Is Love Safe?

Chapter Twenty Five- When we walk the Path of Destiny

Chen Hue Leigh, Hei Xin, Husto, Hao, Fu, Leo, Jai and Shen (c) mine.

The midday sun burned fervidly down upon the sea of pine trees of the forest, sending rays of bright orange and honey-yellow light down through the cracks and tears in the leaves and shrubs. A low, cool breeze swept across the woodland floor, brushing up the litter of brown and green foliage that carpeted the dew soaked soil.

Jai sat, nestled in the crook of a thick tree branch, looking up to the clear blue sky. There was a growing vapour of ashen clouds rolling in from the horizon of the mountains that were the Dragon's Pass. The lioness stared strongly at the clouds with her feral eyes, watching as sparks of lightning sprung from its underbelly. The thunder came later on; touching Jai's heightened ears like a rung gong. A small gust of air crawled up the bark of the tree and blew gently on Jai's auburn fur. The female shivered and drew her knees close to her chest. She wrapped her long tail around her legs for security. Her gaze never left the storm brewing in the distance.

To a passer-by the thunder clouds would have just been a warning to an oncoming harsh weather; to Jai it was much more. Her thoughts were plagued with the dark memory from her conversation with Hei Xin from earlier in the morning, replaying the moment over and over again like a record set on a loop. All she could hear was his voice, that malicious sneer in his tone, it whispered in her ear like an endless echo. How could she never have noticed? How could she have never seen the signs? It should have been obvious.

Hei Xin was a Pure One; he was born of wild animals, just like Leo.

Jai laced her arms around her knees and rested her chin on them. Her ears slowly sunk down against her skull as she thought of how Hei Xin spoke of Leo to her as if he was a betrayer. The way he mentioned how the lupine had held back the truth from her about the eagle: sure, he had withdrawn the fact he was a Pure One from her till after they had grown deep into their relationship, but the idea of Leo holding back the facts of Hei Xin just proved too hard to believe. Maybe he didn't know.

"Is this spot taken?" A familiar voice kindly spoke from behind.

Jai turned, hoping to see the wolf that she loved dearly, but instead met with the glowing eyes of Tai Lung hanging from a branch slightly above her like a monkey. The lioness looked away from the snow leopard. "Oh, it's there if you want it." She said grimly, turning back to face the storm again.

Tai Lung jumped down onto the branch in front of Jai with ease. He turned around to face her and straddled the large branch, leaning back with his toned arms folded behind his head like a pillow. "What's with the downed spirit?" He asked jokingly. "Shouldn't you be happy? You got Hao back and was forgiven by Fu. If I was in your position I wouldn't be sitting up here in the tree tops all alone. I'd be back at the cabin with my family."

Jai scoffed and averted Tai Lung from her sight, turning her head to the side and staring off with furrowed eyebrows. "There isn't anything that's worth celebrating at the moment."

"Nothing that you're not telling us." Leo's calm, deep voice said from below the branch. Tai Lung propped himself up on one elbow and looked over the edge of the limb down at the great grey wolf. Jai's eyes landed on the lupine, but held a glance no longer than a few seconds. She felt it hard to peer down at his white mask. "Can I come up?"

"Sure." Jai said, sarcasm riddling in her tone Tai Lung glared at Jai with anxiety. "Everyone seems to be joining the party."

Leo's mask hiked an eyebrow at his lover and he dropped ear in question, wondering why Jai had responded in such a fashion. But the wolf shrugged it off as he moved towards the base of the trunk. Leo crouched low to the floor and used his large legs to spring up to the nearest branch, hoping to the next one above like a frog till he was perched on a sturdy branch that supported his weight, positioning him just off the two felines' side. Leo grabbed hold of the fat tree trunk with his sharp claws. He eyed Jai curiously. "Was I interrupting something?" He asked.

Tai Lung sat hunched, still straddling the branch. "Nope." He responded. "I found Jai sitting here after coming back my routinely Tai Chi." Tai Lung's ember eyes shifted to the lioness. "I just wanted to make sure she had company."

Jai forced a tiny smile at the snow leopard. "Thanks." The female was quick to change her stare from the snow leopard.

A growl intuitively rippled from Tai Lung's throat, his lips rose a tad. "Okay, what gives?" He switched concentration between Leo and Jai with a challenging stare. "Every time you guys look at me you immediately turn away as if I'm a ghost. You try avoiding any eye contact with me and whenever you speak of this…Ling guy…you immediately glance right at me." Tai Lung brought his legs up and got to his feet. His tail swishing from side to side with irritation. "So I want to know, right here, right now, what it is about me and Ling that you guys, and Shen, have trouble with."

