Author's Note: Hello everyone! It's been a while. Sorry I took so long... Uni work + gaming with friends = Time gone. But anyway, I hope you are all ready for this because this is both the longest and most intense chapter yet. And trust me... I really hope you are ready because things do get a bit... Brutal... Yeah...

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KUNG FU PANDA! (If I did, they would not allow me to write stories like this anyway.)

Enjoy... If you can.


A Devastating Defeat

Falling through the gargantuan caverns, the screams of the Jade Palace warriors echo off the rocky walls as master Crane manages to catch Monkey and the unconscious Viper with his talons before flying just underneath Mantis so the insect can land on his somewhat withered hat. Yellow orbs focus on Po's descending form until the avian notices Tigress managing to leap off several falling rocks towards the panda. Regardless of her impress feat, her face is unable to hide the sheer amount of pain plaguing her body from her earlier brawl with Nuba. She pounces off one final rock, soaring towards the dragon warrior, and catches the panda master in mid-air. As they continue their descent, she flips Po upwards and forcefully pushes him towards her comrades with Monkey only just managing to grab Po's hand. Master Crane flies further down at a breakneck pace as several remains of the cavern floor threaten to crush them from above.

Amber orbs look down to see several holes punctured within the ceiling of the caves they had travelled in earlier. She manages to guide her descent directly into one of those openings and lands albeit sloppily. Within seconds, the rest of her comrades burst into the tunnel through another opening with Monkey carrying the still unconscious Viper as Crane lets everyone gently fall to the floor. Tigress darts her head around the tunnel in search for the way out, the threat of a cave-in almost a certainty, until her eyes pick up a dim light coming from a corner of the cave. "This way!" She calls out as she points out their escape. They run down the rocky corridor, narrowly dodging falling rocks and debris as the tunnel begins to rumble. Before the cave manages to become their igneous tomb, the Jade Palace masters manage to turn the corner and escape out into the now raining forest.

Boom!

All heads turn at the harsh sound as they see several piles of rocks blocking the cave entrance. A soundscape of exhausted panting fills the air alongside the patter of raindrops, with Tigress exhaling the loudest. "Whew, that was close." Po mutters through his tired breaths, his chi still recovering after using so much in their last battle.

"Hey, buddy?" Monkey asks quietly, causing Po to fully turn around to face him. "How about you warn us next time, hm? Y'know… Before you almost kill us!" The langur master raises his voice at the panda master before placing the unconscious serpent in his arms on the ground.

Yellow orbs look to the snake anxiously as master Mantis hops over and investigates her injuries. "I'm sorry, man! I had no time!" Po desperately apologises with his voice at a relatively high pitch, "And… I mean… If I said anything then maybe Nuba would figure out where we're gonna go." He continues, twiddling his fingers slightly at the end.

Crane looks up to Po and sighs, "Fine, but that was still extremely dangerous." The avian calmly scolds the panda, understanding how unorthodox his friend can be sometimes. One thing that none of the conversing warriors notice is Tigress staring at her unconscious serpent sister in sorrow, nor do they notice her gaze shifting to Po's back.

Her eyes pick out the four lines ripped into his white robes, the material almost completely ruined, yet they focus on what fills those torn lines. Blood. The crimson substance fills those lines so completely that she can barely even pick out the marks she had made on his back nor could she tell how deeply she had cut him. Amber orbs stare upon the concealed wound in complete, unwavering guilt, her heart and mind absolutely disgusted by the knowledge that she had done this. To make matters worse, she notices the panda's right paw clench and unclench before making a microscopic attempt to reach his back until he falters. Yet another attempt to hide his pain uncovered by the feline warrior. Finally managing to break her guilt-ridden stare, she walks over to a nearby puddle which ripples from the rain's tender touch.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry." Po apologises once again, his voice now being much quieter. Jade orbs gaze upon his unconscious sister, "How's Viper? She gonna be okay?" He inquires gently before turning his head around at the sound of the feline master's footsteps. He looks towards his tiger companion and his face melts in concern as he notices her melancholically staring down at the puddle, clearly looking deeper in.

Mantis sighs as he finishes analysing Viper's bruised head, her skin darkened at the point where Jiangshi had punched her. "I can't say for certain but from what I can see, she has a concussion. It might take a while until she wakes up." The insect master explains morosely, instantly noticing Crane's worried eyes focusing deeply on the snake. Hazel orbs dart towards the dragon warrior with an urgent question until they identify the panda moving towards the solemn tiger master with his arm reaching out. Po softly lays his paw on her right shoulder to try to comfort her. He opens his mouth to say something, but she beats him to it.

"23 years." Tigress whispers, her voice somewhat raspy from her incessant roars and snarls minutes ago. "I trained… For so long… And it accomplished… Nothing." She continues in a completely hollow tone, her timbre a shell of the power that would usually accompany it. Her eyes resume their unyielding stare upon herself within the pool's visage, the light rainfall distorting her reflection into something unrecognisable. "I still have that anger… I lost all control… I almost got all of you killed…" She shakes her head, "I'm no warrior… I'm-

"Don't." Po interrupts her with a foreign seriousness embedded in his voice, his paw clutching her shoulder tightly. "Don't say what I think you're gonna say…" He takes a deep breath before continuing, "You're not a monster… You never have been, and you never will be." As his grip on her shoulder loosens slightly, "I mean… Yeah, you did lose control but… After seeing what you saw… Who wouldn't?" The panda master implores, his voice reverting back to his usual softly concerned tone.

Tigress' stare doesn't falter as the ripples continue to obscure her reflection, "That isn't an excuse to risk all of your lives…" She continues in her hollow tone, "That isn't an excuse to hurt you." At this sentence, her voice crumbles slightly, her shame bruising her heart further.

A look of confusion enters Po's eyes until he remembers the moment she had dug her claws into him, "Oh c'mon, that's just a scratch. Seriously." He shrugs off the injury, ignoring the wound's stinging pain and resisting the urge to scratch or poke at it.

"That's not the…" She sighs shakily, her mind incapable of remembering anything besides an ocean of red and the two amethyst orbs that haunt her recently uncovered memory, "I… I couldn't see anything except for… Nuba…" The emptiness in her voice vanishes, instead revealing a vulnerability that, though the rest of her comrades have never seen before, Po knew all too well. "I wanted to… To kill her…" She unconsciously growls out, the dark voice she had heard earlier becoming slightly audible until she blocks it out. "And anyone else that stood in my way…" She takes another shaky breath and grips Po's paw tightly as it lies on her shoulder, "I could've… Could've… Killed you… I… I…" Her voice breaks as she painfully whispers this horrifying realisation, tears rolling down her eyes and dripping down into her already distorted reflection.

