking up on them. She slammed their two heads together, lifted them up like footballs and punted both, sending them so far away they looked like mere pinpricks in the sky.

Po turned to Tigress and cupped his hands around his mouth, "Feng's over there!" he pointed, and she was off, fighting straight towards the other tiger as he shot off arrow after arrow at Crane.

Crane was in his element dodging thrown spears and flying arrows. He balked as one of Feng's arrows took out a wing feather. That was too close—that tiger was very good. He needed to get out of range.

Then he saw Tigress fighting her way towards Feng. Feng saw her two, then fixed an arrow to his bow, leveling it at her.

Crane acted fast, swooping down and taking the tiger out, but it was to Feng's advantage: the arrow embedded itself right into Crane's left shoulder. The bird fell, wincing in pain as Feng stood, drawing a short sword.

"That was not a smart move, bird-brain," the tiger seethed, raising the sword to pierce the bird, "When this is over, I'm roasting you on a spit!"

He cried out in alarm as something tightened around his neck, yanking him backwards. Viper hissed in his ear, baring her fangs, "You touch him and I'll rip you apart." She tightened her grip, cutting off his airways.

He clutched at her, then yanked hard, throwing her off his neck and straight into Crane's waiting wings.

Feng saw Tigress too late. He wasn't prepared for her onslaught, in fact, he wasn't prepared to fight her at all. Though much smaller than he, she was as fierce as the rumors said she was, and then some! He got in a lucky shot, punching her in the gut; she doubled over, which was long enough for him to see a chance he couldn't pass up.

He saw Dalang's unprotected back heading straight towards the village gates as the tiger fought his way through the melee…and towards Shang, who was cheering him along.

"You're almost there! Come on!" Shang beckoned.

Perfect.

Feng fitted another arrow to his string and fired right at his older brother.

Dalang chanced a look over his shoulder and saw everything. With one last burst of energy, he ran and dived in front of his brother, the arrow lodging in his back.

Shang let out a horrified cry, hearing his heart hammering in his ears. Dalang's breath was knocked out of him and he stumbled the last couple of steps into his brother's waiting arms.

"Dalang!" Shang shrieked. "NO!"

"Quit…worrying," he gasped for air. "I'm fine…get me inside, I'm fine."

"Dalang…"

The gates opened and Mei and Su grabbed the injured tiger and dragged him inside. "We've got him!" Su yelled to Shang, "Get in there and help Crane!"

Shang looked to where Feng was standing, slashing his sword at Tigress, who caught the blade in between her hands; grabbing the blade single-handedly, she returned the punch to the gut, then slashed her claws over it. He staggered, clutching his side, then cried out again when Viper jumped, sinking her teeth into his wrist. He dropped the sword, freeing up a chance for Tigress to take him down.

Viper slithered back to the injured bird, fighting off any who would try to deliver a fatal blow. He staggered to his feet, gasping in pain. He snapped of the end of the arrow shaft, but the point-blank shot embedded the arrowhead deep into his shoulder. He couldn't fly out on his own; he was a sitting duck.

"Crane!" Shang yelled, slashing his way through the melee. "CRANE! Come on, let's go!"

"I'm not leaving Viper!" he argued.

"Go!" she pleaded with him. "I'll be fine!"

Monkey landed by her side, striking out quickly and hitting a fox in a crucial pressure point. "We got this, go!"

Shang grabbed the bird by his uninjured shoulder. "LET'S GO!"

Crane looked back helplessly at Viper as he was dragged away by the strong tiger; Viper sent one hopeful look back at the man she loved before returning her attention back to the matter at hand. She stopped dead when she saw her next opponent; she instinctively knew who he was.

The Creature.

"You furious five are aptly named, love," he purred in his gravelly voice. "But don't think that discourages me."

He struck.

Mei Xing and Su Lin struggled under Dalang's weight, the tall tiger finding it difficult to run to safety with the arrow still lodged in his upper back. Blood ran freely down his back, but he didn't care. His feet began to drag until Mei Xing stopped them.

"Okay, hold it! Running like this isn't going to do us much good if he's losing all this blood."