Leo's claws sunk deep into the bark of the tree at the mention of his deceased colleague's name. His tail dropped between his legs and his ears fell from his head with sorely. A void look of pain and loss began to grow within his red orbs. The wolf looked through his white mask to Tai Lung and then to Jai. The lioness stared back at him with the same distraught and wounded face, her ears, too, pinned back. Leo faced Tai Lung staunchly and let go of the trunk as he jumped down from his branch onto the one supporting the two felines. Towering over Tai Lung, the Pure One gazed down his muzzle at the frustrated clouded leopard with sympathy. "I think….I think it's best if we talked about this on level ground." The wolf stretched out a paw and moved to lead Tai Lung down the tree.

The feline sighed with arrogance and batted away Leo's paw civilly. "No! I'm not going anywhere till this is over. So whatever you have to say, say it."

Leo retracted his swatted paw and glanced over his shoulder to Jai for guidance. The lioness only nodded her head, motioning for the wolf to take his own lead and make the right decision. Her eyes still offered backup, should Leo need it. The wolf faced Tai Lung again and sighed immensely. "Okay." He agreed with reluctance. "You know of Ling from me telling you that he's the reason me, Jai and Shen managed to escape from Hei Xin…"

Tai Lung bobbed his head. "Yeah, when he betrayed Jai and tried to kill her."

"Correct." Leo answered. "Ling was with us as we tried to escape the campsite. He was a dedicated follower of Jai during her reign of the group, and so was with us all the way. We had managed to get to the outskirts of the campsite up in the mountains. We thought that we had made it, but one of Hei Xin's eagles swooped in and took Ling in his claws. I intercepted him and managed to free Ling after I killed off the eagle. But," Leo took in a deep breath and turned his head away from Tai Lung, staring intensely down to the ground. He wanted to stare Tai Lung in the eye when he told the kung fu warrior what happened, yet it proved difficult to do so. "…you have to understand, Tai Lung, as a Pure One I do care for those who I consider friends and such. Ling was a very close comrade of mine." The tall lupine summed up his will power looked back to Tai Lung as he continued the story. "As I finished off the eagle, Ling was severely wounded. One of the bird's claws had snapped off and stabbed him through the heart. He could barely stand due to the injury." Leo paused to swallow the lump growing in his throat. His voice was beginning to fail him. "I…I offered to carry him to safety, but he wouldn't have it." Leo's muzzle gave off a shaky smile. He sniffed and wiped his cold nose with his furry forearm. "He was always stubborn, never wanting help from others even when he needed it." The grin faded as the wolf finished off his story. "He decided to stay behind. He gave me, Jai and Shen the chance to run as he fought off a group of Hei Xin's cohorts who had managed to track us down. Once we were a safe distance away I stopped to look back on my friend. He fought hard, down to his last breath and ounce of life. I watched," Leo now seemed to growl with anger. His massive paws curled into fists. His lips rose with a snarl. "…I watched as Hei Xin flew in and took Ling by the neck, crushing his spine with one squeeze and throwing his body aside like a torn piece of cloth. I watched as my colleague, my only true friend, was murdered; giving his life so that we could run free."

From where she sat, Jai kept a careful eye on her lover as he told the story of the events that had taken place the night of Hei Xin's betrayal. Leo had told Jai that Ling was dead during their stay in the cave up in the Dragon's Pass, but she had never heard the entire tale until now. Her unconsciousness at the time prevented her from witnessing the moment, but from what Leo had just alleged, much had occurred. The lioness slowly rose from her crouched spot in the crook of the branch. She padded over to Leo and laid a comforting paw on his arm. The wolf eased at her tender touch, unfurling his paws. He swung his muzzle to her, letting her see the pools of tears that grew in the pits of his rubicund eyes. Jai wiped them away with a weary grin.

Standing next to the pair of lovers, Tai Lung stood poised. His arms folded in front of his muscular chest. He eyed the lioness and wolf with questioningly. He was interested by the story that had just been laid at his feet, but the main question still remained to be asked. Tai Lung did not hesitate to speak. "Well that explains what happened to Ling in a deeper description." The kung fu warrior shrugged his shoulders. "But what does he have to do with me?"

Leo shut his eyes and shook his head, unable to say any more. Jai patted his arm and swiftly stepped around the wolf so that she was now face to face with Tai Lung. "We thought, should we ever tell you the truth, that when this story was told of how Ling died and the person responsible for his death, you would understand on a personal level."

The snow leopard creased his eyebrows with suspicion and curiosity. "What are you saying?"

