If anyone is a fan of comic books (especially the Hulk), then you should check out GreenScar1990's story: Shades of Green. He's also the author of a KFP fanfic called: War and Peace – seriously awesome story. Go check them out; you won't regret it!
Shout-Outs:
Dylzto: Such an eloquently written review, thank you for your flattering words. Also, hello new reviewer! *Jumps in the air happily, but randomly becomes stuck* Well, this is awkward…
thefaithfulwatcher: I really appreciate the compliment; I put forth a great effort in fleshing out my characters and giving them depth. Another new reviewer… you're officially awesome! *Shakes fist in the air*
Dark Shade 75: Glad you enjoyed the humor. Since you're a new reviewer, I must say, "You're Awesometacular!"
Hairu: Thanks for the get well wishes, amigo!
KristenTheKittyKat: Yes, we're a quite similar to Tigress and Tai Lung. I'm glad you love Geming; he's my favorite character to write about, and dear to my heart.
monkeycyborgninja: I'm relieved that you feel that way about Master Shifu. That's what I was going for – a badass and selfless leader.
Cartoonny: Hello new reviewer of awesomeness! Yes, I try to implement different feelings for the readers throughout the story, and I hope you enjoy the comedy now, because it's going to get extremely depressing soon.
RidingtheRoughWaters: You should have seen me when I discovered the idea to write it. I was in the library, researching some things for my business and then… BAM; I busted out in laughter. People looked at me like I was insane. ^^
babycakes22: Wow, I'm absolutely stunned. Thank you so much for the overwhelmingly flattering words. Yes, I plan on using the characters in The Last Farewell Ride for the rated M drabbles, and I do plan on having somebody for Master Shifu in the future.
As for the others who reviewed: Thank you for taking the time to! It means a lot to me. You all are the heart that pumps my writing's existence.
I do not own Kung Fu Panda, DreamWorks does.
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Chapter XXIV
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True Intentions: Masters of the Shade
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"If you prick us, do we not bleed? if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that."
- William Shakespeare (The Merchant of Venice, Act 3, Scene 1)
Death's Echo (End of Day Two)
Darkness. That was what engulfed Po and the other courageous warriors, as they trekked through the treacherous cavern on the second day of their journey. The flickering torches they held made a valiant attempt to illuminate the way, yet were immediately consumed by the obscure void around it. The warriors kept utterly silent; the only sound that could be heard was the echo of their disharmonious footsteps. After the ambush endeavor made upon them failed, they became thoroughly attentive, traveling together in a taut formation with their heads on a swivel.
Within the group, a pair of emerald irises darted cautiously, searching through the unyielding shadows for any potential enemies. They belonged to the defender of China, the Dragon Warrior, who clutched the wood of his torch tightly with the luminosity from the minute blaze reflecting off his chubby face. "So, uh, how much further till we get out of this spooky place?" Po inquired softly with an apprehensive tone, glancing over to the clouded leopardess guide with hopeful eyes – wanting the answer to be soon.
Su kept her concentrated stare upon the path in front of her. "We'll be extremely close, once we reach the bridge." She then suddenly halted her movements and grinned widely, showing her pearly white fangs that glimmered brilliantly from the burning flambeau she held in her paw. "And it seems that we accomplished just that."
"Huh?" Po uttered with his eyebrows furrowed confusingly, continuing his forward motion with his jade orbs focused away from the snow leopardess, haphazardly unaware that everyone else halted their movements. Yet, when the panda took his next step, there was nothing beneath his feet, which instantly caused him to wildly tilt forward. His eyes widened with abrupt terror. Oh crap.
"Po!" Tigress exclaimed. Thinking quickly, she lunged forward and grabbed the massive sheath that held the Sword of Heroes on the panda's back. Her paws slid slightly against the craggy surface from his substantial weight, yet they quickly slowed down to a complete stop after a few moments of trepidation.
Po's body jerked from the sudden stop with his paws instantly losing the grip of the torch he held; it plummeted down the steep cliff edge and the illumination it emitted progressively became dimmer, until it was completely swallowed by the void-like chasm. Po gulped with his heart pounding from within his massive chest, yet managed to mutter a simple, "Oops."
Tigress rolled her glowing, crimson eyes, as she yanked the bumbling panda backwards, which caused him to fall into her intricately stripped arms. Po quickly stood upright, and scratched the back of his head nervously, as the other warriors stared at him in complete bewilderment. "Uh, thanks for the save, Tigress."
The striped feline smirked at embarrassed panda, and leaned against him with quick peck on the cheek, simply stating, "Stay focused, Dragon Warrior."
