I am SO SORRY for not updating for almost an entire month! Please forgive me :( School is my full-time job now, so I can only write when I get free time. I tried to make this chapter as good as possible.
Phetiamwantip: Thank you for being a continued supporter of the story! I appreciate your loyalty :)
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Milu
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Milu watched quietly as Tigress, Huo, and Tai Lung retreated into the mountains. With a quiet sigh, he turned to watch as Jian was called back into his pendant by Kai. Leo lay on his stomach before Kai. His breathing was ragged and his tail twitched occasionally. But, if Milu looked hard enough, he could still see the fight left in the lion. If it were up to Leo, he would fight until the moment he died. Milu had to do something.
Taking one last glance back to the mountains- to make sure Tigress and Tai were gone- Milu stood and tread carefully into the garden. Kai extended his hooves, ready to steal Leo Lung's chi, when Milu called out, "Stop!" He bellowed, his arm extending almost in a defensive manner.
To the wapiti's surprise, Kai did stop. He looked over in Milu's direction, almost annoyed with the fact that his ritual of taking chi had been interrupted. Kai's bright green eyes scanned Milu up and down. The bull straightened and stared at Milu curiously, "You are not a warrior," He hummed thoughtfully, "but your chi is still strong." Kai said, intrigued by Milu's sudden appearance.
Milu approached Leo and Kai slowly, to not spook Kai into attacking. Milu, despite living at the Jade Palace for four years, was no expert in Kung Fu. He hardly knew anything about it. If Kai attacked, Milu would stand no chance.
"I am a healer." He said clearly. "Let me heal Master Leo."
In a fraction of a second, Kai had one of his jade swords out and pointed at Milu's throat, "If you so much as raise a finger at him-"
"You wouldn't want an injured soldier, would you?" Milu asked quickly, hoping to appeal to Kai's history as a general. Milu did not know all that much about the other bull, but one thing Milu did know is that a leader of an army always looked out for their men.
Kai didn't say anything, but Milu noticed that his ears had subtly perked forward- Kai was listening. "If you take Leo as he is now," Milu glanced down at him, "he would hardly be of any use. He wouldn't be able to run or fight, not in the state he is in now. Let me heal him, then do as you wish." He spoke quickly. The jade sword grazed roughly against his throat, shaving off several hairs in the process.
At his feet, Leo turned and looked up at Milu. The lion didn't say anything, but the confusion was evident on his face. What was Milu doing? Surely he wasn't going to heal Leo just to hand him over to Kai's waiting hooves, right? Kai looked down at Leo, then back to Milu. Kai removed his blade from Milu's throat, "Fine. Alright. Heal him, but don't try anything funny." He said with an ominous growl.
Milu, with none of his medical equipment in hand, knelt beside Leo. "What are you doing?" Leo growled hoarsely, his mane tattered.
"Buying time, and hoping this works," Milu whispered, his voice barely even audible.
Kai called Jian back to his side, and now the lion was glowering at Milu, keeping watch as Kai began to march towards the destroyed section of the Main building. Out of the corner of his eye, Milu watched as Kai began to look at and admire the destruction he had created, almost as if he were proud of it.
"It's been nearly a decade since I've done this. Let's hope it works." Milu prayed. He laid one hoof over Leo's broken shoulder and began to hum quietly. The doctor's eyes fluttered shut as he began to concentrate.
Leo Lung watched in awe as Milu's hooves glowed with a radiant golden aura. Leo felt the bones in his upper torso- which had been throbbing in pain since Kai viciously yanked his arm with the chain- rearrange themselves back into position. The pain dulled. Milu opened his eyes to inspect his work.
His eyes wide with shock, Leo looked up at Milu, "Where'd you learn-?" He whispered in awe.
"Kamar-taj." The elk whispered hastily. His eyes darted up to check on Kai, who was still reveling in his victory. Milu closed his eyes again and began concentrating on Leo's other wounds. His hooves glowed golden again.
Milu felt his energy begin to drain. It had been almost ten years since he had healed someone using chi. His breathing became labored as he turned his attention to Leo's next wounds. The bite wounds inflicted by Jian- who stood watching menacingly just several paces away- began to shrink and fill back in as Milu brushed his glowing hoof over them. Not even a scar was left. Milu's muscles began to tremble. Leo felt his energy become restored.