Jai opened her maw to speak, but Leo's voice took over. "When I shared words with Ling before he pushed me away, I asked him if he wanted to see his little boy again. He told me that he would. He told me, one day, he would."

"I...I'm not following." Tai Lung said.

Jai stepped forward. "When you were young, Tai Lung, your father dropped you off at the steps of the Jade Palace."

"So I'm told."

"And you never really knew your father or mother. The truth is….your mother died giving birth to you. And your father believed that he wouldn't be able to take care of you. So he left you in Shifu's care."

Tai Lung slowly released his arms and let them hang down at his side. His tone was cold. "How do you know this?" He asked with a demanding voice.

"Because," Jai replied firmly, looking straight into Tai Lung's ember eyes. From over her shoulder, Leo gazed with sorrow filled orbs. "….Ling was your father, Tai Lung, your true father."

The words struck like a blade through his heart. Tai Lung's greyish, spotted fur quivered with shock and surprise. His spine went rigid and his body seemed to freeze. Jai and Leo stared with anticipation at the response they had received from the kung fu warrior. Tai Lung made no movement, said no words or made no sound for a few good seconds. His entire body seemed to shut down on itself, as if his soul had just vanished and left behind an empty shell. But soon the feline moved; it started with the shaking of his head. "No…no…" He whispered with denial. "No. No, it's not true." The clouded leopard lifted his arms and stared down at his paws, looking at them as if considering they were not his own. "It…it can't be true!" He gradually began to back away from Jai and Leo. The duet moved closer as he increased the gap between them. Tai Lung snapped his paws up to his head, claws unsheathed. He grasped at his head and shook it furiously. "No! No! It's not true!"

"Tai lung," Jai soothed as he held out her paws, desperately trying to calm the troubled feline. "….take it easy. Just take it easy."

Tai Lung did not seem to hear her. He couldn't hear anything, not the rustle of the leaves of the howl of the winds. Only the words of the truth coming from Jai's lips cursed his ears, toying with his mind though he tried hard not to listen and give in. How could he believe her? Why should he believe her? She could be lying. But the way that Leo looked at him; the way he told the story, almost on the verge of tears. It had to be true. As the dubious feline dared not to listen to the words of reality, shaking his head with rejection and refusal, he did not see the edge of the tree branch that his feet were gradually making their way towards.

As if at the wrong time at the wrong moment, when people thought that nothing good or humorous could come out of a situation like this, one of the funniest things happened. Tai Lung's foot stepped back out on thin air, having reached the edge of the branch. The snow leopard's arms shot out and tried to grasp something but there was nothing to take hold of. The sudden lack of ground had put Tai Lung off balance. Jai and Leo sprung to try and grab hold of the feline before he fell but were too late. They watched, wincing as the clouded leopard dropped down to the forest floor, catching on the branches and twigs before vanishing into a bush.

A long groan came from inside the shrub.

As Jai and Leo leaned over the branch, peering down on where Tai Lung had just fallen, Jai couldn't help but shake her head. Her words added to the comedic aura of the situation and silence. "I knew we should have told him on the ground."

The rest of those who took up residence in Tai Lung's cabin had long since awaken after Jai, Leo and the snow leopard, himself, had left and disappeared into the woods. They did not bother to go in search as no one thought it necessary. Everyone had gathered around the wooden table in the centre of the main room, awaiting for the return of the two felines and lupine, as well as the breakfast that was being prepared from inside the kitchen. Po's handiwork in motion; the evidence was in the aroma that drifted throughout the cabin, teasing all those who got a whiff of the heavenly smell.

"Hey, Po, please hurry up." Mantis moaned through the hole in the wall connecting the two rooms. "I'm starving."

"Don't forget about us." Crane reminded the insect. "Just wait a moment, Mantis; we haven't had anything to eat either."

The small green bug placed his head on the table and grasped it with his pincers, groaning. "Yeah..." His muffled voice vibrated from underneath. "...but it would surprise you that my stomach is bigger than my heart."

"No kidding." Monkey chuckled. Mantis glared up to the simian through his pincers. Monkey rose up his hands in a defensive gesture. "Just speaking the truth."

Sitting at the end of the table, in her usual place, Ming waited in with patience though the smell of cooking did tease her so. Little Shen was not in her arms, still asleep in his cot- out of hearing distance to the commotion of the main room. Ming's heightened ears jerked to the sound of conversation that was passed back and forth between the kung fu masters, she giggled at their childish behaviour. Though most would have found it annoying and discourteous, the blind feline actually welcomed their discussions. Due to her solitude within the hidden boundaries of the forest; she never really spent much time out in the village. And those times when Tai Lung did take her into Xi'an was only on rare occasions, she still had no one to talk to. It saddened Ming, somewhat, that her social life was on the down low. But all that loneliness was washed away, knowing, now, that these people- though she would never see them with her eyes- told her heart that they would remain her closest of friends.