Su immediately grimaced from Tigress's innocent affection, and pointed toward her agape mouth, gagging exaggeratedly to show her disgust. After her over-the-top performance, she took a swig from her jug of alcohol and then spoke candidly, "Seriously, you two need to get a damn room."
While looking at Po with smiling eyes, Wing abruptly purred with a grin, and appended, "I can see why stripes is acting that way. I mean, during the ambush… did you see the Dragon Warrior's–"
"Oh, yes I did, sister," Wan interjected teasingly with a content purr of her own, giggling at the now tremendously flustered panda; she raised her paw, and flirtatiously waved at him, giving a playful wink for good measure.
Watching the uncomfortable spectacle unfold, Monkey scoffed in frustration, and mumbled to Mantis, "He just had to take our females, too. Didn't he?"
Mantis, who was perched on Monkey's shoulder, whispered knowingly, "I'm telling you, man. It's a conspiracy. Po has catnip in his pocket."
Sheva placed her paw over her maw in an attempt to stifle a hysterical laugh from the group's banter, but failed miserably.
Tigress's possessiveness over Po caused her temper to rapidly boil over from all the comments being made. She growled at the two coquettish, clouded leopardesses with her paw protectively shifting the panda behind her, and then viciously sneered, "If you value the heads that are connected to your bodies, then back off, harlots; or I'll rip them off myself."
Everyone blinked in silence at the striped feline's threat, not wanting any part of her wrath.
After what seemed like an eternity of tension and awkwardness from the silence Tigress's threat created, Tai Lung decided to change the heated subject by focusing on the mission, and while he faced Su, inquired, "Is there a way to illuminate our path across the bridge?"
Su smirked at the snow leopard with a nod and slowly stepped passed him, making her way towards an enormous, concave-shaped stone that was embedded into the clammy cavern wall. She lifted the flambeau with a steady paw, and dipped it slightly, igniting the oils within the incurvate surface into a brilliant inferno. Without Su's command, Wan mimicked her movements on the right side, and created another massive blaze, which caused a vivid illumination that revealed most of the wooden span. The narrow bridge was severely aged with pieces of the floor supports missing, and the ropes that held the flimsy connection in place were torn in a few areas, causing it to droop down slightly.
Mantis gazed at the bridge for a moment and blinked.
He then glanced at Po with a wince.
He then turned his attention back to the fragile bridge.
"Su, is there a weight limit on this thing?"
Clearly not amused, Po quickly narrowed his gaze and furrowed his eyebrows irately. "What's that suppose to mean?"
Su chuckled, and responded with her furred finger wagging at Mantis, "That's a good one. Yet, in all seriousness, the bridge has to ability to hold rhinos, so the panda should have no issue." She then paused a moment to examine Po again, which caused her face to show a smidge of apprehension. "Well, maybe it wouldn't hurt for him to go first, just in case."
Tigress shook her head in disbelief and scoffed, "You guys are ridiculous. Let's go, Po."
She grabbed Po's wrist with a firm tug, and stepped on the bridge first, pulling the irritated panda behind her. The wooden supports creaked and cracked with every step they took, while the ropes swayed from their movements. Yet, within a short period of time, they made it across the elongated connection with no complications. After Tigress and Po ignited the gigantic stone bowls on their end, Monkey, with Mantis still on his shoulder, trekked forward, followed by Sheva, Jia, Shu, Tai Lung, and Wei. They continued at their regular pace, halfway across the chasm, yet suddenly, they heard a piercing howl echoed profoundly throughout the cavern, causing them to halt their movements momentarily to look around.
Po noticed a couple of figures dart beside the raging infernos on the opposite side of the abyss. He squinted with his paw over his eyes, and peered in the general direction. The shadowy figures became crystal clear, revealing two wolves with recently bandaged bodies. Gripped tightly between their paws were lengthy blades, which shimmered brilliantly from the flickering illumination of the fires beside them. He tilted his head ponderingly, and asked his striped lover, "Aren't those wolves from the pack that, like, ambushed us?"
Tigress observed the wolves attentively, as they raised their weapons above their heads – they were going to hack the ropes. Her irises dilated, "Run!" The warriors, who were above the chasm, took heed to the striped feline's warning, and immediately sprinted as fast as their paws could carry them, making no attempt to glance back. The wolves curled their lips into a sadistic grin, and viciously growled through clenched teeth with fogged breath that emitted through their nostrils. With one fluid motion, they simultaneously brought down their blades, and sliced through the thick twine; the bridge began to plunge.