"I'm fine," he wheezed. "I just need to be patched up, rest for a few minutes, then I'll get back out there…"

"Are you crazy?" Su Lin balked. "You're in no condition for…"

"Come on, Su, just a few herbs, a bandage, and a clean shirt and I'm right as rain…"

Su Lin sent him a dark look, then hit a pressure point in his neck; he fell instantly, unconscious.

"Great Su, now we need to carry his dead weight up all those stairs," Mei said sarcastically.

"No, I will. I'm stronger anyhow. Go back and see that the plan works. If anyone else is injured, we may need it."

Tai Lung wasn't yet out of the fight, but he was getting there. Soon after Tigress had left him to fight Jiao Shen alone, the patriarch had shed the red cloak. Even the leopard had to admit the tiger was in incredible shape for a man his age. The clothes hid a massive mountain of muscles in the arms and chest, but it was the tiger's cruel, cold and calculating gazes that worried him the most.

He'd sustained his fair share of injuries, cuts and bruises over his body. He hadn't broken anything…well, maybe a couple cracked ribs, but nothing critical. Judging by the wild light in Shen's eyes, however, the leopard figured his wounds were about to become very critical.

Tai Lung ripped what was left of his black shirt from his body, casting it aside. He panted from exertion, knowing he was now on the defensive. He wouldn't last much longer if he kept initiating the fight; he needed to tire the old tiger out. Unfortunately, Shen showed little sign of slowing down.

"I must say, you disappoint me, Dragon Warrior," the tiger mocked at the disheveled snow leopard. "I expected you to be a bigger challenge. But look at you now: you're ready to drop."

"No," Tai Lung growled. "I have not yet begun to fight."

"Of course you haven't—I wonder if you're even trying?" Shen suddenly struck, hitting Tai Lung right in the face. The leopard could feel his lip puffing up already. He staggered back, his back hitting the wall. His legs were shaking and he felt suddenly light-headed. This hadn't happened to him since he was training with Shifu, after a particularly hard training session.

Shen was kicking his ass.

Tai Lung glanced up at the wall, noting that the guards were obeying his orders; he inwardly cursed, wishing for some help or salvation.

The Creature appeared by Shen's side, clearing his throat for what little it was worth. "Ye want th' honor o' finishin' him off, do ye?"

Tai Lung groaned, "Oh hell…you too? How many others want to kill me?"

Shen yanked one of the Creature's swords from its sheath, preparing the coup de grâce. Instead of striking Tai Lung, however, he swiped at the Creature, who dodged just in time, parrying with the other blade.

"He can wait awhile," Shen growled. "He's not going anywhere. You're my next concern…"

Shen was interrupted when a loud CRACK ripped through the air. Initially fearing thunder, instead, a red bloom of fire erupted in the sky. Fireworks?

Narrowing his eyes dangerously, he focused his attention back on his mysterious mercenary, only to find the feline had jumped out of the way. Shen saw the rocket much too late.

Tai Lung dragged himself up the wall, clutching his side and limped along the wall. Up ahead, he could see Po carrying Viper and Monkey, Tigress and Mantis following.

"What happened to the army?" Tai Lung called.

"Gone," Monkey said tiredly, clutching a wounded side; Viper was pressing a blood-soaked cloth to the simian's leg. "We took care of them."

"Shang's taken over the fighting—he's against Feng now," Tigress said.

"You look like hell," he remarked to her.

"You don't look much better."

"Hang tight for a second," Po said, ushering the injured to the gates. "We'll take Shen down together."

Mei Xing opened the gate and yanked the rest of the Five behind the village walls. "Su took Crane and Dalang to the Palace, you'll meet them there."

"I want to stay and fight," Tigress said, despite the fact there was a trickle of blood coming out of the corner of her mouth, and various cuts and scrapes covered her body. She looked like she had just survived another fight on the Thread of Hope against Tai Lung.

Po and Tai Lung exchanged a look, and this was when they both unceremoniously shoved the Tiger Master inside the gates.

"Thanks for the fireworks, Mei," Po said. "Distraction worked."

"Anytime; give them a few punches for me," she said before slamming the door shut.