Each warrior gazes upon the tiger with nothing but pity. But none of their eyes contain as much pain as Po's. He hears the tiger master sniffle and clear her throat in an effort to contain her tears, to try to compose herself, and his heart breaks at the helpless tone embedded in her voice. She feels him slide his paw out of hers and wrap his arms around her waist. He embraces her from behind and rests his head on her shoulder with his eyes closed, "That doesn't matter… I made a promise to you, and I'm going to keep it…" He whispers with all the love and care he can muster, "I won't leave you… Not now… Not ever." He rubs her waist with his left paw, hoping that this will calm her down.

This, however, causes the tiger to close her eyes as more tears threaten to burst out. After what she had done earlier, after what she had just said, he is still willing to help her. He loves her that much… And her mind can't even silence her untrusting thoughts for long enough to tell him how much she needs him. I don't deserve you. She grips his arms softly, savouring his warm embrace, and chuffs at him caressing her waist.

Po smiles sadly, elated that he's helping her but despondent that she had to be put through this in the first place. His mind realises that his comrades are looking at the two of them, noticing just how close they are. He doesn't care. She needs this. They both do. "Besides, we're in the clear now, right?" He states in a somewhat louder voice, trying to find some silver lining in their dire situation.

Of course, Monkey decides to undermine this by sarcastically muttering, "Yeah… Clear, sure." He crosses his arms looking away from his two cuddled comrades.

"Monkey." Crane quietly reprimands the langur, remaining cautious of their leader's mental state. He knows that she isn't going to go into that berserker rage that she was in earlier, but the psychological trauma of finding her past is not something that they can simply shrug off. Not after the rough life she's had.

"Actually." Mantis counters his avian companion, "That brings up an important question… What're we gonna do now?" He implores to all of his comrades, looking at each warrior in the eye. Upon hearing this, Tigress wipes her tears from her eyes and taps on Po's arms to let her go. Despite the fact that her guilt hasn't stopped beating down on her heart, she understands that now is not the time to let her emotions get the best of her. Not again. He reluctantly releases her from his embrace, almost certain that she is still hurting inside. "Not only is Viper unconscious, but we're all exhausted… Honestly, I don't see any way of winning this." The insect master begrudgingly admits.

A tense silence permeates the darkened, raining forest as the Jade Palace warriors are simply unable to come up with a plausible way of beating Nuba. We might just have to run back to the palace and get backup. As this thought rushes through Po's head, he comes to a realisation. But what would stop her from following us there? Heck, with how tired we are she might catch us before we can even go near the valley… His mind stays on this line of thought for a few seconds until he reaches a conclusion. The only conclusion. "I have an idea." He announces, his voice lathered in a melancholic tone. All four of his comrades notice this change in his diction and look at him in concern. "You guys head back to the Jade Palace and get some backup." He suggests, aware of what their reaction will be.

"Wait. 'You guys'? Um, Po? You are coming with us, right?" Monkey inquires in a slightly panicked tone as the rest of the warriors look at him in complete shock of what he may be suggesting.

Po takes a deep breath, "I'm sorry guys… But someone's gotta distract her, otherwise she'll keep following us back to the palace." He ignores the now horrified faces of his comrades as he mutters, "I hope I can stall her for long enough." Jade orbs look to each warrior, uttering a silent goodbye until they rest upon Tigress. Po takes in her form, realising that this may be the final time he may ever be able to see the woman he loves so much. Though he wants to tell her how much she means to him, he simply doesn't have time; Nuba could be catching up to them as they speak. "Don't worry guys, I'll be fine." He sombrely assures them with tears welling up in his eyes before he begins to walk back towards the mountain, not allowing any of his warrior friends to respond.

Amber orbs look upon the panda's retreating form with a cold emptiness invading Tigress' soul. Flashes of dreadful memories fill her vision. Po's body being lifted away by the vicious cannon ball that Shen had fired. His body disappearing along with Kai's as he used the Wuxi finger hold on himself. At these memories, a fire rapidly ignites her heart and spreads to her eyes, which narrow in determination. She walks after him with clenched fists, "Where do you think you're going?" She asks with her stern, commanding tone returning to her voice.

Po looks back, unsurprised that his feline companion would try to fight him on this but concerned that she'd let his safety get in the way of theirs. "You heard me, Tigress. And no matter what you say, I'm doing this." He confirms, knowing that this won't be enough to deter her.

"Like hell you are." She growls out as she gets closer to the panda.

"Tigress, seriously we don't have time for this. She could close in on us at any moment!" He attempts to reason with her, hoping that maybe she'll be able to let him go.

At his statement, Tigress grabs the dragon warrior and pins his paws above his head onto a large tree. They look at each other in complete silence. He sees the anger in her face but also manages to uncover the desperation in her eyes. "This plan is not going to work." She snarls out, looking directly into his undeterred jade eyes.

"This is the only plan I've got." He explains in a hopeless tone, silently pleading to the Gods that there is another way. "I don't like it but… At least you guys will be safe." He admits with a sad smile on his face.

Her face softens slightly at his smile, her heart choking at the possibility of never seeing it again. She lets go of his left paw and lightly caresses his face with her right paw, bringing an unfathomable warmth to the dragon warrior's heart. "What's the point of being safe if you're not there?" She softly whispers, her mind allowing her heart to speak once more. Amber orbs stare into jade green eyes as Po slowly cradles her right paw with his free paw. She rests her head on his right shoulder and closes her eyes, their pinned position slowly transitioning into a hug. She tenderly rubs her cheek into his before whispering, "I've lost so much… I… I can't lose you too…" Po's spine tingles at her touch, her admission causing his heart to swell in pain. "Not you, Po…" She finishes with a shaky voice as she buries her face in the crook of his neck. Though he wants to guarantee her safety and sacrifice himself regardless, he simply doesn't have the heart to push her away, instead deciding to stroke her back amorously resulting in his feline lover chuffing again.

"She's right, Y'know." Po looks up to see his other comrades now a bit closer to them with serious looks in their eyes, "Honestly… I don't know where we'd be without you… And I'd prefer not to know." Crane admits while holding his straw hat close to his chest with his talon.

"Yeah. If we're gonna save China, then we want you there to see it buddy." Monkey states with his hands on his hips and a cheeky grin invading his face.

"Don't forget, Po." Mantis bellows, "We fight together till the end, and that will never change." He finishes with a brotherly smile on his face and his pincers folded over his chest.

A huge smile fills Po's face as he registers their kind words. "I-uh… Th-thanks guys… I…" He trails off, completely flustered by their display of care. Granted he has told them how much they mean to him all the time, receiving the same sort of adoration and praise simply had him stumped. He feels Tigress' head move itself from his shoulder and he looks down to see her signature small smile on her face. A smile that had captured his attention and kept it so many times before. A smile that had stolen his heart the second she had given it to him. His promise to Oogway echoes in his head. I'll never abandon them, master… Never. "Alright…" He finally agrees with his comrades, his voice becoming much more tender as his eyes stay on Tigress' face. "Alright, I won't do it… Sorry for worrying you guys." He gets his back off the tree and lays out one important question to everyone, "But if we don't have a distraction or something, then how do we get back to the Jade Palace before her?"