Monkey, Mantis, Wan, Sheva and Wing launched themselves forward, and tumbled across the craggy ground, making it to the cliff edge safely with Tai Lung rolling after. Su darted with all of her might, however the wooden support progressively dropped from underneath her paws. So, with one last effort, Su lunged towards the precipice with her spotted body extended to its maximum. While she soared forward, her front paws gripped the overhang by the tip of the claws, yet to her sheer dismay; her momentum towards the cliff edge was excessively quick, slamming her head against the hard surface. She temporarily became discombobulated from the brutal impact, which caused her to relax her grasp on the stone surface and quickly fall backwards.
"Sister!" Wan and Wing cried out simultaneously. The appearances of absolute horror were on their faces, as they scrambled towards Su to save her, but unfortunately, their rescue endeavors were too late; the sisters' paws narrowly slipped between hers. The clouded leopardesses' poignant eyes watched helplessly, as their eldest sister plummeted into the abyss uncontrollably.
Without another moment to spare, Tai Lung sprinted with a determined growl, and dove over the distressed sisters into the obscure void in an attempt to save Su. Finally realizing she was falling to her demise, the clouded leopardess screamed at the top of her lungs, while the area around her gradually became consumed by shadows. Minute gusts of wind tickled the fur on Tai Lung's face, as his fiery irises focused intensely on the flailing clouded leopardess, progressively narrowing the distance between them. Yet, his time to rescue her became limited by the moment; he almost was past the length of the collapsed bridge that rested against the cliff wall.
Tai Lung extended his paw towards Su. Almost there…
With one final lunge of his arm, Tai Lung managed to seize the clouded leopardess by the collar of her thick leather vest, and then quickly grabbed the very end of rope from the fallen bridge to abruptly halt their momentum, burning his paw severely from the friction. Su's different-hued eyes widened, as her body jerked abruptly from the sudden change in movement, causing a slight whiplash in her neck with her chin slamming against her upper chest. The clay jug of alcohol that was tied to her sash snapped loose from the abrupt force, and plummeted into the chasm, eventually being swallowed by the vast darkness.
No, my baby, Su thought dejectedly with her lips curling into a frown. Yet, her sorrow became short lived, as she roared ferociously and flailed her arms at the wolves, who were still peering over the ledge. "I just purchased that alcohol recently, you bastards!" The clouded leopardess then began to squirm furiously within Tai Lungs grasp. "Let me at them, I'll rip them to shreds with my bare paws!" The wolves' eyes widened in apprehension from the feline's threats, and quickly dashed back into the obscurity of the cavern.
Tai Lung rolled his vermilion eyes with a smirk, and shook his head at Su's humorous antics. He then tilted his head upwards, and bellowed, "A little assistance would be significantly appreciated!"
Tigress, who immediately dashed towards the ledge after her brother made his suicidal jump, gave a profound sigh of relief, when she heard Tai Lung's roaring voice. The striped feline gazed back at her comrades with a resolute glint in her eyes, and commanded, "We need to work cooperatively and heave them up."
Everyone nodded in agreement, as the grasped both sides of the roped bridge, and with inspirational teamwork, progressively pulled the two spotted felines to safety. Su's sisters immediately hugged her tightly with joyful tears in their eyes, while Tai Lung Lung stood up slowly, and nonchalantly dusted of his ruffled pelt. He had no inkling of why he risked his life to rescue Su, yet he couldn't help but give a warm smile at the sisters' interaction, ignoring the reasoning behind it for the moment.
Suddenly, a striped paw placed itself on Tai Lung's shoulder, which caused him to turn his attention to a smiling Tigress, whose facial expressions of a proud sibling beamed vividly. "It seems that you learned to follow your heart, brother." Yet, before Tai Lung could respond to the compliment, Tigress growled angrily and gave a brutal punch into his arm, causing him to grimace from the abrupt pain. "But, never scare me like that again!"
Tigress stormed off, deeper into the cavern, leaving an utterly baffled Tai Lung. He then looked at Po with his eyebrow raised in confusion, hoping the panda could enlighten him on the striped feline's peculiar methods to show fondness. Po chuckled and shrugged his shoulders, craning his neck from the recent physical exertion. "Trust me, I've been trying to figure that one out, buddy. I guess the love comes with the hardcore too, y'know?" The snow leopard nodded in response, deep within his own thoughts, while he watched the panda trail behind Tigress.
Without warning, Tai Lung felt two soft arms embrace firmly around his muscular waist; the force of the impact caused him to stagger back slightly. His widened saffron irises gazed down to see Su, who nuzzled into his chest and purred contently. He ignored the sudden increase in his heart rate, and cleared the lump in his throat. The snow leopard looked around nervously, not knowing how to respond to the sudden… friendliness.
