A/N: And I am back. Missed me? No, you didn't. Sigh. The number of reviews keeps going down. It makes me so frustrated. What can I do, guys? This is the story with most favorites, but it is the one who gets less reviews! That makes no sense (as Mantis would say it).

One of you asked about the end of this story; I can say that we have a lot of chapters ahead of us yet. So yeah… And I have 7 (!) possible endings for this story, but I just can't decide!

I do not own Kung Fu Panda.

Spread Your Wings, A Little Game Of Tag

Fenghuang's mood was bad. Not just bad. It was like very, very bad. The days with little Tigress seemed like eternities ago. And it felt like it was years ago since she had even seen her daughter.

Shifu and him were walking beside her cage that was driven away by some warriors. The owl's wings were screaming; it had been way too long time since she had used them. But right now an attempt of escaping seemed foolish.

The metal was strong, keeping her from moving. She could not find any weaknesses in the steel, and no matter how hard she hit her head against the cage, it only resulted in a headache.

The red panda and the leopard walked in silence, and did not speak unless it was absolutely necessary. That annoyed Fenghuang more than she wanted to admit. Just their presence was like a thorn in her side; now they also gave her the cold shoulder?

Fine; she could do exactly the same.

And so she did. Not a word came from her beak.

With a determined look in her eyes, Fenghuang was led to Chorh-Gom.

With a small yawn, Tigress woke up. She had to squint as the sun's light hit her face. It was morning. Tigress remained on all fours, her head filled with questions.

Where was she?

Why did her body hurt so much?

Where was…?

The realization hit her like a brick. "No, no, no," she muttered, rapidly moving her head around. But her mother was nowhere to be seen.

"Mother!"

Quickly climbing a nearby tree that was standing on the top of the hill, Tigress got the view of the whole valley she had slept in. But under her was only forest and over her was a clouded sky.

No Fenghuang.

Maybe… Maybe she was still fighting. Maybe she had defeated Shifu and the other by now and was resting at the Jade Palace.

When the owl had gotten back her strength, she would come and look for her.

Taking in deep breaths, Tigress tried to calm herself. Her mother trusted her to remain calm and keep her focus. This was not as bad as it seemed.

But it was not a nightmare she could wake up from.

Looking over the valley, Tigress searched with her eyes. She had a good view from here; she could even see the mountains that surrounded the Valley of Peace in the distance.

A part of her wanted to go back to search for her mother, but she also knew that it was a really stupid thing to do. Her mother had sent her away so she could be safe.

And that was what she should do.

Crouching down on the branch she was sitting on, Tigress noticed some movement down the hill. And sure enough; between the trees she could see black and white. The panda.

And some warriors she could not recognize.

They had gone after her…

And when she looked up, she saw a bird on the sky. And it was not her mother.

"Just great," she muttered as she slowly crawled off the tree. Turning around, she quickly disappeared between the trees and into the tall grass.

But she had not been on the run for more than ten minutes, before she noticed that something was very wrong with her legs. The pain just became bigger and bigger until she was limping badly.

The run yesterday must have been too much for them.

Growling, Tigress forced herself to continue. This was her own fault! If she had not left the Jade Palace, then her uncle would not have been killed and she would not have been captured. Then her mother would not have fought Ju-long and his warriors. Because if the owl had not been that tired when they reached the palace, then they would have been able to defeat the masters.

Then she and her mother would have been safe.

But now Tigress was walked towards an uncertain future.

And then suddenly Tigress realized it; for the first time since the orphanage she was alone.

Completely alone.

As she thought about this, Tigress was suddenly hit by a fear greater than ever.

Was this really her destiny? Being alone, hunted, hated?

Head dropping, Tigress struggled to keep on moving. Why should she? They would find her eventually. And her mother…

Her mother was probably captured.

And now Tigress knew why they hated her.

Because her mother was evil. That was what her uncle had told her. What Shifu had said. What everybody thought.

She was the daughter of a villain. And she was evil too. She had killed people. Good people. The heroes.

And all this time she had not known it.