Kai, feeling the warmth of Milu's chi on his back, turned. His eyes widened in astonishment as Milu used his chi- just like the pandas did with Oogway nearly 500 years ago- to heal Leo Lung. In retrospect, Kai didn't really know what to expect from the wapiti, especially since Milu had no medical equipment with him. A wave of anger surged through Kai's body as he watched Milu at work. "No!"
Milu lifted his head just in time to see Kai throw a jade sword at him. The elk gasped and, raising his hooves away from Leo, formed a circle of chi in front of himself and Leo. The sword collided with the golden shield, and Milu pressed himself to his feet as Kai charged. The elk saw darkness dancing at the edge of his vision, but he pushed himself to protect Leo and buy Tigress and Tai Lung as much time as possible.
Jian, his movements stiff, leaped towards Leo Lung. Leo, still reeling from the fact that Milu had healed him with chi, grunted as he began to battle with his father.
Milu, his fur messy and his eyes tired, yet determined, braced himself as Kai leaped at him. He raised his chi shield right as Kai swung his sword downward. The elk might have been experienced in the art of healing, but he did not know how to fight. Kai swung both of his jade swords angrily at Milu, and Milu would either raise his shield or dance out of the way. Why would Kai come after him like this, though? Milu was much less of a threat than Leo Lung. It was almost as if Kai hated seeing someone being healed using chi.
It snapped something in him.
Leo Lung had gotten the upper claw against Jian. He was stronger, younger, energized, and, well, alive. The jade was beginning to become an issue, though. Any normal opponent would be bruised and quite possibly bleeding after fighting Leo Lung. Jian, being made out of jade, didn't even need to think about worrying about Leo hurting him. In fact, the jade worked to his advantage. His blows hit harder now, and Leo had to be careful with an all-out punch or kick unless he wanted to break one of his bones and undo Milu's work. However, Leo's agility and strength led him to be able to push Jian back and win control of the battle.
Meanwhile, Kai had not relented in his assault on Milu. The doctor put every ounce of strength he had into his shield. Whenever Milu thought that Kai had finished swinging his sword, the bull would rear his other hoof back and strike with his second sword. Beads of sweat ran down Milu's forehead and torso as each of Kai's strikes pushed him back. His hoofs tried to dig into the ground but every time Milu thought he found a foothold, a particularly strong swing or a scary lunge would cause Milu to stumble.
Then, Kai lifted his jade sword above his head and, with a bellow of anger, brought his sword slamming down onto Milu's shield with a crash! The chi shield shattered and faded, leaving the doctor to fall onto his back with a grunt. His shield of chi faded into mist, Milu was panting and staring up at Kai in defeat. His energy had been depleted, and he raised a single hoof in a meager attempt to protect himself from whatever pain Kai was going to inflict on him.
Leo turned around and noticed Milu had fallen, with Kai looming menacingly over him. "No!" Leo side-kicked Jian in the head- hard- and rushed to Milu's aid. Just as Milu had mere minutes ago, Leo stood protectively over him. His tail lashed as he stared down the ox. Kai didn't even seem angry that Leo had stepped into his path. "You wanted my chi." The lion growled. "Take it, then."
Master Leo straightened his back and opened his arms as an invitation. Milu's eyes widened in shock as Leo presented himself to Kai. Leo turned his head and cast one last glance at Milu. Milu expected to see defeat in Leo's eyes. After all, that's what just happened, right? Kai had wrecked the Jade Palace. He had almost every Master in the Jade Palace under his belt- literally. Kai had beat Masters Leo, Tai, Shifu, and so many more. How could Leo see this as anything other than a loss?
But instead of the hopelessness of losing, Milu saw a glimmer of determination in Leo Lung's eyes. It was nothing more than a moment's glance, but Milu knew what he saw. A mere flicker- there and gone- of bravery. It was the same spark of courage that Milu had seen in the wounded lion in Gongmen City. The lion who threw himself into battle to protect his village. The lion who, knowing he stood no chance of winning, still put himself in harm's way to protect those he cared for. Milu had never seen anything like it.
Kai chuckled, and opened up his hooves, "How brave of you, little cat. Foolish, but brave." Kai chuckled. His hooves glowed a light jade green, and he reached out towards Leo's chest. The lion shuddered and groaned in pain as Kai began stealing his chi.