Tai Lung and Po nodded once to each other, then looked out over the battlefield. Bodies lay strewn about, the dust covered red with blood. There were fewer bodies than they expected: the rest, as Shang had predicted, had run away when they saw they would not win. All that was left to fight were the two tigers and the mysterious Creature. Otherwise, the battle was won.

"Hell of a good start," the leopard remarked dryly.

Po nodded, looking about. He spotted Shang and Feng, the brothers embroiled in fierce combat, throwing as many dirty tricks as they knew. Shang looked particularly fearsome with his face screwed up into a grimace of rage, his eyes glazed over in red.

"Holy…"

"What?"

"It's Shang!" the panda pointed

"Yes, he's kicking his brother's tail," Tai Lung said. "What's your point?"

"Didn't you see his eyes?"

Now he did, and Tai Lung was taken completely by surprise. "…So the stories are true?"

Po nodded, "They must be—he has the Dragon's Rage…"

Dragon Rage; Tai Lung had heard about it, and the myths only made him shiver, and count his blessings that he had never experienced it. A warrior, when in battle, would simply lose all pretenses of mind and reality, and only react. This usually resulted in an intense and complete takeover of his faculties, until the warrior was little more than a wild beast, amoral, taking out whomever stood in his path. It was a dangerous affliction for everyone involved, and, Tai Lung remembered sadly, usually led to a premature death of the sufferer.

Clearly, Feng was out of his element. He was never one for close combat, preferring his sniper tactics with his arrows to facing a much bigger, more skilled warrior than himself. Shang was that kind of warrior.

Feng had seen Shang fall into that blind rage before; it was the only way the eldest Jiao son sleep at night. Feng and the others had no qualms killing and pillaging, but Shang had always been…soft. Like Dalang. Both brothers were blessed—or cursed?—with something similar. They could tune out, enter a plane of thought that made them forget where they were, who they were. Had Feng known Dalang longer, he'd know that the youngest Jiao had used this tactic when he cooked: he used this ability to forget about things.

Shang, however, used it to make things happen.

The archer had difficulty blocking the blows coming from the heavy sword, and he was tripping over bodies as he struggled to get out of the way. The only thing that could save him now was divine intervention; instead, he was being met with all the forces of Hell, in the form of his oldest brother.

Taking his attention away from that fight, Po spotted Jiao Shen slinking away and the panda snorted, "Thinks he can just run away, huh?"

"He's not running," Tai Lung said. "He's regrouping."

"Huh?"

"Look, he's shedding unnecessary clothing layers. Watch his shoulders, see how they heave? Its meditative breaths; he's regaining his strength."

"And that's…bad," the panda said slowly.

The leopard rolled his eyes, "Usually, yes, that's considered a bad thing."

Po patted his shoulder. "I'll take care of it."

"No!" Tai Lung grabbed him. "I could barely handle him alone—you're strong, but not strong enough to defeat him while he's recovering…"

But Shen wasn't recuperating for long. The patriarch turned around and saw the Creature standing there, arms crossed over his barrel of a chest, the single yellow eye glaring. Shen sucked in a breath, and narrowed his eyes. "I see you survived the rockets. Pity."

The Creature didn't say anything, only glared.

"Deciding not to speak, are you?"

"We had a deal, mate," the Creature stated.

"I have nothing to give you, go away."

The Creature's single eye crinkled; Shen realized with horror the other cat was smiling.

"Good," the cat rasped out, "Then I won't feel bad for doing this." He drew out a sword and swung it, catching the tiger in the chest. Shen doubled back as a thin red line began leaking blood down his front. The tiger snarled, "I am going to make you regret that," he threatened.

"No you won't," the Creature said. "Only thing I regret is not doin' this sooner."

Meanwhile, Po and Tai Lung exchanged a look, both flummoxed.

"You…don't know that guy in black, do you?" Po asked. "I mean, he's not any friend of yours, is he?"

Tai Lung shook his head, "I'm pretty sure I don't know him. Well, this is a conundrum," the leopard said. "Here we are, all dressed up, and no asses to kick."

Po smirked, "Think we should help Shang?"