Before anyone can answer, all five warriors hear a quiet thud from right next to Po and Tigress despite them not seeing anything fall down.

"You won't." The instant the cloaked Nuba finishes her sentence, she kicks Po away from the group which causes him to roll down the declining area of the forest.

"Po!" Tigress yells out before attempting to attack the invisible Nuba only to be swiftly countered with a powerful hit, forcing her away from the rolling panda.

As the tiger master is thrown back, Nuba uncloaks herself in front of the four remaining warriors in her fighting stance. "You think I'd let you go that easily?" She mockingly asks, her tone remaining cold. Three of the four masters charge towards Nuba whilst Crane attempts to fly towards his falling friend. "Jiangshi!" As the white tiger calls out her obedient monstrosity, the three masters charging towards her notice a shadow rapidly growing underneath them which forces them to leap back. With a deafening boom the hulking atrocity lands directly in front of Nuba, kicking up waves of dirt around it. The white tiger quickly races towards the avian master and pounces upon him mid-flight, "I don't think so." She venomously hisses before unsheathing her claws and digging them deeply into his wings causing the poor bird to scream in agony. They crash into the ground in a heap. Nuba rolls off the crane writhing in agony before delivering a chi kick directly into his torso, sending him flying over Jiangshi's head and towards his trapped comrades. They rush over to help their wounded friend whilst the white tiger commands the horrid creature, "Jiangshi, keep them busy!" She then runs down the declining forest to finally battle the dragon warrior, leaving what's left of the furious five to fend off the hideous abomination under her command.

Crowding around the wounded bird, Tigress' paws shine a golden light as she harnesses her chi. Before she can even attempt to heal Crane, he yells out, "Don't!" Much to her confusion, "We need all the chi we can possibly use against… That." He explains whilst pointing one of his bloodied wings at the monstrosity lumbering towards them. With a painful grimace infecting his face, Crane manages to stumble up onto his talons and takes up his kung fu stance. "I'll be okay. Right now, we need to worry about Po." He pants heavily as he looks back at Viper's unconscious body, "And Viper."

The rest of his comrades look back at their unconscious ally before focusing on Jiangshi. Tigress' eyes narrow at the megalith's faded amber orbs as a strange sense of familiarity plagues her mind. She pushes this feeling away, concentrating on keeping her friends safe from Nuba and her beast.

Whilst the four Jade Palace masters prepare to face the silent abomination, Po keeps rolling down the declining path of the forest, bouncing off of several trees and rocks in the process. He finally comes to a stop at the bottom of this decline, a flat and small clearing that has a flowing river at its edge. A vicious thunder crack echoes around the forest as the sky darkens and the rain becomes heavier, with the river's violent current adding to nature's horrendous soundscape. Po stands up with a grunt of pain as he holds his chest and pants heavily, "I'm not gonna be rolling down anything for a long time. Ow." He takes his hands of his chest however, as he is able to only just make out the sound of someone running towards him.

He turns around just as the sound of those footsteps stop to see two amethyst orbs piercing through the blackened mirage of trees. "Oogway had spoken a lot about you…" Nuba emerges from the shadowy treeline, the pouring rain drenching her within seconds.

Po gives the white feline a confused glance, "Wh-Wait… Like…" He points a finger to himself, "Me…? Or like… The dragon warrior…?" He asks with one paw still clutching his torso.

Nuba merely ignores the panda's question, "He spoke of the great battles the dragon warrior would fight and the great feats he would accomplish…" This wipes the confused look off the dragon warrior's face, "I never thought I'd be able to meet a being of such legend, let alone fight him…" Her lips quirk upward slightly as a ghost of a smile appears on her face, "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited." The adrenaline begins to flow through her body once more as the anticipation for their imminent battle grows.

"Well look, lady." The panda master replies, his tone growing more serious. "If you wanted to fight me so badly, then you didn't need to do all this. You didn't have to drag my friends into this."

A slight chuckle escapes Nuba's maw, "You misunderstand. Fighting you is simply a little bonus. What I really want is to teach not only you, but all of China a valuable lesson." She loudly states, the unrelenting rain and vicious river drowning out all other sounds in the area.

"And… What would that be?" He asks, befuddlement taking his features once again.

"They put all their hope, their faith, into you. Wholeheartedly. Whilst you, give your heart to the people you've sworn to protect…" She explains, "So I must ask… Let's say you fail to protect them or… That you die… Where does it all go? All that faith, that hope… That love…" She reiterates venomously, "Where does it go when there's no one there to receive it?" Po opens his mouth to say something but finds that he simply has no answer to her question, he looks to the ground in thought yet simply cannot think of anything. Seeing this, Nuba continues, "It's replaced. Washed away by pain whilst fate mocks you with memories of the life that you had once had." Her cold countenance cracks for a mere moment, the tiniest sliver of remorse becoming present in her eyes as she whispers, "Reminding you of what you've lost." This vulnerability is soon frozen shut again as a twisted grin fills her face, "It's something I've already taught your friends."

Po shifts his gaze back to the white tiger with a slight scowl on his face, "You killed those poor villagers." He clenches his paws into fists, "Just to prove a point?" He inquires in complete disbelief.

Nuba hums thoughtfully, "Whilst I'm certain that those victims have taken their toll on you all… They aren't what I meant." The panda's eyebrows furrow in suspicion as Nuba's grin fades back into her emotionless glare, "After all… What hits closer to the heart than your own flesh and blood?" She asks, her tone masking her sadistic pleasure.

Jade orbs narrow in confusion as he thinks, your own flesh and blood? What's that supposed to mean? His mind takes him back to the days prior, when they had found out about the disappearances in Xiwang valley and… When Monkey lost his brother… And Crane and Viper… Lost their parents… Po's mind replays what he had said to Shifu on the Wu-Dang mountains. I mean, think about it. Crane's mom died the same day Viper found out about her parents dying. Monkey's brother died the day after Crane found out, and now there is this? This can't be a coincidence, master. As if this wasn't enough, one final fact points itself out to the panda. Crane and Viper's parents… They died from… A heart attack. Jade orbs shift to Nuba in horror as her amethyst orbs bore into him. They hold no guilt. No remorse. No care. Horrible memories flash through the panda's mind. Viper's tearful cries. Crane's empty face. Monkey's distant, pained laughs. Mantis' unruly anger. And worse of all, the harrowing roars of the love of his life. As these moments pass through his mind, he stares into the eyes of the person who has caused such misery. A deep scowl embeds itself onto his face as a raging inferno blazes in his eyes. He takes up his kung fu stance, keeping his eyes completely focused on the sadistic psychopath.