"Are they always like this at breakfast?" Ming asked discretely to Shifu, the red panda sitting off to her right hand side.

The Grand Master's large, trained ears, flicked up at the sound of Ming's whispering voice. Shifu glanced down to the table to his students and felt a smile crawl its way onto his lips. "Unfortunately, yes." He turned back to the cup of tea he had brewed after waking up. He cuddled it gingerly in his small bony hands. His sapphire eyes reflected in the pool of liquid. "But I wouldn't have it any other way."

Ming smiled and slid her paw across the table towards Shifu. The red panda saw Ming's movement and placed his hand upon it. The blind snow leopard clutched his tiny fingers, sending a message through her body to his. The smile on her lips told Shifu all he needed to now. "You should be proud."

Shifu squeezed back. "I am." He took another glance down the table. "I am."

Just off to the blind female's side, Fu smiled at her father-in-law as she sat between her husband and son. The lynx swung her head round to Hao, perched on a small stool at her side. The hybrid cub looked up at her and grinned as he sipped on a small cup of warmed milk. He lowered the mug from his lips to reveal a moustache of white liquid dripping from the top of his muzzle. Fu's smile widened as she reached down and wiped away the residue, before kissing her son lovingly on the forehead. Hao giggled at her touch and went back to his cup, waiting for the meal that was to come. Fu straightened in her chair and laced her claws with Shen. The black cat gripped her paw, glancing to and from all those sitting around the furniture. Though, he could not help but wonder where it was his sister, adoptive brother and Leo wandered off to.

The door to the kitchen soon opened as Po stepped into the room, a tray one each paw and an extra one balancing skilfully on his head. Shifu turned in his seat and hiked a bushy white eyebrow. Apparently, Po's training of balance had paid off. Either that or the panda just knew how to wait many customers at once. Shifu settled on a self-agreement that it was a bit of both. One by one the Dragon Warrior slipped his way around the table, dishing out the bowls of morning broth he had been slaving over the stove for the last hour. Once all the trays were empty and the table was laid Po took his own meal and happily set the trays aside, taking a spot leisurely next to Tigress.

The panda inhaled the sweet scent coming from his creation. "Okay, everyone." He announced, picking up a pair of chopsticks. "Dig in."

No one needed any other incentive; they all grabbed their chopsticks and immediately got to work. It had been a good two days since any of them had anything to eat. They had been too busy with the travel from the Jade Palace, or the battle against Hei Xin's men and the rescue of Hao from the village of Xi'an. For the space of a few days, it was amazing how any of them could fight on with such tenacity, especially Po. But one thing was for sure: it had certainly worked up an appetite. As the last of bowls were drained of the broth, set aside after a wave of satisfied sighs came from all of the dwellers, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed from the front porch. Everyone turned to the open doorway to see Leo, Jai and Tai Lung walking in. Shifu, Tigress and Fu gawped at Tai Lung. His grey fur was messed up, a few leaves poking out on little sticks. He definitely had the appearance of someone who had just fallen out of a tree and into a shrub.

Po hadn't noticed and greeted the trio. "Hey, guys. You just missed breakfast. But don't worry I've got..."

"Uh, thank you, Dragon Warrior." Leo politely interrupted with a wave of his paw, silencing the panda before he could speak another word or walk into the kitchen. "The offer is welcomed, but...I think it's best if we got some more important things out of the way."

Po's shoulders slumped and he slapped a paw up to his face, dragging it down slowly as an aggravated groan escaped his throat. "Why do I get the feeling it's more bad news?"

"That's because it is." Jai answered plainly. She paused as her attention towards those sitting around the table gave a serious stare. "There's been a change in plan, slightly."

Tigress, Shen and Shifu's eyebrows all seemed to dip simultaneously. Their eyes narrowed with earnestness and their ears tilted forward to the lioness. "How so?" Tigress asked.

Leo stepped forward. "When Hao was taken, and Jai went out to rescue him, she found out something that even I, myself, did not know. It's to do with Hei Xin."

"What about him?" Viper questioned, rising from her coiled body on her seat.

Jai drew in a heavy death. "He's a Pure One."

Silence.

Leo's ears lowered as his red orbs focused on the ground, unable to look any of the kung fu warriors, Fu, Ming or Hao in the eye. "That's not all. He plans to take over China, by killing your Emperor. Then he'll move on to the rest of the world. Your kind will not be able to stand up over his rule." He said bleakly.