Sheva witnessed the spectacle between the two felines, and placed her paws on her hips annoyingly, staring directly at the uneasy snow leopard. Embracing herself in a comical manner, the lioness instructed simply, "This is where you hug her back, Tai Lung."
The snow leopard glared daggers at Sheva, but reluctantly followed her advice, slowly, awkwardly returning Su's affection with a hug of his own. After what felt like an eternity to Tai Lung, the clouded leopardess released her embrace, and postured herself on the tip of her toes, giving a small appreciative lick on his cheek.
Tai Lung blinked stupidly.
"Thank you," Su whispered seductively with her head tilted upwards, staring deeply into the leopard's eyes. With a satisfied smirk, she then stepped past Tai Lung, who stiffly stood in complete bewilderment, not remembering the last time he had ever received such expressions of gratitude. The snow leopard subconsciously lifted his paw up to his cheek, and tenderly brushed the tips of his fingers on the spot where he had just been licked.
"You coming or what, lover boy?" Wing teased, while she snapped her fingers, finally breaking the snow leopard out of his trance.
Tai Lung quickly gathered his normal composure and nodded. He slowly tailed the group, making numerous glances at Su. He shook his head exasperatingly with numerous questions that bogged down his mind. Why are my thoughts suddenly on this female? Why did I risk my life to save her? Why does she make me feel awkward? Yet, the snow leopard decided to ignore the potential answers to those questions, for he saw a brilliant display of natural illumination. He squinted, as his saffron eyes adjusted to the sunlight, revealing an agape clearing with lush vegetation. He gave a victorious grin; they finally found the outlet of the treacherous cavern.
Hong Mountain Ridge, Fu Fai Village
Winds carried the messenger for the majority of his journey. The skies around the Hong Mountain Ridge were brutally turbulent, blowing in from the north, and becoming trapped within the vast valley below. Most of the avian population that resided within these red mountains would avoid the path the messenger took, yet he was no ordinary fowl; the massive bird of prey was a Eurasian Eagle-Owl – a dangerous member of the Masters of the Shade.
His dull feathers on his body and wings were an achromatic color of gray, darkening progressively into charcoal when they reached his head. The tips of the plumes were white as the snowy mountaintops, which glistened brilliantly from the rising sun that ushered a new dawn. He only wore silk sable pants that were held tightly against the eagle-owl's waist by a body-hugging sanguine sash wrapped halfway up and around his torso, leaving his bouffant upper body exposed.
As the eagle-owl's profound, carroty oculars scanned below, he raised his massive eyebrows ponderingly, trying to locate Lord Johan's tent through the lingering smoke from the numerous infernos that sporadically burned within the Fu Fai Village. He eventually shifted his search upon the precipitous ridges that surrounded the demolished town and then squinted to enhance his view.
The eagle-owl's eyes widened. Bingo.
He rapidly descended towards his desired location with an elegant glide, piercing through the gusts of wind with effortlessness. He suddenly fluttered his wings over the cliff edge to stabilize his plummeting body, and perched upon the rusty surface with his feathery talons, kicking up loose clay into the air during the landing. He quickly turned his attention towards Lord Johan, who sat tranquilly in the lotus position with his eye closed, inhaling and exhaling profoundly in a meditative state.
The avian immediately bowed in respect with his wings stretched outwards. "Pardon the interruption, my lord. I've returned with some urgent information."
Keeping his eyelid shut and his body completely motionless, Lord Johan calmly responded, "You may proceed, Tengfei."
Tengfei straightened his back upright, and placed his wing over his minute, ash gray beak, clearing his throat before he continued. "Diablo has already deployed twenty thousand soldiers from Xiong Shou, and they should arrive at our location within six days. The commander is tying up some loose ends, and should arrive with the elite guard soon after. The eagle-owl paused momentarily to gulp in apprehension, and then appended, "Yet, we have an unexpected complication."
Lord Johan's eyelid jolted open, revealing his crimson eye, and instantly turned his head towards Tengfei with a stern expression that was amplified by his severely scarred face. "Explain," the white tiger spat simply through his clenched teeth.
"I scouted Gongmen City as you requested. Not only have I learned that Master Bunny has been defeated, but also that Master Shifu is traveling to the Valley of Peace for a suicidal rescue endeavor. I maximized the use of my dark chi to exceed his barreling pace, yet with his inner peace abilities, he's only hours away," Tengfei informed timorously with a wince, expecting the white tiger to lash out at him furiously. Yet, to his utter bewilderment, Lord Johan began to chuckle, which progressively became louder, until turned into a thunderous, maniac-like laugh.
Tengfei took a step back slowly, and eyed him with a baffled expression, thinking the white tiger has completely lost his sanity. "Uh, my lord, is everything all right?"