Kai groaned as he took Leo's chi. The lion was powerful. Granted, he was not as strong as King Yama or Oogway, but his chi was mighty. He felt his body trembling. Kai closed his eyes as his body worked to accommodate even more raw power.
Milu may not be trained in the art of war, but he knew an opportunity when it presented itself. While Kai's eyes were closed and he concentrated on harnessing Leo Lung's power, the elk scrambled to his feet. On all four hooves, Milu turned and ran. His breathing was labored and his muscles ached and begged him to rest. But, if Milu had a sliver of a chance against Kai before, it would be a death sentence to face him now. He had no choice but to flee.
Jian lunged at him to try and keep him from retreating, but Milu bucked his hooves, kicking the jade lion in the jaw. His hooves hit the ground and the doctor wasted no time in hurrying away.
His hooves carried him towards the front of the palace, towards the steps that led down to the Valley. He didn't see where Tigress, Tai Lung, and Huo had retreated. He thought about following them. If he kept at this pace he might be able to catch up to them and meet them. He would tell them that Leo Lung had fallen, and they were the only ones who could warn Po.
A ghastly roar echoed off the mountains behind Milu. The elk turned his head and saw that, from the vantage point of the Master's Gardens, Leo Lung was staring at him.
Except, it wasn't Leo Lung.
He was a jade green statue now. Like his family before him, Leo had become a Jombie. His mane didn't blow with the wind. Instead, it was a heavy green jade hanging around Leo's neck. Milu stared in shock and horror. He felt a pang of fear in his chest as the statue stared at him. It was nothing like Milu had ever seen. Like Leo was a hunter, and he had just spotted his prey. His eyes, now a light green instead of their usual amber, tracked Milu's every movement.
Jian moved to stand beside his son. Both of the lions glowered down at Milu. A pang of fear spiked in Milu's chest as he stared at the two Jombies. In that single moment, Milu had never felt so much terror.
He couldn't meet with Tigress. If Kai sent Leo and Jian after him, he would put everyone in danger. So, instead of following their trail up the mountain, Milu turned and began racing down the steps, towards the Valley. He skirted nimbly around the broken steps that the statue of Oogway had destroyed. His fur began to spike as he felt Leo's eyes watching him. He felt a shiver run through his body as he raced towards the Valley. He feared for his family. He feared for his life.
When he reached the bottom, Milu gave a small gasp of sadness as he took in the destruction of the town square. The stone pavement was in pebbles, the trees and bushes that gave life to the square were uprooted or just completely beheaded as Oogway's statue came crashing through. The fountain, once the centerpiece of the square, was now broken. Water flooded the square, and Milu, now standing on his legs instead of all fours, waded through the near ankle-deep water to get out of the square.
His eyes scanned the Valley as he raced away from the Palace. Maybe he could find Elena? It wouldn't be unlike his wife to stubbornly remain behind and wait for him. But where would she be?
"Elena?" Milu called as he ran through the Valley, towards the river. "Where are you?"
His ears strained as he tried to pick up any sound of his wife, or anybody for that matter, calling back to him. But the town was silent. The only sound the doctor heard was the wind, emptily blowing through the village. Everyone had been evacuated in fear of Kai's arrival.
Desperation, fatigue, and helplessness washed over Milu as he raced towards the river. Not a single soul was in sight when he reached the dock. "Elena?" He shouted, trying to hear her.
When Milu was met with nothing but the sound of the river murmuring below his hooves, the elk hung his head in sadness. He didn't know where the villagers had been evacuated to, whether it was somewhere downriver or to a different city; with nightfall arriving in a matter of hours, it would be no use to go looking for them. A wave of fatigue and tiredness washed over him as his knees began to tremble.
And poor Klara. Milu closed his eyes as images of his daughter raced through his mind. She must be at the panda village by now. Had they taught her how to wield chi, just as he had minutes before? Did she make plenty of friends? Did she miss him as much as he missed her?
And most importantly, could Po protect her? Kai now had Shifu, Leo Lung, and almost all of the Furious Five on his side. He wanted so desperately to go to the village and take her far away. He wanted to protect her as best as he could. But the only way he could do that was to trust in Po.