Nuba's eyes narrow whilst a demented grin takes over her features once again, "I see you've figured it out." She mockingly sneers, though her voice retains its menacing coolness.

"You hurt my friends." The dragon warrior darkly states, his tumultuous gaze not faltering for even a moment. "And you're gonna pay." Thunder crackles as the rain falls even harder upon the two combatants, the sky completely cloaked by the grey clouds.

Getting into her kung fu stance, adrenaline rushes through Nuba's blood as her grin becomes wider and more manic. "This should be fun." She mutters to herself as the two warriors stand ready, waiting for the other to make the first move.

Thunder booms out across the forest once again as jade and amethyst orbs stare at each other in heated anticipation. Lightning strikes out of the grey, clouded skies, flashing a blinding white light for a split second. At this, the dragon warrior and merciless killer charge towards each other. They trade blows, both opponents trying to find a weak point in the other's defence. One thing that Po is able to note about Nuba's strikes are the sheer amount of power contained in each attack, much more powerful than Tigress' to be sure. He can't defend for too long otherwise he risks tiring himself out before the battle is even close to concluding. As Nuba goes for a quick double jab, the panda master swats both her paws to the side and belly flops her towards a particularly large, darkened tree behind her. She hurtles towards the tree rapidly but is able to spin herself around and land on the side of the tree, ready to pounce at the dragon warrior. She sees him charging towards her once again and springs of the tree, flying towards him whilst preparing a double fist strike. Po is able to see this coming however and manages to catch her paws the second she reaches him before forcing them down to the ground, pinning her face down. Nuba promptly counters this by using his attempt to pin her down as leverage to lift her feet up and deliver a swift double kick to his face. Unable to block this, he lets go of her, allowing Nuba to follow through the momentum of her feet and stand up. She rushes forward to continue her attack and trades blows with the dragon warrior again.

Nuba notes the panda's unorthodox style, reminding herself to expect anything of the panda master, regardless of how risky and ridiculous his attacks may seem. Seeing an opening in his defence, she delivers a swift palm strike to his chest which results in a pained groan from the warrior. She moves forward to continue her attack with a right kick directly to the side of his stomach. Much to her surprise however, her recovers fairly quickly from her previous attack and catches her leg right as it hits his stomach. He painfully grits his teeth at her blow but soldiers on and keeps her right leg with a firm grip. Nuba mentally curses herself at allowing this to happen but is swiftly forced to hop back and block Po's oncoming assault. He walks forward with her leg in tow, managing to land a few hits on her chest and face. Though she manages to block and parry a few hits, she finds it hard to keep her balance due to the ground becoming slippery from the unending onslaught of rain. She punches the arm holding her leg hostage to no avail, the dragon warrior doesn't budge. Seeing little choice, she lifts her free leg of the ground attempting another kick to Po's face. He manages to catch her foot again and grips it tight. He begins to spin her around, aiming to throw her somewhere near the trees. Unfortunately for him, Nuba stops this attempt by planting both her paws into the muddy ground and lifting him up into the air, slamming him into the ground before he can let go of her. Before the panda can recover, she hops onto her feet and aims a heel kick at his head. At the last second, Po rolls away from the kick and sweeps her leg with his arm. As she falls to the ground face-up, he jumps up to attempt a belly slam on her. She sees this coming however and prepares a double kick just before he comes into contact with her. Po's eyes widen at this as he meekly utters, "Uh oh." She delivers a fierce double kick directly into his abdomen, shooting him high into the darkened sky. Nuba quickly kicks up off the muddy ground and keeps her eye on the monochromatic warrior. However, as he goes higher and higher, she finds it harder to keep track of him due to the copious amount of rain pouring down. As the panda reaches the peak of his ascent, he clutches both paws together before falling down. Amethyst orbs are able to finally locate the panda again as the large mass falls down towards her. The white tiger jumps up to deliver a high kick to his face, however, she is unable to identify his impending hammer strike aimed directly at hers.

Boom.

Both warriors land their attacks on each other, with Nuba punched down to the ground and Po launched towards a large tree. He crashes into it, giving its bark a deep crack. Nuba picks herself off the ground, wiping her lip with her slightly muddy paw to see… Blood. She cracks a smile for a split second. I knew you wouldn't disappoint. She notices the panda massaging his jaw as he slowly gets up from the wounded tree and rushes towards him.

Po manages to see her just in time, only just being able to dodge a punch aimed directly at him. She hits the tree, making the crack in the tree larger. She turns around, feigning a punch with her left fist and attempting a palm strike with her right paw. This doesn't faze the panda master however, who manages to catch her hand. Nuba stops for a split second, seeing just how he had caught her paw, or in this case, her index finger. Her amethyst notices his pinkie raised up and immediately identifies his technique.

The Wuxi finger hold. With a boyish grin on his face, Po quickly mutters, "Gotcha!" Before uttering his catchphrase, "Skadoo-

Before he can finish, Nuba grabs his paw with her free paw and twists it, forcing him to let her go. She ends her counterattack with a shoulder bash aimed directly at his chest which pushes him back a fair distance towards the river, forcing him to his knees. "You honestly believe Oogway wouldn't teach me about that?" She loudly inquires. The dragon warrior gives no response, only getting up off his knees. With a new plan in mind, he looks down towards his white robes. Now almost completely ripped up thanks to the brutal tumble through the forest, its white colours are drowned out by the sheer amount of mud slathered onto it. He rips the top part of the robes off, leaving whatever is left of it to hang over his patched pants. He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, taking up a stance that Nuba recognises almost immediately. Inner peace. As he takes up this stance, a multitude of raindrops land on him whilst retaining their form giving the panda a feigned silver aura. Jade orbs open up, now looking upon the white tiger with overwhelming calmness and determination. Amethyst orbs narrow at the dragon warrior as Nuba takes up her kung fu stance once more, her cold expression hiding the adrenaline coursing through her veins.

During this time, the five try to plan out some way of getting around Jiangshi. "Mantis, try to speed past this guy whilst Tigress and Monkey distracts him. I'll try and fly past him as well. I doubt he'll be able to take both of us down, right?" Crane insists, hoping that he is right.

"Crane, your wings." Mantis reminds the avian, grimacing at the blood dripping from the bird master's feathers.

"I know… hopefully I'll be fast enough." Crane mutters with uncertainty.

Tigress and Monkey glance at each other before getting in their fighting stances. Both masters call upon their chi as their arms faintly glow gold. They charge towards the monstrous behemoth before them, planting several chi-infused blows upon the immovable beast. It is pushed back slightly, forced to try, and regain its balance. Both Crane and Mantis seize this opportunity as they rush towards the decline behind Jiangshi. As soon as Crane begins to flap his wings however, an excruciating pain courses through those appendages which keep him from maintaining optimal speed. Noticing the master writhing in the air, Jiangshi swiftly reaches up and grabs Crane before throwing him towards the attacking tiger and primate. Too distracted with his offense, Monkey is propelled back by his hurtling comrade whilst Tigress manages to dodge him at the last second. She continues attacking the creature resulting in several chi shockwaves to emit from its body. Mantis speedily hops towards the declining forest, mere inches away of getting past Jiangshi, when a long, scaled tail catches the insect off guard. It swings at him, throwing him back towards the rest of his allies. Seeing the rest of her allies downed, Tigress lands one final blow to make the beast stumble and backs away.