Lord Johan caught his breath and quickly rose to his feet with a wicked grin on his maw, stretching his arms towards the heavens. "Actually, I'm splendid." He then gazed at the befuddled avian, who trembled slightly, anticipating a physical confrontation. Instead, the white tiger shifted beside Tengfei, and coolly wrapped his arm around him, patting the eagle owl on his chest playfully with his bulky paw. "This is wonderful news, Tengfei. Now we can make that big eared nuisance suffer."
Tengfei relaxed his body due to Lord Johan's cheerful demeanor, and raised his eyebrow perplexingly. "How so, my lord?"
"Simple, my loyal avian comrade. What better way to obliterate his unyielding spirit, than to destroy everything he loves before he gets there – the Valley of Peace, the Jade Palace, his students, and the Dragon Warrior." Lord Johan then paused a moment and tightened his grip around Tengfei slightly, looking him directly in the eyes. "You know how we're going to accomplish that?" Tengfei responded instantly by shaking his head, and shrugging his shoulders. The white tiger stood back with his brawny arms slipping by his side, and chuckled with a devious smirk, revealing his pearly white fangs. While he pointed at the avian, He continued, "You're going to delay him. I want you to intercept him before he reaches the Valley of Peace, and buy us enough time to implement our original battle strategy – severely injure him if you have to. Now, move out!"
Tengfei nodded fervently with his wings rubbing together, and grinned sadistically. "With pleasure."
Without delay, the eagle-owl launched himself in the air, like a bolt of lightning, which caused Lord Johan to shield his eye from the cloud of dirt that abruptly blew in his face. The white tiger peered into the heavens, and watched attentively, as Tengfei quickly soared over the jagged mountain peaks. He cracked his neck nonchalantly, and rolled his shoulders to loosen his muscles, fixating his stern gaze on the smoldering village below. "Time to inform the others that our plans have been advanced."
Sheltered within the only dwelling that didn't fall victim to their vicious rampage, nearly all of the Maters of the Shade – a corsac fox, a python, a yellow-throated marten, a wolverine, and a Chinese moon bear – rested their bloodied bodies, which were stained by the innocent lives they slaughtered mercilessly. Only the rays of morning light that managed to pierce through the murky glass window, polluted by the ashes of burning buildings and bodies, illuminated the dim room they resided in. The only sound that could be heard was the distressed whimper of a horrified male pig – the final survivor of Fu Fai Village – who was held captive in a makeshift jail cell that was made of bamboo and wood.
Yunru chuckled with his pointed fangs showing, as he leaned on the wooden confinement, scraping his katana across the bamboo bars mockingly; the ghastly echo of the clanking metal caused the pig to instantly scramble on the opposite corner. "If you keep making that noise, porky. I'm going to make sure your death is nice and slow before we eat you."
"Didn't your parents ever tell you not to play with your food, Yunru?" the female corsac fox scoffed, rolling her carmine eyes in annoyance.
Yunru turned his attention towards the female and growled, shifting his intricately designed katana in her direction. "Don't act all high and mighty, Yanmei. You're nothing, but a deceitful succubus."
Yanmei giggled with her paw over her mouth, as she leaned against the window, which caused her brilliant cream fur to glisten slightly from the weak glow that shined through the glass. Her face was vigorous and quite attractive, though a little wrinkled from her years of aging. The signs of perfect white fangs could be seen from her taunting grin, while her supple, luxuriant tail swayed leisurely against the wooden floor. She wore a lavish cerise, silk vest and matching slacks bound together by the metallic black sash that hugged around her lower torso; the beautiful design of white lotus flowers were etched into the fabric.
"You weren't complaining about that last night, handsome," Yanmei teased with a seductive smile with her paws rested on her slender hips, which immediately caused Yunru's obsidian eyes to widen with his mouth agape. In utter disbelief, he then stuttered a response, "Y-You didn't."
"Looks like Yanmei used her dark, seductive powers to get what she wants… again," the male voice interjected, causing the bickering Masters to fixate their gaze upon him.
The sitting male, who sharpened his dagger against the smooth rock with fluid motions, chuckled at his comrades' banter and shook his head. He was a wolverine named Feng, a short yet well-built weasel with a face of calmness and handsome attractiveness. His pelt was a dull coat of chocolate with a void black underbelly, which effortlessly blended with the shadows in the corner of the room, where he rested serenely. He wore no top, showing the dense muscles gained from years of intensive training. Royal purple slacks covered his legs, held by the worn bindings running up from his feet to his ankles and the gold, body-hugging sash on his waist.
