Hellooooo,

So, firstly I'm going to quickly clear up something that happened in the last chapter, which was Viper's swearing. (I know, shock horror)

I actually intended firstly to make Susan be the one who swore (I really wanted someone to swear because; A) they are in a stressful enough situation to swear in and B) I've never sworn in my Fan fiction (ever since I'm not a sweary person and don't actually swear in real life) and I wanted to give it a try and see how to work it in to the character's dialogue) anyway, I made Viper swear eventually because I felt she would be very effected by this new 'rule' purely because she is one of the more sensitive of the group and she was very, very angry then. Cause, you know they're in a dark room with traps and stuff,

Anyway, sorry if I offended people or anything, on with the story!

Chuge slowly poured the gloopy, golden, honey into the three teacups, watching it drip satisfyingly off the spoon and disappear in the drink.

"I can't believe this fever." She mumbled to herself, stirring the cups. "It crept along so sudden; I hope Viper gets back soon."

She picked up the tray of cups and a plate of neatly folded Dragon's beard candy floss parcels, and headed up the stairs.

"Girls, I have your hot drinks here, and a little sweet to cheer you up." She cooed through the door, knocking quietly.

No answer.

"Girls." She repeated worriedly. "Are you asleep?"

Confused, she slowly opened the door and instantaneously dropped the tray of tea things at the sight that met her eyes; three empty matts.

"Girls, if this is some joke." Chuge tutted, peering around the room. "I find very little humour in it." She opened the doors of the linen cupboard but was met with nothing but the sight of neatly folded towels resting on shelves.

"Girls!" It was then she noticed the little window, the catch open and the baby-blue curtains swaying in the breeze. "Oh No!"

She threw herself across the floor towards the window and stuck her head out of it, her gaze immediately resting on the stone temple. "I can't believe them!"

She gasped and fell back from the window, her paw over her throbbing heart concealed under her red and gold dress, her breathing shuddering gasps.

Nearly tripping over her long dress, she bolted out of the room, jumping over the wrecked spillage of what once was a working tea set, and dashed down the stairs, flinging a pink knitted cardigan over her shoulders as she did so.

She crashed out of her inn and stepped out into the cool afternoon air, freezing on the front step of her hut.

Who was she to turn to?

She found her thoughts fumble into a neat queue of possible helpers, and nodded defiantly to herself as she headed to the home of the first one; her brother.

She knocked smartly on the door, then fell back, playing once more with the tassels on her dress. It was becoming a rather nervous habit of hers now.

The top part of the two-piece, barn-like door opened and her brother poked his head out.

He had a rotund, round face, usual for a panda, and was wearing his usual set of matching mauve coat and trousers.

"What do you want Chuge?" he snapped to her, his dark eyes flashing dangerously.

Subsequently, Chuge had forgotten how her brother behaved on a regular basis, but right now she just needed someone to listen, someone to help.

"It's the three girls, the ones traveling with the warriors, they're missing!" She cried.

"Shouldn't have come in the first place then, should they? They're mental the lot of them, we don't need help." Nian Zhou replied acidly, his paw back on the door handle.

"No!" Chuge's voice instantly rose to panic "Don't go, I need your help, I know where they've gone but~"

"If you know then what are you coming to me for? You dunce, just go get them." Nian sneered, as if it was the easiest thing in the world to walk into a trap-filled temple and escape without a scratch, and he slammed the door in her face.

"That freaking Dragon Warrior; going to be the death of us all!" came a shout through the wood.

"Shut up." Chuge retorted bitterly, not caring that he wouldn't even be able to hear it through the door, already scanning the rest of the village for other, possibly more helpful, pandas.

She'd set her mind on the house to the far left, where her Aunt Ming lived, when the top of the door creaked open again and Nian re-appeared.

"What I don't understand is why they even brought those girls, if they're on a mission surely they don't want three ten-year-olds adding to the mayhem." He grumbled; his arms folded along the top of the wood.

"I think it was an accident." Chuge replied, dusting her cardigan down as she prepared herself to see her Aunt. "I was meant to look after them, while the warriors fought."

"Didn't do a very good job of that one, did you little sis?" Nian snorted, tousling her hair out of its neat bun.

"I was looking after them!" Chuge bellowed indignantly, swatting his paws away from her hair as she re-fixed it with a gold Chinese rose. "But then they tricked me and went fawning off after the others, in an attempt to help fight."

"What? You mean those three dunces are in there?" Nian could barely contain his mirth as he pointed towards the stone temple. "That temple? What a bunch of idiots, I'd be quite pleased if someone bunked them off, we could live our lives without worrying about the younger generation, if they're so stupid they'll go into a trap-filled temple at the age of ten!"

"You cow!" Chuge gaped, swatting at him with her cardigan, completely aghast to such a disgusting proposal. "You absolute cow, are you saying you'd rather they died?"

"I mean it'd be better if they did but if they lived, I'm sure I'd get over it." Nian replied indifferently, looking bored.

"I can't believe you!" Chuge crowed, wrapping her cardigan around her shoulders once more, and into a knot at the front. "You're a terrible panda Nian Zhou!"

Nian just shrugged and began closing the door again. "And you're too delicate and sensitive Chuge." He sniffed haughtily and shut the door.

Chuge just stared at it in utter disgrace, took a deep breath, and crossed the village to her Aunt's place.

Hello,

Hope you enjoyed and I'll see you next time!

xx