Tai Lung shook his head vehemently. "Even if he was having trouble, I'm not going between him and his brother! Unless you want to interrupt Shen and…whoever that freak is…"

A few yards away, the pair saw the Creature's twin swords swipe down, cleanly slicing through a thick tree. Po sent his comrade a look, "No, no, I'm good," the panda said quickly. Then the panda witnessed Shen's surprise attack.

The Creature was completely caught off-guard when the tiger suddenly advanced, gripping one sword in his hand and snapping it in half, using the endpoint to stab directly into the Creature's shoulder.

Po flew into action, stepping between both felines and holding up his hand. "Hold it!"

Shen stopped, staring at the panda, then he laughed, mocking, "You're kidding…surely you must be joking!"

"Nope, I'm gonna fight you," Po smiled confidently.

"Please, I know full well how to deal with pandas like you."

"I know," Po said darkly. "I know one of your survivors."

"A pity they survived. You won't."

Po dropped into a fighting stance, getting ready for the tiger's attack. "Bring it on, Stripes!"

"Surely you must be joking; surely you can't be serious."

"I am serious. And don't call me Shirley."

Shen's face contorted in rage, diving right for the panda's middle, and, like Tai Lung, was immediately thrown back after bouncing off the rotund belly. The tiger staggered back, but composed himself, charging again. Po side-stepped, grabbing the base of Shen's tail; Shen turned on the ball of his foot and swung his leg towards Po's head. Po wrapped the tiger's tail around his leg and pulled up sharply, taking the tiger's feet out from under him. With a hearty yell, the panda performed a body slam, further knocking the wind out of his opponent.

Po looked up a moment and saw the Creature had slunk away, leaving a thin trail of blood drops on the ground. Turning his attention back to his opponent, Po stood and resumed his defensive stance. Shen struggled to his feet, clutching his side; his fingers searched around and found he had acquired a few cracked ribs. The tiger glared at the panda, "Not going to give the coup de grâce while I'm down, are you? How very noble."

"I try."

"You're going to regret that decision, panda!" he roared.

"And in a couple minutes, you're going to regret not surrendering."

"I never surrender; I never back down from a fight."

"Dude, seriously, retreating now would be a good idea. Your army is completely annihilated."

"They knew what they were getting into."

"I don't think so—and I don't think you knew it either."

Shen wouldn't allow this shot to his pride and he attacked yet again, grabbing the panda's outstretched wrist and hurling him over his head, slamming the panda's heavy body into the ground. Po hadn't expected that—this tiger was stronger than he had thought.

Tai Lung, meanwhile, had made his way to Shang's defense. Feng had scored some lucky strikes with a knife, but he was still furiously defending himself. Shang showed no mercy, delivering punches and kicks right to his brother's head. Feng looked so horribly beaten up, Tai Lung suspected internal bleeding, perhaps a hemorrhage or two, would eventually kill him.

When the leopard reached Shang's side, he yanked the taller tiger back, slapping him hard, "SNAP OUT OF IT!"

Shang glared, his reddened eyes flashing, and Tai Lung slapped him sharply again. The tiger shook his head, getting out the cobwebs, and blinked a few times, his eyes gradually returning to their normal shade of yellow green. He held his head in one hand, staring at Tai Lung in confusion.

"What…what happened?"

"Your Dragon's Rage. Feng's as good as dead; let him alone."

Shang's expression darkened. "No, he needs to die! You may show him mercy, but I know what he's done! I will never grant him amnesty—!" he was abruptly cut off, a stricken look on his face as he grabbed at his middle.

Tai Lung stared in horror at the knife buried hilt deep in the tiger's stomach, blood spurting from the mortal wound.

Feng laughed as Shang fell to his knees. The nervous, psychotic laugh carried across the battlefield, chilling the leopard to the core as it echoed off the village walls, and through the trees.

"There…I did it, I did it! I did what no other son of Jiao Shen could do! I killed you, Shang…you got the death you deserve, traitorous bastard!"

Tai Lung's fist promptly met the tiger's face, sending the archer to the ground. The time for mercy was over.