Still no one replied to the wolf's murky words, they had been too deeply shocked by the revelation of finding out that the enemy they were going up against was not only a feral being, but a Pure One: a creature born of wild instincts and unimaginable power. The golden aura of the room had suddenly faded into a dreary sense of unthinkable defeat. How were a band of kung fu warriors ever going to be able to stop a Pure One? They had seen for themselves the strength and audacity of Leo in action; Hei Xin would be no different. And he has an army at his command, an army of ferals. Their numbers could match to hundreds, possibly even the thousands. All that Leo had was Jai and Shen to count as ferals.

Shifu's large ears fell. As a master he knew it was his duty to protect those who were in need, to serve the Emperor and the land for the good of society. But this...this was something else. This was beyond his students' control. He had trained them hard, yes, but they were never a match for ferals. Chen Hue Leigh was a tough enough challenge and he wasn't even fully feral. Shifu's mind flashed with images of the battle that took place up in the mountains of the Dragon's Pass. His sapphire eyes could see the snow, the blood and the bodies. Tigress. Shifu saw her dying form lying in the white ice, slowly draining of life; Chen snarling and growling threateningly, swiping at everything he could get his claws on. The brutal clash between him and Po. The wolves of the Thousand Arrows. The old Grand Master placed his elbows on the table and ran his scrawny hands through his fur atop his head. A secretive look hiding behind the blue casings of his eyes.

Crane dipped his hat to hide his face. Viper coiled her body tightly around itself. Monkey and Mantis shared looks but neither of them could muster a joke or even a simple smirk.

Tigress took hold of Po's paw and squeezed it firmly. The panda returned the gesture as he stared down at his empty bowl. His jade eyes, too, seeing the events from over a year's past. They reflected in his green irises like moving pictures. The sounds of the battle rung in his mind. For Tigress, the scars and wounds on her neck burned with a painful desire. She could feel the sharp sting of Chen's teeth tickling her fur. Her free paw slowly but surely slipped up to her shoulder, her pads running over the dips and bumps of the scars. The striped feline shivered at the touch.

Though the tiger master did not wish to say it, the words unconsciously dripped from her lips. And though they sounded like a whisper, they seemed to shout inside the quiet cabin. "It's hopeless."

Shen's jaw was set tight, his lips straight. The feral cat turned to look at his wife. Fu was holding Hao on her lap now, comforting the young hybrid as much as she was doing it for her own soothing. Her violet eyes stared off into the distance, overcome with weakness and fatigue. But in it all, Shen saw fear. He looked around, seeing the same expression in his friend's and family's faces. The terror, the dread and fright. It plagued them all. But as Shen came to rest his gaze upon his sister, seeing how she hugged close to Leo's body, looking as small as a cub, Shen's eyes hardened like rubies and he stood up. His chair scratched the floorboards and toppled over, catching everyone's attention.

"No." He sneered. "It's not hopeless. Nothing is ever hopeless." His voice was strong and stern. "There is always hope, so long as one person still believes when everyone else gives up." He gave another leering glance round to his partners. "I still have hope." Jai looked to her brother with inquisitiveness. Shifu's head peered up through his hands. Tigress and Po stared at their friend senselessly. Shen moved free of his spot and made his way around the table. "I still believe that we have a chance. You know what I see? I see a band of the greatest kung fu masters in all of China." He waved an arm to the Furious Five. "I see the Grand Master of the Jade Palace and the Dragon Warrior." He stopped between Po and Shifu, placing a paw on each of their shoulders. The two pandas looked up to Shen, seeing the glow in his glistening eyes that they both knew so well. "I see the Master of the Thousand Scrolls of Kung Fu." Shen beamed proudly as he walked over to his foster brother, taking the snow leopard by the arms after he brushed off the foliage stuck in his fur. Tai Lung looked down for a second but soon brought up his eyes to the feral feline. With a waving smile he nodded and placed a repaying paw on Shen's arm. The feline moved aside to Leo. "I see a Pure One: a rare, strong creature of extraordinary potential, power, vigour and energy!" Leo's ears sprung forward, his large grey tail wagging with excitement. Shen finally glanced down from the towering lupine to his sister. He stared intensely at Jai. The lioness gazed back with wide rosy eyes. Shen sighed contentedly, bringing up a tender paw and affectionately cupping Jai's cheek, using his thumb to brush over the three claw marks. "But most of all..." Shen went on as he pulled away and addressed the entire room. "...I see a family; a family that cannot be broken no matter what stands in its way or who dares to tear it apart. So I ask you now, not individually, but as a whole: are we going to let this little bit of news stop us from protecting not just China, but the entire world from a threat so massive it will destroy everything we know and love?"