Recovering fast, Mantis frustratedly yells out, "Since when did that thing have a tail!?"

"You're telling me you didn't see it before?" Monkey asks in a disbelieving tone whilst picking up Crane with him.

"Well, no. Because I barely got to see it from anywhere else!" Mantis responds harshly before calming himself down with a few deep breaths, "What is that thing anyway? It's got like a crocodile tail and a… Whatever face… Seriously, what is it!?" He implores, confusion taking over his features.

"It's Fuhuo's creation." Tigress concludes, her eyes focused squarely on the monster in question, "Look at the number of stitches on its body. Its metal implants… There is no way this thing was made naturally." The three other warriors look towards it and immediately understand her conclusion.

"Wait… So, you're telling me that guy over there is made of dead bodies?" Monkey clarifies, his tone retaining his disbelief. The orange feline merely nods in response, "Great, so now we're fighting a zombie. Is a dragon gonna pop out of the clouds now or what?" He sarcastically jests, his voice now turning frustrated.

Amber orbs pierce into the langur's blue eyes, "Focus! Po doesn't have enough time to sit around and wait for us to help him." She commands in a menacing tone, instantly shutting the primate up. She looks to the rest of her comrades to form a plan, but she is stopped short as the sound of clanking footsteps fill the air. They all twist their heads around to see the beast speeding towards the unconscious Viper.

Yellow orbs narrow in fury as Crane, without warning, speeds off towards the snake. His comrades are unable to respond in time and simply run after him. As he gets closer and closer to his serpent confidant, the wounds in his wings continue to burn causing him to grimace again. He ignores the pain however, as he reaches Jiangshi before it can get too close to Viper. He balls up his left talon and delivers a chi punch straight to the megalith's face. This has little effect on the creature as it catches the avian by his right wing before he can fly back and throws him onto the ground head-first, completely obliterating his straw hat. Completely dazed and unable to stand, Crane lies on the muddied ground. Hollow amber orbs stare upon the bird with deadly intent. Jiangshi raises its metallic foot, ready to stomp directly on the avian's head. Before it can do so however, Monkey barrels his way over to the monstrosity and hits it with a chi infused double kick whilst Mantis and Tigress drag Crane out of the beast's way. This causes Jiangshi to stumble several steps back towards a darkened tree. As it manages to regain its balance, the abomination looks towards the massive log and rips it out of the ground. Whilst Tigress and Mantis check Crane's vital signs, Monkey puts his hands on his knees and pants heavily. He had used much more chi than necessary in his last attack out of fear that his friend was about to die. Whilst the three masters are busy, Jiangshi swings the gigantic log sideways, aiming directly at the primate. Seeing that their avian friend is fine, Tigress looks back at the creature before yelling out, "Monkey!" She is too late however, as the log connects with the langur master. Mantis turns his head to see his best friend hurtling towards another set of trees. Master Monkey hits the back of his head on one of the trees, knocking him out instantly.

A deep, furious scowl deforms Mantis' face as he turns his head towards the beast. It stares back with its empty eyes before swinging the log vertically in an attempt to squash the bug. Tigress grabs Crane and moves him out of the way, whilst Mantis stands there in wait of the oncoming attack. As it reaches him, the green insect gives a great shout before delivering a devastating chi kick, resulting in a massive golden shockwave appearing from the place of impact. Due to the sheer power of his attack, the log is shot right out of Jiangshi's sewn together paws and flies off towards the river clearing.

Meanwhile, Po and Nuba resume their fight, with the white tiger giving a vicious onslaught whilst the dragon warrior parries and weaves through each attack seamlessly. Though she is aware of how this stance works, she continues to attack so she can try to identify some kind of flow or pattern to his defence. She gives a three-hit combo, with Po parrying the first two hits and dodging the third to deliver a palm strike directly to her head. As it connects however, she grabs his paw and kicks him in the stomach and face before the panda delivers a second palm strike directly to her side which forces her to let go. They circle around each other, gauging the other's next move. She attacks with a double fist strike with Po responding by parrying both fists at the same time and going for a double palm strike aimed for her chest. Anticipating this however, Nuba counters with a scorpion kick directed towards his eyes. Both attacks connect, with Po being blinded momentarily and Nuba staggering back slightly. Seizing her opportunity, the white tiger begins her onslaught again. Only being able to parry and block the first few attacks, the dragon warrior proceeds to get pummelled by Nuba. She ends her attack with a palm strike to his chest, which sends him skidding back slightly. His breaths become heavier and he tries harder to contain the pain he feels from Nuba's strikes as he takes his stance once more.

"I must say, you are proving to be quite the challenge, Dragon warrior." Nuba compliments, her voice retaining its smooth silkiness despite the loudness of the pouring rain. Po responds with his paw motioning for her to come at him again. A sick grin goes across her face as she attacks again. This time however, she is unable to find a gap or opportunity in his defence with each manoeuvre proving to be more perfectly executed than the last. As he parries another one of her attacks, he delivers a palm strike directly to her shoulder which completely foils her next strike, giving Po the perfect opening. He throws punch upon punch with Nuba only managing to block a few. She attempts to counter with the panda managing to guide her fist away from him, allowing him to spin around her and elbow the back of her head. This pushes her forward slightly, resulting in a growl of agitation from the white tiger. Let's ramp this up, shall we?

Nuba throws a palm strike at the panda, already knowing that he will parry it, and intentionally leaves herself open. Without thinking much of it, Po falls for the bait and attempts to punch her. She catches his fist and holds it tightly before delivering a chi infused kick to his stomach. This makes the dragon warrior crumple to his knees as Nuba lets go of his hand and kicks him in the cheek. A bright purple light bursts from the impact as the panda is thrown down near one of the trees again. Po quickly gets onto his feet as Nuba looks at him with a miniscule sneer.

He ponders about using his chi, knowing full well that if he uses his full power and it doesn't work, then he would surely die. After a few moments of thinking, he summons his inner chi reserves, hoping that the five have already made the choice to retreat to the palace rather than helping him fight Nuba. A bright, golden glow emanates from his body as he takes up his stance again. "Hey Nuba!" He loudly calls out, resulting in said white tiger taking her stance again. "Get ready to feel the thunder!" As he yells this, lightning strikes the ground in front of the two as the booming sound of thunder echoes around the entire forest. Both warriors look at the display with widened eyes, "Oh, that was so cool." Po mutters, his fanboy tendencies getting the better of him yet again. Nuba merely rolls her eyes at his display and runs towards the panda.