Yunru snarled at Feng, and ignoring the wolverine's comment, whipped his head around to face the female corsac fox. "Damn you, Yanmei! I told you to stop using me as your physical plaything!" He then slammed his fist upon the makeshift jail cell, and cracked the wood in multiple areas, causing the pig to squeal loudly from the abrupt impact. "Stupid hypnosis," the yellow-throated marten grumbled, as he sheathed his katana and sat on the simple, wooden chair that was next to him. He messaged his temples with his fingers frustratingly, and cursed under his breath, making threats about killing Yanmei in her sleep.
"If you ask me, you both act like children," the moon bear derided, as he rested his immense back against the wall with his head tilted upwards, exhaling a profound sigh of annoyance.
"What are you babbling about, Gen?" Yunru snapped coldly, examining the rotund bear with a piercing gaze.
Gen's pelt was a lively black with an ivory lunar crescent shape displayed on his broad chest. His saggy body hanged in some areas from his excess fat, yet under the loosely molded mass, he had massive muscles that had the ability to create fissures into the Earth's surface – especially when he was angered. He wore custom made, metal-plated armor that covered his upper body, shoulders and back, which was connected ingeniously to allow fluid movements, gravely dented and scratched from the numerous battles he fought in the past.
The moon bear tilted his head downwards to meet Yunru's gaze. "Why can't you both act like my pal Bolin, right here? Just say nothing at all," Gen suggested, aiming at the python with his trusty weapon – an enormous, solid black hammer.
Bolin raised his large, arrow-shaped head to the sound of his name being mentioned. His overlapping scales were a mystical mosaic of vivid jungle green, dark charcoal, and a dash of pale yellow. Irregular dots and lines marked his elongated, bare body, which was coiled in a taut circle to conserve its heat. The mum python gazed at Gen with his deep, cerulean eyes, and then acknowledged the moon bear's compliment with a slight nod, immediately resting in his previous position afterwards.
Yunru scoffed, "How about you keep your advice to yourself and stick to what you do best… eating." He then rubbed his thin belly with his paws, and tauntingly made gurgling sounds, which caused Yanmei, Bolin and Feng to simultaneously wince in sheer apprehension – never joke about Gen's eating habits.
Within moments, the moon bear roared, and his emerald eyes instantly turned into a crimson hue with a sinister power emanating from his body. He quickly rose to his feet, and then smashed his abnormally large mallet into the wooden floorboard – splinters spewed into the air – effortlessly crashing through the flimsy surface with an echoing boom.
An unyielding ripple of energy exploded from Gen's body, which caused the dwelling to shake violently. Numerous, jagged rocks abruptly pierced through the flooring, ejecting chunks of wood throughout the cramped room; the Earth itself was shifting from underneath the structure, breaking its very foundation with every tremble.
Yunru's eyes widened, leaning on the crumbling walls for support. "He's lost it! Make a run for it!"
Everyone scrambled out of the crumpling residence through the front entryway, and stumbled outside, just in the nick of time, before the roof collapsed, instantly demolishing the structure into an immense pile of rubble. A dense cloud of dust engulfed the area, progressively clearing with every moment that passed. To the Masters' astonishment, when the thick haze cleared, Gen stood within the ruins unscathed, panting heavily from the energy he recently exerted.
Yunru looked at the devastation and immediately frowned, throwing his arms up in frustration. "Damnit, our dinner was in there!"
Suddenly, a ferocious and terrorizing roar pierced the ears of the Masters of the Shade, which caused all of them to flinch timidly. When they turned around to see where the thunderous bellow came from, they spotted a seething white tiger – their undisputed leader. Oh, crap.
"What the hell are you imbeciles doing?" Lord Johan demanded in a furious tone, while he clenched his fists tightly and glanced at the recent demolition they caused. Before they could explain, the white tiger held up his paw dismissively. "You know what… I frankly don't care. Gather the necessary supplies you require for battle. We're moving out." He then paused for a moment, as his eye darted between the Masters ponderingly. "Where's Xue?"
Feng rapidly kneeled respectfully before the white tiger. "She ventured off into the forest for personal reasons, my lord."
Without a word in response, Lord Johan stormed past his pupils and glanced at Gen, who struggled to move his seemingly infinite mass through the wreckage. The white tiger shook his head in exasperation, and muttered under his breath; "It seems the dark powers of hatred that I bestowed upon these bumbling fools… didn't remedy their immaturity."
The massive river roaring through the dense forest glittered as the rising sun caught its chaotic surface, battering the protruding, smooth rocks in its path with unrelenting force. Soon everything was brought crashing down in the form of a colossal cascade, which pounded on the jagged rocks below, creating an iridescent display from the mist it emitted. The raging waters then calmed into the massive lake it filled, becoming placid so the reflections from the beautiful morning sky could be clearly seen.