First now she finally saw everything clearly. Fenghuang had been banished because she wanted Oogway's place.

But Oogway could not be replaced. He was Oogway. He was… just invincible.

Then Fenghuang had fled, knowing she could not return. And then she had found her. But… why?

Why had the owl decided to take her in? She had been Fenghuang's little warrior; she knew that now. She had defeated the students so Fenghuang could take out Shifu alone.

She knew that her mother cared for her. She just did not know why.

Her mother had always told her that she had heard some travelers talking about her as a cub. That she knew that they would be the perfect family.

Now Tigress started doubting what Fenghuang had ever told her.

And by doing that, she doubted everything she knew.

It was like a whole new world. She was no longer a misjudged warrior, but a bad guy on the run. There was a reason why everybody hated her.

Shaking her head sadly, Tigress tried to think of a plan.

First of all; she had to save her mother. That was not to be questioned. She was her mother.

But how was she going to do that? She could not just break into Chorh-Gom! That was impossible!

Tigress remembered how she as a cub once made plans of how to free Tai Lung. After what she heard of him, he was exactly like her and her mother. She never understood why Fenghuang refused to get him out of Chorh-Gom or at least just think about it.

But Fenghuang had been stern; Tai Lung was not their problem.

Yet, Tigress had always been sure that if they had saved him, he would have been the perfect big brother.

She did not want the same fate as Tai Lung.

Why could they not just leave them alone?! If they did, then she and her mother could live in a cave again! They would never hurt anyone! They would just live in peace if people just would let them…

But now it was too late.

If she only could go back in time and fix this. But she could not; she could only move forward. What could she do to fix her mistakes?

She knew what forgiveness was. Her mother had forgiven her when she had accidently broken something and Tigress had forgiven her mother when she had become too annoying.

Sigh. And she forgave her for lying.

But now Tigress needed everybody else to forgive them. But how? Tigress did not know. When she had forgiven her mother, and sometimes her uncle, it had been because it felt right.

How was she going to make them realize that they had not meant it?

Or, at least; she had not meant it. Her mother had… It had been her plan.

Stopping for a moment, Tigress listened. For a minute, she just stood there; like a statue. Then she continued moving forward, knowing that she was alone.

Ignoring the pain in her body, Tigress made a plan. Right now, she just had to get out of sight and away from the warriors. A simple plan. When she was safe, she had to come up with an idea of how to save her mother.

First run. Then think.

They closed the door behind then with a great slam, removing themselves from Fenghuang's view and leaving her with nothing but darkness. Shifu sighed, knowing they would talk about it.

"It's a shame," said the leopard beside him. He too was wearing a sad face as they left the owl's cell.

This was the first time they could really talk about it without Fenghuang listening.

"It is indeed, Longwei," Shifu said, calling the leopard by his name. "Sometimes you would wonder what our part in it is."

"There was nothing we could do," Longwei said quietly. "She chose her path, we chose ours." His blue eyes narrowed. "Any news from the Jade Palace?"

"They are still after Tigress," Shifu told him. "They are following her, but have not caught up on her yet. They will soon."

They both turned around to look at the closed prison door behind them.

"Fenghuang is not going to be happy," the leopard said. "But, of course, she is already angry."

Shifu nodded. "She never let go of her anger. That is what caused this." They started walking their way out of Chorh-Gom again.

"It's quite funny," Longwei said. "I did not think I would see her again. When she left… I was pretty sure it was forever. And if I said I did not miss her, I would be a liar."

The red panda glanced at him. "It's understandable. Her betrayal seemed to be the end of us. How are the others, now when we talk about it?"

"Bai is busy with his family," Longwei said, thinking about the rooster. "And I haven't heard from Delun for a while."

Shifu smiled slightly, remembering his old comrades. The red panda, the owl, the leopard, the rooster and the elephant. Together they had created the Furious Five.

But when Fenghuang had left them, the team just fell apart. Only Shifu remained at the Jade Palace, while the others left to create their own destinies.

Bai had found a family, Delun travelled around China, Longwei had created a Kung Fu Academy, and Fenghuang… she had found Tigress.