Milu stumbled onto a dock on the river. His body longed for rest. Healing with chi took a toll on him, but missing his family was the final straw. He fell to his knees as he reached the edge of the wooden dock. His vision began to darken, and he collapsed onto his side. His antlers clacked noisily against the wooden structure, but he paid no heed. His brain fought for him to get up and find Elena, but his body demanded rest. Resting seemed so appealing to his trembling and aching muscles, but at what cost to his family?
As Milu's vision turned black, he thought of only one thing. {Please, let my wife and daughter be safe.}
. . .
{Please?}
. . .
Milu felt a hand grab his shoulder, lightly shaking his body. "Sir? Sir? Are you ok?"
The sun beat hotly down on Milu's fur. His brain was foggy and his eyes were still closed. What had happened? Milu stirred as his eyes squinted open. He was on the dock. His whole body felt sore, and his mouth felt full of cotton. Milu tried to pull his arms under him, but they felt as if they weighed as much as a village of elephants. The figure moved in front of his face, crouching down to block the sun out.
Milu looked up at the figure. He was a tall wolf, with curious yellow eyes, "Sir? You're the doctor, right?"
He gave a tired nod, "Yes." He rasped. Oh, right. Kai had happened.
"Are you ok?" The wolf asked, his paw on Milu's shoulder.
Milu was about to answer 'yes' but stopped himself short. Another wave of fatigue washed over him, causing his vision to fade in and out. When was the last time he had eaten? Surely he had breakfast this morning, but he felt so weak it seemed like he had gone days without eating. Was it this morning? How long had he been passed out? It was almost evening when Kai had arrived at the Jade Palace, but now, with the hot summer sun beating down on his back, it felt like it was around noon.
"No," The wapiti murmured. He moved his tongue around in his mouth, almost as if it were an alien feeling to him. Milu closed his eyes with a quiet sigh, wishing to resign back to sleep.
The wolf looked down at him, "What happened? Where is everyone?"
Milu gathered his strength and moved to sit up. The wolf grabbed his arm and helped him sit back. Milu took a deep breath and examined the wolf in front of him; he was a young tawny-colored wolf with bright yellow eyes. He had a bow and quiver on his back. "Kai," Milu answered simply. His body was beginning to wake up. He felt the feeling return in his arms and legs, and the fogginess surrounding his brain began to lift.
"Oh." The wolf said quietly, "Kai attacked our village too."
Milu lifted his head, "What?"
"Kai attacked our village." The wolf stated, "He took Shui." He hung his head sadly.
Milu felt his eyes widen in shock as he registered what the wolf told him, "What do you mean 'took Shui'?" His ears perked forward as he waited for the tawny wolf to answer.
"Well, he turned her into this weird pendant." The wolf held up his paw to demonstrate the size of the pendant, "He clipped it onto his belt and left. I came here hoping to find help," The wolf trailed off, "and you're a doctor, right? You can help us."
Milu sighed. He pulled himself to his feet, wobbling a bit as he caught his balance. "I am a doctor." He said, "But I can't help you." He said sadly. "Shui's been converted into one of Kai's minions."
"How do we undo it, then?" The wolf asked.
"We can't." Milu turned to leave. "It's up to Po to stop Kai, now." He stumbled towards the base of the dock. His legs were still aching from yesterdays- Milu assumed it had been yesterday- battle with Kai. "If you'll excuse me, I need to find my wife."
"W-Wait!" The wolf barked, "Our village still needs help!" He cried.
Milu stopped in his tracks as he heard the wolf behind him, but he wished he hadn't. Elena was probably worried sick about him. He needed to find her and make sure she was ok. But he felt a pang in his heart as the wolf quietly whined behind him. He was a doctor. It was his job to heal. Milu slowly turned, "What's your name, wolf?"
"L-Lie Ren, sir." Lie Ren said. His face conveyed the desperation of the situation, "We need your help."
Milu took a deep breath. He gazed behind Lie Ren and saw a small boat with an ocean-blue sail. It was Shui's boat. Lie Ren had come all the way here for his help.
He then turned and gazed back into the village. He wanted to find Elena and comfort her. But the more he thought about it, the more determined he became. Elena was strong-willed and stubborn. She would be fine on her own.
The wolves, however, needed him. Milu had seen the power of Kai first-hoof. If Kai had attacked the wolf village- who didn't have any trained Kung Fu warriors to protect them- he could only guess what kind of damage had been caused. He straightened his back and turned back to Lie Ren. "They'll need all the help they can get." He slowly walked towards the boat, "Show me the way."