But there was an animal figure, who rested beside this peaceful body of water; the youngest and newest member of the Masters of the Shade, she was an albino Tibetan wolf, a rare species in these lands, whose lithe body sat coolly against a damp, hallow log that had gaping holes through its weakened bark from numerous years of decay. Her vibrant fur was a stunning coat of snowy white, which had a lucent appearance due to the rising sun's radiance. Her youthful face was enthrallingly beautiful with a long, slender muzzle – a glistening black nose on the tip of it; the appearance that any male would gawk over. She had gauzy, cerulean eyes, which were naturally blinded long ago from the cataracts that progressively worsened since birth. She wore a thick leather vest, dark as obsidian, with metal spikes that stuck out of its shoulder pads, along with matching pitch-black pants that was made of a lighter material.
On her left, a composite bow rested upon the clammy crabgrass, which was made of rhino horn and bamboo, polished to a golden brown; the string-like material that strung both ends of the bow was composed of deer sinew. The arrows that complimented the bow were located in a leather quiver, which was strapped tightly against her armor. Even though the female wolf was sightless, her other senses were increased tenfold from her dark powers, allowing her to become the greatest – and deadliest – archer in all of China.
The female wolf stared distantly into the magnificently painted horizon; vivid hues of cherry, mauve, and a dash of orange were spread across the clear heavens. In one of her paws was a crumpled and worn parchment – an old painting of her deceased family – that she tightly gripped, as the horrendous memories of the day her village was left in ruins vividly haunted her mind. She growled through clenched teeth, bearing her crystal white fangs that glistened brilliantly in the sunlight.
"Those kung fu heathens will pay for killing my family," the female wolf muttered with an odious tone in her voice. In an attempt to release the unrelenting hatred that consumed her soul, she tilted her head towards the heavens and howled piercingly. She wanted the Gods themselves to hear her overwhelming sorrow.
Suddenly, the female wolf heard a twig snap behind her current position, which caused her ears instinctively twitch. Intruder. She instantly leaped to her feet with the composite bow grasped firmly in her paw; she then quickly plucked an arrow from the quiver on her back, and positioned it on the extended bow, shifting her aim towards the precise location of the noise.
"It would be a travesty if you killed your leader due to your impetuosity, Xue," Lord Johan bellowed through the lush vegetation, as he parted the massive leaves that blocked his path with his paws, revealing his striped, muscular body. His stern gaze immediately pierced through the startled female wolf with his hell-fire iris. "Calm your troubled nerves, young one."
Xue's eyes widened with apprehension. She rapidly lowered her weapon, and kneeled respectfully with her head titled towards the ground, shaking her head shamefully. "Apologies, Lord Johan. Please forgive my lack of discipline."
After halting his movements in front of the female wolf, Lord Johan crossed his arms calmly across his broad chest, examining her distressed body language. He then spotted a crumpled parchment that rested upon the verdant grass beside her, which instantly caused him to raise his eyebrow knowingly. "So, I see that you're still infuriated from your disturbed past – what those murderers did to your family."
Xue immediately growled, as she gripped the soil beneath her forcefully with unrelenting resentment, nodding her head in confirmation. "I want to rip the flesh from their bones."
Lord Johan grinned widely, greatly pleased with the female wolf's hateful response. "Good. We're about to embark on a mission that you've been dreaming about, since you were left for dead in your village all those years ago." He paused for a moment, which caused Xue to raise her head slightly; enough for the white tiger to gaze into her distant stare. He noticed the curling of her lips that quickly shaped into a feral grin; she was anticipating his next words with a pleasurable eagerness. Lord Johan chuckled darkly, and then continued with a sadistic tone in his voice; "That's right, young one; I think it's time to fulfill your yearning for unremorseful revenge against the Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior."
Suddenly, the remaining Masters of the Shade appeared through the dense forest, which caused Lord Johan to halt his conversation. He then backed away slightly, so he had direct eye contact with all of his students. After they all kneeled and gave their undivided attention, waiting submissively for his commands, he enthused with a resolute expression, "Monsters… bloodthirsty… heathens… that's what they called us. After the fall of the Emperor, all carnivores were shunned, and treated like second-class citizens by the majority – our prey. We struggled to survive in a system that the Kung Fu Council created – a misleading scheme that brainwashed me, when I was a child." He growled and stared intensely at his pupils, who all nodded in agreement. "Protect the weak and treat everyone fairly is what they taught me. Well, I believe the strong should survive, and the weak should perish! Why should we treat them fairly… when they turned their back on us out of fear? I say we really give them something to be frightened about. We'll make the world burn in chaos, and rebuild it the way it should be – with us on top of the food chain!" Lord Johan then raised his arm to the heavens defiantly, and clenched his fist with a determined grin. "Together, we'll make them pay for the travesties they committed against us, for the destruction of the Valley of Peace begins now! May Kung Fu and everything it stands for die with it!"