And he had found Tai Lung. He had lost Tai Lung. He had gotten new students, creating the new Furious Five. He had trained Po the Dragon Warrior.

And now they were here.

When Shifu and his students had fled, the master had contacted his old comrade, telling him about Fenghuang. When the Masters Council had reached the Valley of Peace, he had been there, waiting for them.

"I am sure they miss it too," Longwei said, "the good, old days."

"So long time ago," Shifu muttered, causing the leopard to laugh.

"Did you just call us old, Shifu?" he asked him.

The Grandmaster raised an eyebrow. "I was just clearing up the facts," he said calmly, though, with a smile on his lips.

Longwei rolled his eyes. "You sure were." The leopard had of course changed since they had fought together as young. The age was too showing of him; the fur that covered his slim body had gotten almost completely white. Though, his eyes were still happy as ever.

His presence made Shifu happier than he wanted to admit. When he looked at Fenghuang, it brought back memories. Longwei helped him remember the good times. And even though the leopard was a bit too playful after Shifu's taste, he had happily received a punch to the shoulder as they had done in the old days.

It still hurt, even though it was meant as a warm greeting.

As they stood in front of the big door that led out of the prison, they hesitated.

"We should rest," Longwei said. "I don't feel like walking into a blizzard right now."

Knowing he was right, Shifu said, "We'll stay here until morning."

They turned around and the guards bow to them once again. "Shifu?" Longwei then asked. "Her kid; you knew her, right?"

Shifu nodded, looking at the ground. "I trained her shortly when she was a cub."

But Longwei seemed to be lost in his thoughts. "I just can't believe it. Fenghuang… with a cub?"

"She's not exactly a cub…" Shifu tried, but understood that Longwei was no longer listening. "Goodnight, Longwei," as they walked different ways to get to their room.

"Goodnight," the leopard muttered and disappeared.

As Shifu walked to his bed, he realized one thing; he had to talk with Fenghuang. He needed answers and she was the one who had them.

Knowing he would leave tomorrow, Shifu decided to talk with the prisoner tonight.

What he did not know was that Longwei had exactly the same plans.

"She's in there," the warrior told Po. The panda gulped as he looked into the cave; he saw only darkness.

"So… who enters first?"

The warrior, an always serious lynx, glared at him. For Po, it was like Tiger was back; just in another body.

"You'll lure her out, and I'll shoot her with this," he said while holding out an arrow. "As soon as it hits her, she will fall asleep."

"Okay, okay," Po muttered. "Got it."

"Great," the lynx said. "Let's begin."

Widening his eyes, Po called out, "Wait!" But the warrior had already disappeared up into a tree, making his bow ready.

Scowling, Po walked towards the cave. He really did not want to do this.

First of all; Tigress had claws! She could scratch him! Or worse…

And on the other hand; he did not want to capture the tiger. In those weeks where he and his friends had been captured, he had seen a side of Tigress that the warriors did not see.

He understood her. At least, in some ways.

And this… this just felt wrong. Tigress had not meant what she had done. She had thought it had been the right thing to do. And she had saved their lives in some crazy way.

But now he was stepping inside the cave as the first step to bring her to prison. "Tigress?" he whispered, hoping to wake her up so he could warn her.

One of the spies had seen her gone into this cave, probably to rest, and this was their chance to take her down. Po felt like being a coward; attacking one while she was sleeping.

"Tigress?"

And in the darkness, two glowing feline eyes could now be seen.

She was awake.

"Tigress," Po tried again but was met with a furious growl. "Tigress, wait! Eep!"

The panda had to back away quickly as Tigress jumped at him. Before he realized what he had done, Po was out of the cave with Tigress running towards him and the warrior waiting in the tree.

A/N: And I end it here! Yes, the leopard does look like a girl on the picture (a little bit), but now she's a he! Mah! More about him in the next chapter!

Look here! Thanks! I have made my first poll ever and I think you are going to like it! I am making drawing of my OC's!

Please vote and review *using my puppy-eyes here*!