Feng tried to make a getaway, but Tai Lung wouldn't let him loose. He yanked the tiger back by his neck, slamming him headfirst into the ground, his hand tightening around the archer's throat.

"Trying to run away, are you?" the leopard hissed dangerously. "Just like Huang, running away with his tail between his legs, like a coward. Just like him, you deserve a coward's death…"

If there was only one time in his life he felt no guilt in lying, it was now. He wanted this son of a bitch to suffer.

"You wouldn't…" Feng choked out, both hands grabbing the leopard's wrist.

"In your case, I have no problem going back to prison," he said, drawing out his claws. "Huang died by my hands. That wasn't poison that killed him—I killed him," he lied, clenching his teeth, "just like I'm going to kill you. Just like Dalang when he killed his first man. You're going to die knowing this was how your victims died—in fear. See you in Hell…"

"STOP!"

Shifu appeared by his side, trying to draw his son away. "Tai Lung, stop! You won't accomplish anything this way!"

Wu was by Shang's side, pleading with him to stay awake, to keep his eyes open long enough to seek medical treatment. She yelled to Shifu, "We need to get him inside!"

"In a minute."

"NOW, Shifu! He won't last!"

Shifu glared at her, snapping, "I said in a minute!"

"Don't you snap at her!" the leopard yelled. "And back off, old man, this is my duty!"

"Your duty was never to kill!"

"An eye for an eye, Shifu; he deserves it!"

"He's already dying, Tai Lung! Can't you see? He'll be dead within the hour."

"That's not good enough…"

"Tai Lung, please," Wu pleaded, "Forget about him! We need to get Shang to the village!"

The leopard paused, then as he was ready to retort, Wu cast her gaze on him, her jade eyes glistening with desperate tears. "Tenzin…please."

That did it. The look in her eyes, coupled with the use of his given name—his birth name—was all it took. The bloodlust promptly flowed away; he nodded.

"Alright."

Wu suddenly shrieked in horror; Shifu and Tai Lung whirled and saw Feng much too late, the tiger ready to bring two knives down onto their heads.

A split second later, the archer gasped, dropping the knives and clutching the knife that had been thrown and embedded directly into his heart.

Shang's arm fell limp by his side, the other hand pressing against the wound that same knife had given him. Blood stained his hand, and he grimaced. He watched grimly as Feng's body crumpled, dead before it hit the ground.

"See you in Hell, Feng," he gasped, coughing up blood.

Tai Lung jumped into action, hoisting the tiger up and draping his arm over his shoulders. "Alright, stay awake, you'll be fine…"

"Don't lie to me, Tai Lung…"

"No, not to you," he said desperately, running across the field as quickly as he could, the tiger's weight impeding his speed. "I'd never lie to you. Stay awake, stay with us…you still need to see Dalang again, remember?"

Wu trotted beside them, leaving Shifu to go assist Po in his fight with Shen. "Shang, remember? You and Dalang, you would live out the rest of your lives together—you'd die as old men!"

"I'll try…"

"No," the leopard said firmly. "You will live. Don't you dare die on me! Don't you dare do that to him!"

Shang feebly tapped Tai Lung's shoulder with a single claw, whispering weakly as they reached the gate, "Whatever happens…be a brother to Dalang…"

"Don't talk like that…you're going to be his brother—he needs you."

"He needs a brother," Shang repeated, as if he hadn't heard him. "Be a brother to him, if something happens…"

The gate was thrown open and the magistrates guards—and a few civilians—jumped to the rescue, taking the tiger from Tai Lung's hands. The goose doctor who had treated the leopard issued orders in quick succession, whisking his new patient away. "Don't worry," he assured, "We'll do everything we can."

"See that you do," Wu said. "Did you bring what I asked?"

The doctor nodded, "Here, Mei Xing handed them off."

He handed her the familiar package wrapped in red silk; she promptly handed it to Tai Lung. "Take up your inheritance," she said. "Take up the title, and become who you were destined to be, Tenzin."

He nodded, unwrapping the silk and taking up his mother's fans.

Wu patted his leg, smiling grimly, by proudly, "Go get 'em, son."

That's it for now. Will try to update soon!