Shen knew his speech had reached the ears of all those who had listened. He knew that the words he had spoken of were factual. And so, as a Father, as a husband, a son and brother, he was willing to give his life to see this through to the end; to ensure that Hei Xin made it no further than the walls of Xi'an. He would never reach the forbidden kingdom; he would not even take one step outside the village. All that Shen waited for, right this moment, was to see if he was to fight this battle alone. But deep down, in the pit of his heart, Shen knew for a fact that he would not be alone. He knew, from his dream, that his friends and family would follow and protect him in the same way that he defended them.

And as Shen thought on his vision, he watched as Po slowly rose from his seat. The panda spread his paws out on the table, the wooden furniture groaning under his weight. "You know Shen; I've made so many promises and failed to keep them in the past. But I know, I know, that I am to keep at least one promise true to the end. And that promise is to stand by you, just as you did for me in the past." The panda's muzzle slipped into a cocky, overachieving smirk. "Let's just see this Hei Xin guy try and make it past us."

Tigress was next to stand. She, too, leaned on the table to support herself. A long sigh breathed from her mouth. She looked to Shen with her fiery yellow eyes. "I've fought my foes as well; just have Shifu, Tai Lung and the rest of the Five. It was you who helped save Po from death twelve months ago. And I'll admit it: you saved me as well. So I think it's in my right place to repay the favour. You once said to me and Po," She motioned to the panda aside her. "...that you would die trying to change your ways and do good." The striped cat pushed up to her full height and crossed her arms over her chest. She smiled at Shen. "I think this qualifies."

Shifu pushed his chair back and jumped down onto the floor. As he strolled up to his foster son, the red panda glared dangerously through his blazing azure eyes. "There are things you have done in the past, Shen, things that I can never forgive you for. Even to this day you kept your identity hidden from me." The black feline's ears dropped and his spirit sunk. "But," Shifu added, rising up a finger with a grin. "You are still my son, and you always will be." Shen's ear rose again, his motivation coming back into the full. "And it would make honour me, to fight at my child's side again."

Mantis hopped on Shifu's shoulder. "Count me in. It'll give me something to do since he trashed our sleep the other day."

"And us, too." Viper chipped in as she, Crane and Monkey rose from their seats.

Shen's grin broadened as each of the kung fu masters stepped up. He turned to look at his foster brother. "Tai?"

The snow leopard gave his signature toothy grin, his tail wagged. A glint of revenge and lust of action shone in his gaze. "I'm in. I have to repay that bird for what he's done to my family." Though everyone thought that Tai Lung was speaking of Ming and her son Shen, Jai and Leo understood that he also meant of Ling. "You know I'll always be there for you, brother. It'll just be like the old days."

Shen nodded in acceptance and faced Leo and Jai. The tall grey wolf beamed greatly through his white mask. The Pure One bowed his head to the feline. "This is one battle I know I must fight. I know what it means to love someone you care about. I understand the pain of loss; it's time to end it! I will be there for you Shen, just lead the way."

"And me too," Jai put in as she stared Shen right in his eyes. "I have nothing else to lose but you guys." The lioness gave a long glance over every animal in the cabin. "I have a family again. And I am not going to lose this one." The two spouses stared at each other with a stone gaze.

"Then it's settled." Shen finished.

"No! It's not!" Fu's tender voice called out. All eyes snapped her way.

Shen groaned and slapped a paw up to his head. "Fu! We're not having this argument again." Shen made his way towards his wife, trying desperately not to let his anger show in his tone, but it was proving difficult. "It's been decided, we are going to fight Hei Xin and we are going whether you say so or –mph!" The black cat was suddenly silenced as Fu latched a paw to his shirt, pulling her husband down on her as she placed a deep, loving, passionate-filled kiss on his lips. Shen was startled at first but immediately settled into it. The married couple broke for air. "Wha...what was that?" Shen managed to squeak out as he blinked stupidly.

"If you let me finish," Fu firmly scolded as she placed Hao on the floor and rose up against her husband. "…it's not settled until you let me join you. Jai may have put our family in danger." The lynx gave a side glance to Jai. The lioness shrunk into her shoulders a bit at the stern glare she was received. "But, she is has always been one of the family. And now that she knows the right path to walk, I want to be sure that no harm comes to her or the rest of my family ever again." Jai looked up to Leo as she was held by the waist in his large arms. The wolf raised both eyebrows of his white mask back at the lioness. They went back to watching the married duo. "Besides," Fu shrugged her shoulders. "...you've taught me well enough how to handle a sword. I'm sure a little bit more practise won't hurt."