He quickly regains focus and begins to trade blows with her once again. With each hit either warrior lands, a flash of gold or purple lights up the darkened clearing, the shockwaves reflecting in the raindrops that splash on the muddy ground. They continue doing this until an idea pops into Po's head upon remembering what he did in the cavern village. He parries a kick from Nuba and elbows her away with a chi strike. Whilst she recovers, he channels his golden chi into his fists again but not putting in anywhere near as much as he did before. He punches the ground with both fists, forcing the ground to shake. Not expecting this tactic again, Nuba loses her balance for a mere moment. All the time Po needs. He runs towards her, managing to retain his balance, and connects a three-punch combo before delivering a chi-infused hammer punch directly to her abdomen. This sends her off to the cracked tree from earlier, with her impact completely shattering the tree log into tiny fragments of wood. He cringes at seeing her hit the tree. Ouch, that's gonna sting. Nuba however, shakes off this injury much sooner than he had expected and sprints towards him again.

He prepares himself again until something catches his eye. Something high up in the air. Jade orbs widen in absolute befuddlement as they make out a log hurdling through the air towards him. Upon seeing this though, another idea pops into his head. He summons his chi through his body again, focusing it on his stomach. As his abdomen glows faintly, his breathing becomes heavier. Nuba continues making her way towards the panda and furrows her brows in confusion at his now glowing stomach. She ignores this though, since he leaves himself incredibly open with whatever it is he is trying to do. As she rears back her fist to attack the panda, he readies himself and thrusts his belly upwards, smacking Nuba square in the jaw and sending her flying into the air.

A hideous scowl forms across the tiger's face as embarrassment fills her mind. Not of the attack itself, but of the fact that she let herself get hit by it. She is given little time to think however as her amethyst orbs notice the log sailing its way towards her. With a plan almost immediately coming to her, she grabs onto the bottom of the tree log and waits for it to get at the right angle. As her side of the spinning log faces the sky, she charges her chi into her fist and punches the log downwards. A huge purple shockwave rings out across the skies as the log shoots down towards the ground with Nuba diving just behind it.

Jade orbs look up at the sky in interest but is unable to see much due to the pouring rain. What he can make out however, is the purple ripple in the sky and some kind of object speeding towards him… Oh crud. Po manages to roll out of the way just before the tree log stabs deep into the ground. He sighs in relief that he managed to get out in time and heavily pants, the amount of chi he has used now taking its toll on him. He looks at the ground and only just notices a shadow forming over him.

Boom!

Before he even has a chance to look up, Nuba lands a powerful chi kick on the back of his head which forces him onto his knees. He sloppily stands up, completely dazed from the white tiger's attack. "Well, well. I will say Dragon warrior… You certainly haven't disappointed me. This has probably been the most fun I've had in a long time." She admits, her voice retaining its coldness.

"I-I'm n-n-not done *pant* yet… *pant*" He drowsily states as he throws a punch that Nuba easily catches before kneeing him in the stomach. He clutches his abdomen whilst groaning in pain. She focuses her chi into her free paw before punching both of his legs, resulting in the panda yelling and falling to his knees. He feels the unfathomable soreness and sting in his legs, his eyes staring at them with a questioning look.

She looks at his eyes now glazed in exhaustion, the bruises beginning to form on his face and chest, enough to make anyone pity the poor panda. Anyone but her. "If you're confused as to how I've managed to do that… It's not a nerve attack. Rather, it's a technique that attacks your muscles. I've read well enough how you've bested Tai Lung and so… I found it best to stray away from his techniques." She explains, her voice not showing a single care for the aching warrior at all. He attempts to attack her again until she uses the same chi-infused paw on his arm, plaguing it with a corrosive sting that renders the dragon warrior effectively immobile. She releases her hold on his paw, before brutally kicking his chest, throwing him towards the tree line with purple remnants of chi smoking from her foot. He hits a tree, causing yet another crack on its bark, and clutches his chest with his good arm before crumpling down to the floor due to the intense stinging pain in each of his limbs.

"Ow." He coughs out, his voice becoming hoarse. He attempts to stand up, but his body is too exhausted and hurt to listen.

Nuba saunters her way over to him, silently enjoying his tormented groans. She rolls him onto his back before grabbing his right paw, his good paw. "You know… You're not the only one I want here." She states to the downed warrior, "That… Tiger girl…" She finishes with a twinge of venom laced in her words.

"Yeah… *pant* She gave you a makeover… Didn't she?" Po bravely croaks out, his eyes looking directly at the claw marks now engraved on her face.

Her grip tightens on the dragon warrior's paw as her eyes burn into his, "Well, I think it's time you called her here." She coldly suggests as she places her other paw on his good arm. Jade orbs shrink in absolute terror, fully knowing what she is about to do. Nuba puts pressure on his arm whilst Po frantically tries to wriggle his arm out of her grasp, this does nothing however as the white tiger only increases the pressure causing the panda to yelp in pain. She continues increasing this pressure to severe levels until…

Snap!

A loud scream of agony echoes around the entirety of the forest, silencing the rain and thunder for what seems like an eternity. Mantis and Crane can adopt faces of sheer horror as the scream reaches their ears. "Oh no… What do we do, man? What do we do!?" Mantis yells out, completely terrified by his panda brother's torment.

Yellow orbs look to the two unconscious members of the team with guilt, "I don't know." He whispers, completely ashamed by how much they have failed. How much he has failed.

Tigress stands frozen, completely mortified by the sounds of her panda's torture. As his scream echoes within her head, her soul tears itself apart whilst her heart pleads for her to help him. Her breathing becomes heavier at the possibility that they might be too late, but she throws that away, not allowing herself to give up on him. Not when he needs her the most. She clenches her paws as the thought of Nuba harming Po plagues her mind. Her eyes look to the hulking monstrosity in front of them, slowly stomping its way towards them. As if it's taunting them. Just before Po's scream, they had been attempting to plan a way past it but seeing that the beast is now prepared for whatever they have to throw at it, most of their manoeuvres are moot. Not to mention the fact that two of their allies are unconscious. Come to think of it, even if we got past the beast… What would we be able to do against Nuba? This brings a horrifying realisation to the tiger. If four of them can barely handle this creature, then what good would they be able to do against both it and Nuba?

Tigress thinks upon Po's proposition earlier and looks back at her two conscious comrades. This plan may be suicide, but if it doesn't work… At least some of us will make it out alive. With this harrowing thought, Tigress commands, "Take Viper and Monkey, and retreat to the Jade Palace. I'll try to help Po."