. . .
Tigress
. . .
Tigress, Tai Lung, and Huo had been running for just over a day now, with little to no rest. Tigress and Tai Lung would take turns holding Huo. The poor pup could hardly handle walking more than a couple of miles before wanting to be picked up and carried. Tigress could hardly blame him.
When Huo wasn't sleeping or crying, he would ask questions. 'Where are we going?' was the most commonly asked question. Tigress didn't mind it and would calmly answer his questions to the best of her ability; but Tai Lung, who had much less patience than Tigress for Huo's antics, would huff and grumble quietly whenever Huo got talkative.
Right as the trio were cresting the slope of a mountain, Huo, holding Tigress's paw, asked for the fourth time that hour: "Are we there yet?"
"No!" Tai Lung immediately snapped with a lash of his tail. Huo visibly flinched at the leopard's sudden outburst. His bottom lip quivered and he stared at the ground.
Tigress felt her fur prickle as she glared at Tai Lung, "There's no reason to be harsh with him." She said.
"He's done nothing but ask the same question over and over!" Tai Lung argued. Tigress picked up Huo. The wolf pup gently hugged his arms around her. Tigress rubbed his back gently and arched an eyebrow at Tai. The leopard, seeing how Tigress would likely slash his eyes out if he came after Huo like that again, sighed, "Have you fed him?"
Tigress spoke calmly, "If I had food, I would've fed it to him already." She turned to look at the wolf pup, who was staring intently at the fur on the back of his paw, "Are you hungry, Huo?"
"Mhm." He hummed, leaning in for a hug. Tigress hugged him back,
"We'll find some food for you."
Tai Lung grumbled quietly and began walking again, "We need to keep moving." He said resolutely, heading down the mountain. Huo turned his head to watch the leopard leave, and he looked at Tigress.
"Does Tai-Tai hate me?" He asked quietly. His ruby-red eyes were glistening with unfallen tears.
Tigress was tempted to answer 'yes, he does hate you.' Tai Lung probably wouldn't hear her. Huo was supposed to be her godson, not his. If Huo thought Tai Lung hated him, he would avoid him and spend more time with her, right? But Tigress knew that being jealous of their relationship wouldn't strengthen hers and Huo's. She took a deep breath and answered,
"No. Tai-Tai does not hate you."
"Promise?" Huo whimpered.
"Promise," Tigress said, following after Tai Lung, who was advancing quickly down the mountain. She held on tight to the wolf pup as she began to scale down the mountain to catch up to the leopard. They descended into a valley and Tigress put Huo down so he could stretch his legs some more. Tigress did not know how much farther they had to go, and she trusted that they could find their way. She was no expert in tracking, but, with Tai Lung leading the way, she hoped that the leopard had better experience following trails than she did.
Meanwhile, Tai Lung was looking at the Scroll of Oogway. He walked while scanning the contents of the scroll. The leopard was looking specifically at the pandas healing Oogway while Kai stood, watching, nearby.
Tigress matched pace with him and looking at the scroll. She studied the pandas and the glowing light coming from their paws. Tai spoke without looking at her, "How much do you trust Po?"
She answered without even thinking, "I'd trust him with my life."
"What about Huo's life?" Tai asked, an eyebrow raised. "You think he can master chi in..what? It's been a week?"
Tigress felt her fur stand on end as she registered the leopard's words, "Po has saved my life before." Her mind flashed back to the Battle against Shen, where he leaped in front of the Peace Destroyer to save her. He very well could have died, but he didn't even hesitate to throw himself in front of the fiery cannonball. "I do not doubt that Po would do the same for Huo. And Po is a fast learner. If he could beat you after only having a few days to train, I am certain that we will be fine."
Tai lashed his tail and snapped the scroll shut, "Can you please drop that? I get it, it was easy for Po to beat me. But I am not Kai. Kai is stronger. Kai beat me. And you. And Oogway. And Shifu. He probably beat Leo, too. But if we can just focus on the matter at hand," Tai held up the scroll for emphasis, "and get to the panda village before Kai does, that'd be great."
"That's what we've been doing for the last day," Tigress said. "And I've seen what Po could do. I trust him to protect us." She watched as Huo wandered slightly off the trail to inspect an oddly shaped rock.