Though the look on Shen's face was quiet comical at the time, his lips tingled with determination, powered by the kiss he had received from his wife. The black feline stood up straight. He gave his own mark of a smile and turned to the others. "Alright then: now it's settled." He looked to the blind snow leopard sitting at the table. "Ming, can you watch over Hao?"

The female dipped her head. "I'd be happy to look after him." She grinned.

Though he had not really been part of the situation, the hybrid felt suddenly afraid. But it was not fear for himself that terrified the young cub. It was the images in his mind that neither his father nor his mother returned. Hao was scared of being an orphan. The young boy's multi-coloured eyes danced between Ming and his parents. He instinctively gripped at Shen and Fu's trouser legs. He stared up at the pair with silently pleading eyes on the verge of drawing tears. "Mama, Baba, don't go!" He cried. "Don't leave me!"

Apart from Fu and Shen, most of those looking on to the display that Hao were bit their lips with anticipation and anxiety. Shen and Fu glanced at each other and both kneeled down to their son. Shen drew in a hissing breath as he sat on his hind paws. Fu got right down to her knees. "Hao," Shen said lightly. "…you need to let us go. Because if we don't things will get very bad. Bad people, like the ones who took me away from our home, they will come after us again. They will try to harm me, you and your mother."

The little cub pawed his father's face, taking hold of Shen's furry cheeks. The scars on his face appeared from beneath the tugged fur strands. "Don't leave me, Baba. Do leave me alone."

"Hao. Hao, listen to me." Fu gently piped in as she took her son by the shoulders, turning him so that he faced her. She saw the sparkly tears rolling out from his golden orbs and soft purple irises. Fu wiped them away with her thumbs as she took Hao's cheeks and cupped them tenderly. "Your father and I would never leave. You hear me: we'd never leave you alone. We love you too much. But we're doing this for your own safety. We're going to leave you with Aunty Ming, just for tonight. Tomorrow, everything will be back to the way it was. But whilst you're here, you need to be the man of the house. You need to look after Aunty Ming; can you do that for me?" She cupped Hao's chin with her fore claw as he tried to look away, but Fu was determined to keep his spirits high. "Can you do that?" She asked again.

Hao sniffed and nodded with a tiny smile, jumping up and wrapping his small arms around Fu's neck. The lynx returned the hug as she felt Hao rid himself of the tears, staining her top.

Shen rose to his full height again, staring down at his wife and son with devoted glimmers in his red eyes. And though he loved them with all of his heart, it pained Shen's soul, it saddened him dearly; for he knew, from the vision that he had in the cave, of the end that he inescapably saw coming. His death. But there was hope. And that tiny splinter of optimism pushed aside all the grief, all the regret and doubt away. There was still a chance he could dodge death's cold clutches. And by Heaven above he was going to try.

As Hao wiped away the rest of his tears, Shen turned to Leo. The two males met gazes. Leo saw in Shen's feral orbs that the decision had been made, the orders were set. The only thing that remained was the time. Shen contemplated his colleagues and family who all nodded in agreement. "We attack tonight." He said, turning back to Leo. "Make the call."

The massive grey lupine inhaled with pride and smiled as he spun on his heels and stepped away from Jai, ducking his head as he walked out of the cabin front doorway and out onto the porch. Jai turned her eyes to brother, seeing the spark of life that burned within their red spheres. The energy was passed to her. Jai grinned and held her head high as she stepped out after Leo. Shen was close in tow. Everyone else, besides Ming all looked at each other with curiosity as were quick to join the trio out on the porch. As they gathered, Jai and Shen had stopped at the top of the porch steps. Hao pushed his way to the front, wondering what the commotion was all about. The entire group watched as Leo walked through the rays of sunlight, stepping over the forest floor with a leisurely stride in his movement.

"Hey," Po called. "...wh...where's he going?"

"He's not going anywhere." Shen replied, not taking his view off the lupine.

"What?" Tigress asked. "Then what is he doing?"

Jai turned to the striped kung fu warrior. "Did you really think that we would let you all go to battle without a little bit of reinforcement?"

"Reinforcement?" Everyone chorused at the same time.

"What reinforcement?" Crane questioned.

Shen gave a sly, knowing smirk. "You forget: Leo is a Pure One. Who else can he call to help?"

Though he was still young had did not grasp every concept of every conversation that took place among the adults, there were little bits of information that the cub could understand all too well. Hao's eyes widened with amazement at the very thought. He knew the answer. "Other Pure Ones!"