Crane and Mantis look upon the orange tiger in complete disbelief, hoping that they have heard her wrong, "Wait… Tigress we… We can't jus-

"This is not up for discussion, Mantis." She interrupts the insect, her voice much more heated and vicious, "We need to let Shifu know what is going on and I will not let Po die..." She turns her head away from them, looking upon Jiangshi with narrowed eyes, "Besides… If I don't make it out of this… At least the rest of you will be okay." She reasons, her voice reverting back to its soft yet commanding tone. Tigress clenches her paws, summoning as much chi as she possibly can into them before simply ordering her two comrades, "Now go." Before sprinting off on all fours towards Jiangshi. As she runs towards it, the monstrous being starts stomping faster towards her. Once she gets close enough, she pounces off the ground and lets out a mighty roar before hitting the beast with a powerful double palm strike. As it connects, a gigantic shockwave of chi radiates off the monster's chest with the sheer force of her attack knocking it down to the ground. Seizing this opportunity, Tigress races off to the clearing, desperately hoping that she isn't too late to save Po. With Crane and Mantis too far away, they can only watch as Jiangshi gets back up on its feet and chases down the tiger.

Yellow orbs look to Mantis in slight confusion, "Well? Come on, we need to go after her." Crane encourages the insect, who merely looks upon their unconscious friends in deep thought. He surprises the avian by hopping on top of his back and healing his wings with his chi. "Wh-What are you doing? We can't fight them without chi." He asks, somewhat stumped by the insect master's actions.

"She's right… We need to go." Mantis morosely admits, much to the horror of the avian master.

"No… We… We can't just leave them here. They could die, Mantis. Hell, they probably will!" Argues the bird master, his disbelief in his comrade getting to its peak.

Hazel orbs look to the bird darkly, "Do you think I want to do this? To leave my friends behind?" He sighs, fully understanding his companion's disbelief. "I mean… What exactly can we do to help, Crane? We're down two people and that's just from that zombie… Monster… Thing. What can we do to help with Nuba?" He hopelessly implores to the avian.

"Well… Once you heal me, I can fly in and take Tigress and Po away." The bird reasons, his mind picking at straws to find a solution to this disaster.

A sceptical look forms on the insect's face, "What's gonna stop Jiangshi from plucking you out of the sky again? And even if you manage to get them outta there, what's gonna stop Nuba from immediately tracking us down?" Master Crane is at a loss for words as no possible solution comes to his mind. "We'll have no time to recover and definitely no way of fighting her off… At least if we run off now, we can try to get some backup… At least some of us will survive…" Mantis sombrely reasons, his heart sinking at the idea that they'll have to leave Tigress and Po for dead.

With his breath becoming heavy, the green insect fully heals Crane's wings. The bird lightly flaps his wings to check for any pain only to feel nothing in response. He sighs heavily as he looks towards the clearing, knowing that Tigress' attempt to save the dragon warrior may as well be suicide. Shame infects his heart as the feeling of uselessness swarms around his head again. With Mantis panting on his head, the bird flies off the ground slightly and carefully picks up Monkey and Viper in his talons. Yellow and Hazel orbs look back towards the clearing once more, silently praying for their two friends to somehow survive before flying off towards the Jade Palace at a mesmerising speed.

As this happens, Nuba simply looks around the forest in anticipation, her trying to make out any orange flashes within the shadowy veil of the forest. Seeing nothing however, she turns her head back to the dragon warrior. Soaked, broken, and writhing in agony; Po is only able to breathe out in short wheezes, his throat being too sore from his earlier shriek. Thunder rumbles in the skies again as the downpouring rain continues falling at maximum intensity. Concluding that maybe her new victim's scream had been silenced by the will of nature, Nuba slowly walks to the panda and delivers a forceful kick to his side to get him to scream again. This attempt falls short however, as Po can only respond with a hurt whimper.

She resists the urge to smile at his suffering as she focuses back on the forest. After seeing nothing again, the white tiger mockingly states, "Looks like your girlfriend isn't coming…" At this, the dragon warrior blurts out a relieved sigh, thankful that Tigress had decided to retreat instead of trying to save him. Nuba gives a feigned seductive look to the panda lying on the muddy floor, "Perhaps I'll keep you company." She playfully states as she straddles the pained master. Jade orbs widen in fear of what the psychopathic tiger has in store for him only to see her amethyst orbs now glowing brightly. "Tell me Dragon warrior… Have you ever had your first kiss?" She asks in a sultry tone, catching him off guard. Knowing better than to allow her to do this, he moves his had back as much as he can whilst Nuba moves her head closer to his. He attempts to move his body, to try to kick her off, but a horrible pain envelopes his muscles at even the slightest movement, preventing him from doing anything.

As her lips get closer and closer to his, Nuba's ear twitches at the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching her. She drops her seductive act and quickly blocks a chi-infused kick aimed for her head. The force behind the kick still throws her close to the river, with Nuba managing to quickly land before she skids to far into that violent torrent. She looks up to see the enraged master Tigress, panting heavily in her kung fu stance. "Stay… Away… From him." She growls out, her amber eyes burning sporadically. The tiger master's ears pick up the laboured wheezes from her panda, but she doesn't look back, wary that the sadistic white tiger will take advantage of that distraction.

Jade orbs stare upon his saviour in complete awe. Why? He mentally asks. Why didn't you just leave me? You should've saved yourself… With these thoughts passing through his head and the deafening sounds of nature polluting his ears, he is unable to hear the metallic footsteps stomping their way through the forest. At the last possible second, Tigress' ears twitch at these footsteps, forcing her to turn around as Jiangshi bursts through the shadowy tree line. She only just manages to block the beast's punch, though its sheer force pushes her back a fair distance, bringing her to her knees.

She glares at the monstrosity again, its oddly familiar eyes taunting her mind again. She ignores it again, preparing herself to fight with whatever she has left to protect Po. "Your friends…" She hears Nuba inquire, forcing her to turn her head towards the white tiger, "How are they?" Tigress doesn't respond, merely turning her head back to the mangled freak in front of her. "Hmph. I see." Nuba mutters, her cold tone hiding her disappointment in the creature. Amethyst orbs shift between Jiangshi and Tigress, a sick plan culminating in her head, "Well…" Tigress doesn't see the sadistic grin creeping onto Nuba's face, "At least you have this nice family reunion." The tiger master's brows furrow in befuddlement, silently asking the psychopath what she means. Noticing her silence, Nuba asks with an overly concerned tone, "Oh, you don't remember your dear father?"

Tigress' eyes widen, her mind thrown through an absolute loop as to what she could be suggesting until she looks closely at the creature stomping its way towards her. Her eyes narrow in concentration, the familiarity striking her head again until she identifies something. Her face relaxes as memories soon flood her mind. Memories of the amber-eyed tiger kissing her mother and taking her away from Nuba's rampage. Memories of the cloaked figure leaving her at the orphanage with his concerned amber eyes piercing his hood. Those same amber eyes from long ago stare back at her now, hollow, and cold. At this realisation, her entire world stops. Her blood runs cold, her stance falters completely and an ear-piercing ringing is the only thing she can hear. Her eyes can only focus on the undead eyes of Jiangshi. No. Her father.