"Fine." The leopard said.
The three continued in silence. At least, Tigress and Tai did. Huo babbled and sang to himself as he walked. As they wandered through the valley, Huo suddenly lurched off the path and into a nearby bush. Tigress stopped suddenly, "Huo?" She asked. Tai looked back, slowing his pace.
The pup reemerged moments later with a little butterfly in his paws, "Lookie what I found!" He held the butterfly by its wings and thrust it upwards to show Tigress and Tai.
"Be gentle with it," Tigress smiled. She gave Huo an encouraging pat on the head, and Huo loosened his grip on the butterfly's wings. The butterfly wriggled out of his paws and began to fly away.
Tai turned away from the scene and looked up at the nearby mountains that rose above the forest. The sun was beginning to dip behind the peaks. The night was coming. "We should find a place to rest." He spoke. When Tigress looked at him, he added on quickly, "For Huo's sake."
As they searched for a place to bed down for the night, Huo asked, "Why are we walking?" He held Tigress's paw as he walked.
"Well," She began to think as Huo waited for an answer, "we are going to visit Master Po."
"Where is he?" Huo yawned.
"In a village, far far away," Tigress said.
"Where?" The pup murmured.
"I..." Tigress started. She didn't know the exact location of the village. "Well. We will be there soon. Then you will know where it is." She said calmly.
"Oh." Huo wandered sleepily around the clearing. He didn't question the logic. By this time, night was almost upon them. Stars glimmered above the trio and the crickets and cicadas began their nightly song. The only thing illuminating the clearing was the moon, nearly half full above them, and the twinkling stars.
"Get him ready for bed," Tai said quietly, "I'll get some firewood for a fire." He turned and slowly marched into the woods, scanning for stray twigs and branches on the ground. Tigress watched quietly as the leopard left.
"It's time to go to sleep, Huo." Tigress instructed, sitting down next to Huo, who was rubbing his eyes sleepily.
"When can we see Po?" The puppy yawned. Tigress took off her golden jacket and lay it on the ground. She set Huo on one end of the jacket and began to roll him up in it to keep him warm.
"Soon. Maybe tomorrow or the next day." She hummed quietly, gently stroking Huo's head as the pup drifted off to sleep. She felt the wind blow through her fur. Soon Huo began to snore quietly, which caused Tigress to smile involuntarily.
When Tai Lung returned several minutes later with some firewood, Tigress' smile faded. She watched in silence as he lit the campfire by viciously rubbing two sticks together.
The two large cats sat in silence, with only Huo's snoring and the nightly ambiance filling the silence. Tigress contented herself with staring at the flickering flames of the fire, while Tai continued to study the Scroll.
Tigress felt the exhaustion of the past 36 hours begin to weigh on her mind. She and Tai Lung were the only Kung Fu Masters able to relay the message to Po about what happened at the Jade Palace. Tigress did not want to think about it, but she knew that if Leo Lung had survived Kai, surely he would've caught up to them by now?
She winced her eyes closed. {When Po defeats Kai, we can fix this. We'll get everyone back.} She thought to herself. Tigress gently lay down on her side facing the fire, with Huo cuddling into her stomach. She felt sleep tugging at her consciousness, and her breathing slowed. Tai's eyes flickered over to her for a moment,
"Good night." He said, watching Tigress' eyelids become heavy.
Tigress cast one glance to Tai Lung and flipped over onto her other side.
.
.
Authors Note: I hope that wasn't too rushed! I knew I missed my deadline but I still tried to convey the emotions that Tigress, Milu, and Tai Lung would be feeling in the wake of Kai's attack.
I'm going to have to suspend my current posting schedule until the fall semester lets out (December 5). During December and January, however, I will likely resume my previous schedule and will try to make up for the lost time. I don't want to disappoint you guys, but I don't want to spread myself too thin with school and other hobbies/clubs. Hopefully, I can finish this story by spring 2021!
My Youtube Channel has speedpaints of three of my OCs and a cute little animatic I made. Fanfiction won't let me post the link in this chapter, so I posted the link on my profile! The link is also on my Wattpad (MissFirefly227) and AO3 (MissFirefly).
Until then, be sure to favorite the story if you like it. Follow the story to know the exact moment I post the next chapter! And leave a review if you have any ideas, comments, questions, or concerns! Positive feedback really does help!