Location Unknown, Outskirts of the Xiong Shou Base Camp
Daylight arose over the jagged mountain peaks, shimmering through the dense fog upon the numerous bivouacs. Sporadic campfires flickered dimly within the minute valley, smoldering the wood with thick white smoke emitting into the heavens. There was still a staggering amount of forces left over from Lord Johan's army, mostly composed of his tiger elite guard – approximately five thousand strong – who were moving in tight formations around the camp perimeter.
On one of the many precipices that looked over the massive military encampment were various pairs of peering eyes, which belonged to Po and the other fearless warriors. They then jumped down the minute cliff edge, and shifted silently through the flourishing vegetation, trying to get a clear view of their enemies' operations.
Wan slowly moved a branch that was in her line of sight, and peered at the armed forces that moved around in the encampment. Suddenly, her sapphire eyes widened in realization, "Wing, doesn't the army seem greatly lessened from last time?"
The spotted sister nodded in agreement, leaning in slightly to examine the clearing. "Yes, that's only a fourth of the soldiers."
With every step that he took, Po trekked through the muck of the dense forest mud floor. He finally halted his movements, and stared perplexedly at the two snow leopardesses. "So, what's the problem? Isn't that a good thing?"
"No. That means we need to make this process quick and efficient, for Lord Johan's military could be already on the move," Tigress interjected tonelessly with a deadpanned expression on her face, placing her paw on the damp stalks of bamboo for support on the uneasy surface. The striped feline then fixated her gaze upon the clouded leopardesses. "Wu Sisters, I believe we should covertly recon the area. It will allow us to come up with the best course of action in rescuing Sheva's daughter." The striped feline then turned her attention the male warriors and commanded, "Po, Tai Lung, Monkey, and Mantis – you all wait here; the less people we have with the possibility of being caught, the better. We will strategize when the Wu Sisters and I return." She then paused a moment to look up into the deep blue heavens and beaming sunlight. "Whatever plan we decide on… should be carried out tonight, where we will have the darkness to our advantage."
The lioness perked her golden ears up to her name not being mentioned, while she slid across the slushy surface, grabbing the stump of a fallen tree to halt her momentum. She then glanced between the felines and spoke candidly, "What about me? Covert operations are my specialty."
Tigress immediately shook her head in disagreement. "We cannot have the emotions you have for your daughter compromise the mission. After we locate the tent where your daughter is held at, and assess the situation, then you can participate."
Sheva growled through clenched teeth. "You think I'm just going to wait here, stripes? They could be harming her right this moment!" the lioness seethed softly, placing the black hood over her face. Her cerulean eyes pierced through the narrow slot of the cloth with a glint of burning determination that reflected off them. "I'm going."
Yet, when the lioness tried to move towards the campsite, her wrist was grabbed gently by a soft, round paw. Sheva whipped her head back and saw a worried Po, who frowned slightly from the lioness's familiar words. Po looked her directly in the eyes, peering into her tormented soul. "Look, Sheva, I know you love your daughter, but Tigress is right; we can't rescue your daughter until tonight, so you should, y'know, stay to avoid the temptation."
Sheva stared into Po's eyes, those jade green eyes, which showed so much compassion and concern. Even though the lioness wanted to hold her daughter this very moment, she knew that they were right – that not only could she compromise her daughter's life, but everyone else's. She sighed dejectedly, and looked upon the ground in defeat. Sheva then faced the striped feline and said softly, "I'll stay. Please find my daughter and let me know she's okay."
Tigress gazed at Sheva sincerely, understanding the pain she was going through, and then gently placed her paw on the lioness's shoulder. "I promise that I will… and what do we do when we promise, Po?" Tigress inquired in a resolute tone, as she glanced at the panda with a smirk.
Po chuckled with a wink, and gave two thumbs up. "We always keep our promises."
Sheva smiled appreciatively, and responded with a heartfelt, "Thank you."
Tigress nodded and then quickly signaled the Wu Sisters to move out. The operation to save Sheva's daughter has now begun.
A/N: I'm going on a business trip for the week. Next update will be delayed, but I'll have it up as soon as possible.
Xue means snow.
Gen means root.
Feng means the wind.
Bolin means gentle rain.
Yanmei means seductive.
Tengfei means soaring high.