Jade orbs stare at the paralysed tiger, who is completely unaware of the hulking beast rearing its mangled fist back. He chokes out a pained, "No." As Jiangshi initiates its attack.

Boom!

Slamming down onto the floor, Tigress is completely dazed by the heavy punch that Jiangshi threw. She struggles to get up, her vision becoming dizzy.

Boom!

She is barely given a chance as another megaton punch connects to the back of her head. She pants out, feeling the muddy ground to try and stand up again.

"Jiangshi!" The beast switches its attention over to Nuba as she commands it to, "Throw her over here." She motions towards herself, her eyes distributing a lethal coldness. It looks down towards the floor tiger master, still trying to stand only to fall down into the mud again. It grabs her tail, resulting in a pained gasp from her, before throwing the orange feline towards its master. Nuba catches her and slams the dazed tiger into the ground back-first, pounding the wind right out of her. She stomps on the tiger's chest, resulting in a flurry of coughs from the weakened warrior. The white tiger then rests her knee on Tigress' chest before grabbing the top of her head and holding it in place with her left paw. Amethyst orbs glare upon the dizzied master as the white tiger traces the claw marks deforming her face with her right paw. Her cold stare is soon replaced with a glare of intense hatred as the brief image of Tanlan flashes through her mind, taking place of Tigress. Nuba's right paw begins to shake until the image of her father flashes through her mind as well before she snaps back to reality. She clenches her right paw into a fist, her arm still violently shaking. Exhausted amber orbs are only able to see the amethyst orbs beaming down on her, everything else being a blur, until…

Bam!

Nuba delivers a brutal punch straight to Tigress' face. She growls out harshly as the day of Tanlan's affair races through her mind. Po is unable to do anything but watch as this maniac brutalises the woman he loves so much, "Stop." He whispers, his throat burning and his muscles aching. Nuba punches the tiger master again, this time the memories of her father's yelling and beatings forcing a snarl out of her. Her pupils shrink to a microscopic size whilst her breathing intensifies, her deep hatred branding itself onto each punch she unleashes. "Stop!" Po coughs out again, his voice still being drowned out by the incessant storm. The white tiger delivers yet another punch, the impact of her attack flicking specks of blood onto her face. Tigress groans in pain, her sight almost completely blurred. Feeling the blood on her face, Nuba's head twitches slightly as memories of the day she had torn her father apart replay in her mind. A wide, unnatural smile plasters itself onto her face. Her heavy breathing into manic laughter as continues to mercilessly punch Tigress three more times, her enjoyment increasing with each hit.

"Stop!" Po's broken roar echoes across the clearing, forcing the twisted tiger to cease her assault. Amethyst orbs look upon her work. Bruises litter Tigress' face, with blood dripping from her lip and her eyes struggling to stay open. She switches her attention to the panda, whose eyes are covered in tears and his unbroken arm shivering in an attempt to reach out towards the beaten-up warrior.

A sick sneer twists her face again as she walks over to the traumatised panda, leaving the tiger near the edge of the clearing next to the river. "I see you want to join her." She darkly states, not even bothering to hide her satisfaction as she boots the aching panda over towards his weakened love.

Exhausted amber orbs look out towards the violent river current as the beating she had taken from Nuba settles in. She clings onto consciousness, not allowing herself to give up just yet. She clenches her right paw, intending to get up off the ground, until she feels a new warmth on her left paw. Tigress slowly turns her head around to see a black and white blur. One thing clearly stands out to her. Jade eyes. Through several blinks, her sight manages to focus. With her clarity almost fully returning, she sees Po gripping her paw tightly, his face grimacing in complete agony. "Ti… Gress…" He wheezes out, with tears dripping down his eyes. She is unable to hide away the tears in her eyes as she stares into the jade orbs of her tormented panda. She squeezes his paw back, savouring his loving touch for what might be the last time. This is it. They're going to die unless she manages to find a way out.

Amethyst orbs look upon the crumpled couple with a hardened, cold stare. They widen slightly as the sound of heavy breathing fills her ears. Her own heavy breathing. I guess that panda took more out of me than I thought. Nuba realises as she flexes her right paw. It's been an honour I suppose. As this thought passes through however, another realisation hits her. Only enough for one of them, huh? Well… The white tiger's eyes focus directly on Tigress with an intense, burning hatred. She clearly hasn't suffered enough. At this thought, she notices the pair's paws clasping each other desperately. She mockingly points out with an overly sweet tone, "Oh, how precious." As her amethyst orbs glow brightly and her paw glows a dark violet, several violet tendrils of chi shoot out of her paw, flowing through the dragon warrior's body and piercing his heart. Po lets out a pained gasp as Tigress' eyes widen in horror.

Bump. Bump.

The sound of the panda's heart echoes throughout the entire forest, making both warriors realise exactly what Nuba is trying to do. Po's breathing becomes heavier as Tigress clutches his paw tighter in complete panic.

Bump. Bump. Bump-Bump.

Tigress hears his heart rate begin to increase as Nuba watches the despairing tiger with a sadistic satisfaction. Amber orbs dart around the clearing, hoping to find some kind of way to stop this until they focus on the roaring noise directly to her right. The river. With its incredibly fast current should take them out of her range… Hopefully.

Bump-Bump. Bump-Bump. Bump-Bump.

The tiger master snaps her head towards the heavily breathing panda before grabbing his torso with her paws and utilising all the strength her body can muster to try to move him towards the lake. Amethyst orbs widen as Nuba immediately identifies what the tiger is trying to do. "Jiangshi, hold them down!" She orders with a ravenous growl, disgusted that she let herself be so careless and that she cannot move during this technique to correct her mistake. With a hollow nod, the beast stomp towards the pair at a terrifying speed.

Bump-Bump. Bump-Bump. Bump-Bump. Bump-Bump.

Tigress pushes harder and harder as Jiangshi gets closer and closer.

Bump-Bump. Bump-Bump. Bump-Bump. Bump-Bump. Bump-Bump.

She hears her panda's heart rate increasing to dangerous levels and unleashes one final, mighty roar before rolling over the edge of the clearing with the dragon warrior in tow. Both warriors land in the violent current of the river and are rapidly swept away. As they are carried off by the torrent, Nuba loses her grip on the panda's heart and falls to her knees. Jiangshi stops just by the edge and lumbers towards its heavily breathing master with its paw out. The white tiger slaps away its stitched paw, livid that she had let her prey escape. Rain continues to pour down upon the forest as the heavens weep for the devastation wreaked by Nuba.


I... I don't even know what to say... Honestly... I will say one thing though... Things do get better from here... I promise... Anyway... See you next time.