Leo's ears picked up every little detail of the dialogue going on behind his back, and at the mention of the word Pure Ones it filled his heart with pride at the thing that of which he was just about to do. He had the call before; the last one being on the night that he lost his parents, filled with loss, anger and hatred for those who had murdered. But now it was different. Now, it was to bring back a lost void that Leo loved as deeply as he loved Jai. As the grey lupine came to a halt in the sunlight, Leo's blood red orbs stared at the storm clouds brewing in the far distance over the Dragon's Pass. His view lowered upon the snow-covered spiked hill. With a wag in his tail, Leo's ears flicked towards the mountain range as he slowly sunk down onto all four of his paws. The wolf dipped his head low to the ground, his trained nose and predatory instincts sniffing the air and the currents of wind that twirled around him. Leo closed his eyes and listened to his surroundings. In his mind he saw his brother, standing before him, seeing the way he looked on the cliff side the night that they went different ways. He thought of the pledge that his younger sibling made, remembering the very words that were said to him. Know this, big brother: I will stay close to you. I will lead the pack well and be near should you need me. And if you ever do, don't be afraid to howl. And the pack will come running to your aid. The grey wolf smiled inwardly before his scarlet orbs blasted open. The wolf sucked in deeply, arched out his back, pulled back his ears, lifted his muzzle towards the sun and howled louder and longer than he had ever done.

Up in the mountains the air was sharp and cold with ice. The erect precipices stood strong against the bellow of the winds that whipped through the sky, sending thousands of tiny shards of snowflakes showering down upon the world with a merciless fist of wintry illusion. The white face of the mountain stared blankly up at the rolling dark storm clouds, taking the brute of the blizzard endlessly.

Through the curtain of falling snow and hail, in the shelter of the trees, a gathering of animals settled up against one another. The small and youngest of the group nestled in the middle, curled up on each other's bodies as they shared their body heat to battle the bitter storm the larger more older ones laid out on the exterior- these took the brute of coldness. Among these creatures of various kinds, one animal's ear flicked into the winds. The sleeping form awoke and raised its muzzle to the sky, listening into the gusts: their red eyes searching suspiciously around them. The creature's ears twitched again, this time they rose up onto their paws. Their shift of movement stirred the female sleeping at their side- a she-wolf. The lupine raised her head and stared up to her mate with curiosity.

"What is it?" She asked.

"I'm not sure." Her mate replied.

"Another pack?" The she-wolf suggested.

The larger creature shook its head. "No, it sounds too far." They pushed up onto their hind paws, standing in the centre of the group where the younglings nuzzled up, leaving the warmth of the huddle. The she-wolf lying in the snow got to her own paws, pushing up like her lover onto her hind legs. Her ears swung from side to side as they tried to pick up the sound which had alarmed her mate so much that it awoke him from his slumber. The male sniffed the air, picking up no scent of other animals nearby. He dipped an eyebrow in misperception and he stepped over the many sleeping forms of his friends till he was on the edge of the group. As the creature padded through the snow, the falling flakes dropped onto his long iridescent black coat of fur: that part he got from his father. A shabby trail of silver ran up from his hind legs, along the tips of his spine and up to his broad shoulders, where they split and swivelled into circles: a trait from his mother's side. The ashen tips of his ears poked forwards, leading him to a rocky cliff face. He was a large black wolf, a Pure One.

The lupine halted on the edge of precipice and gazed distantly into the clouds of falling snowflakes and hail. "Can you hear it?" He asked the she-wolf as she followed up behind him.

The female lupine stepped up beside her lover and looked out on the mountains. The sound was faint to her ears. "It…it sounds almost like….like a…"

"A howl." The dark wolf finished.

The female listened closely to the call in the winds. "It sounds familiar, I know that howl."

"Me too. It sounds to be coming from the village that borders the mountains." The male analysed. They both went silent for a few seconds, listening to on-going call that whispered in the air. The larger of the two wolves suddenly smiled, a grin that they had not worn for many a year.

The she-wolf looked to the black lupine puzzlingly. "What is it, Husto? Why are you smiling?"

The great abyssal Pure One puffed out a sigh of satisfaction. "It's Leo. He's calling me." He looked to the smaller wolf through shining crimson eyes. "Wake the pack. We're moving out." The she-wolf hiked an eyebrow but grinned at Husto lovingly. She understood why the leader had given his order so out-of-the-blue. Without saying another word the female nuzzled her mate and turned to wake her pups and the others. Husto watched the female lupine leave before swinging his head back out to the storm, seeing his older brother's face as he had held memory of it since they going of separate ways. "Leo…I'm coming back." And as was tradition for such a call of need, Husto took in a deep breath and lifted his muzzle to the clouds as he answered his brother's cry and howled out with a lost ache of missing the only remnants of a family he had left.