[A/N]

Here it is, at long last. One of the first fanfictions I ever wrote, translated from Mongolian and into English for you all to enjoy.

Due to the nature of the Mongolian language, I've decided to stick to basic dialogue tags (said/asked/replied… etc.) because directly translating all of that can produce very literal meanings.

I'm aiming to keep this 'short and sweet' due to the fact that I used to write these inside of a notepad, keep in mind that all of this was handwritten, translated and then brought to digital form so I apologise if this isn't as lengthy as my usual works.

Alright, that's enough rambling from me. I hope you enjoy the work!

Dashishen proudly presents to you...

Extinguished Flame

The Dragon Warrior rose up the thousand steps, ascending with such grace that could be compared to the great Master Oogway. Behind him lay the dusty and barren remains of Tai Lung, as well as the villagers he left behind in cheer as he went to check on his fabled Grandmaster.

Po's usually pathetic and untrained endurance was left behind alongside the dust that shrouded the village. He had an immense dedication to his Grandmaster, even if Shifu seemed to wish for him to disappear when he first arrived at the Jade Palace. His sprinting legs saw no end until he abruptly tripped and fell into the crater that Tai Lung had left behind, a beaming reminder of the events that transpired mere minutes earlier.

The Dragon Warrior could feel his lungs draining of air as he pushed himself forward, reaching forward and over the steps until briefly collapsing due to the feat that he had accomplished using his inadequate frame. However, his body didn't allow itself to rest in an idle state for long as his beaming jade eyes caught sight of a wounded Master Shifu. His unexpected instincts alongside a rush of adrenaline kicked in and he found himself sprinting towards Master Shifu with speeds he could only imagine himself reaching.

"Master! Shifu! Shifu! Are you okay?" Po asked the wounded Grandmaster, tears filling his eyes from a mix of rushing up the steps with intense winds battering his eyeballs as well as the waterworks weighing down on his mind.

Master Shifu turned to face Po, weakly opening his eyes as he let out a grunt of pain before surprise kicked him in the chest.

"Po? You're alive..?" Shifu responded to the panda's presence, a mix of relief and agony escaping his throat with a large sigh before his facial expression turned grim. "Or we're both dead…"

"No, Master! I didn't die… I defeated Tai Lung!" Po's words metaphorically kissed the overcompensating ears of the Grandmaster, filling his face with astonishment.

"You did?" Po warmly nodded as Shifu seemingly relaxed as he closed his eyes. An intense feeling of euphoria resonated across his stiff body as he realised he was truly at peace. His tyrannical son; despite loving him as a child, was now banished to the Spirit Realm. He could no longer hurt or inflict pain on him, but most importantly, he could no longer bring suffering to the Valley of Peace.

Shifu allowed this feeling to flow through his body like a much-needed cup of jasmine tea before slowly opening his ocean-like eyes.

"Wow… it is as Oogway foretold. - You are the Dragon Warrior! You have brought peace to this valley… and to me." Shifu's eyes began fluttering as the enchanting sense of Inner Peace began to force its warming grasp over his body once again. "Thank you, Po… Thank you- thank you…" Shifu calmly exhaled as he entered his state of Inner Peace once again.

Po was unsure whether or not he should freak out or allow Master Shifu to relax. The panda took note of Shifu's breathing, although it was laboured, it was most certainly enough to ease his senses into believing he was still alive.

"I'm glad to know you're okay, Master Shifu… I'm going to head down to the Valley of Peace to grab a bite to eat… wanna come?" Po kindly offered as he looked down at the idle red panda, who agonizingly opened his eyes as he realised Po's childish attitude would haunt him for eternity.

"Uhm, yeah," Shifu sighed as he slowly climbed onto his feet in preparation to exit the Hall of Heroes… that's when he noted the sheer amount of damage Tai Lung had caused to the Jade Palace as he looked up towards the ominous hole that had been placed in the ceiling.

"A lot of repairs are in order…" Shifu sighed loudly, Po shared a sigh alongside him but for a different reason.

"Master Shifu, with all due respect… I defeated Tai Lung today- which was totally awesome! - But don't you think focusing on bad stuff such as- you know- the Jade Palace being out of shape is slightly pessimistic now that your mind can rest..?" Po felt as if he was prodding the grandmaster. However, Shifu shared a sigh of pity.

"I guess the spirit of Master Oogway lives on within you in more ways than one, always so optimistic. I guess these repairs can wait until celebrations have passed," Shifu admitted as they passed the towering gates that protected the Hall of Heroes from the outside world. Both Po and Shifu took sight of an awe-inspiring sunset as they gently wandered onto the first steps. The sunlight allowed for a beautiful blend of light to flood across the Valley of Peace, despite the damage, the sight of the Valley of Peace was a relief to both Po and Master Shifu; especially when most of the buildings still proudly stood in their original places.

After a few steps down, Shifu abruptly paused and forced Po aside in order to avoid an incident that would mimic the events that lead to the panda learning about the origin story of Tai Lung. Po was internally grateful as falling down those steps for a second time would do a significant number against his body, despite his genetic armour. Shifu chuckled slightly as they passed the crater and slowly descended the steps.

"What's so funny, master?" Po politely asked as Shifu continued to chuckle.

"When you arrived here, I never expected you to exceed in such magnificent ways. You went from an oversized fanboy to the Dragon Warrior. Wherever my son rests now; I hope it's somewhere peaceful, he will have the experience of being beaten by a panda haunting his soul for the rest of time," Shifu remarked, which caused Po to let off a small laugh in response.

"Whenever I worked in the kitchen at my father's restaurant, many customers would belittle me for my weight or my slight clumsiness… but I never heard a complaint from them again once I served up their noodle soup and they realised I was the one responsible for making it!" Po replied, causing Shifu to raise an eyebrow.

"This… noodle soup of yours. I heard the Furious Five speak of its wonders before Tai Lung arrived. I- I wouldn't mind trying some for myself."

"Of course! We can head to my dad's noodle shop as soon as we meet up with the others… perhaps it could be our celebration snack!"

"You do realise celebrating such a marvellous event will require more than a snack… this snack will merely be a temporary fill until the real main event commences!" Shifu's comment caused Po's mouth to begin watering.

"You're- you're saying- a buffet?" Po sheepishly asked.

"What else would it be? I know that belly isn't just for show, Dragon Warrior!" Master Shifu poked at Po's stomach with Oogway's staff as they continued to chuckle their way down the steps.

Master Shifu and Po shared a slue of jokes before arriving at the bottom of the steps, where they noticed the villagers cleaning up and the Furious Five building a temporary seal over the large crater that Tai Lung had left behind.

"Master Shifu, you're okay!" Monkey exclaimed as he went to greet Shifu, followed closely by the Furious Five, all except Tigress.

"We all thought you died on us after your sacrifice to Tai Lung!" Viper rattled, clearly excited to see her master. She bowed in respect to Shifu's presence, which was followed by the rest of the Furious Five as well as the villagers.

"Father… I thought you wouldn't survive," Tigress melancholically commented as she bowed in respect to Shifu.

"I almost didn't. This panda…" Shifu said, pointing to Po with his staff. "He may look slow on the outside, he may be belittled and judged by the public… but he has a sharp mind, a mind that will guide the Jade Palace through past events and into the future," Shifu's comment made Po retract in shyness before he slowly bowed.

"I guess you are welcome in the Jade Palace after all," Tigress coldly stated as she went back to her task of constructing a seal over the crater left by her former brother.

"I wonder what's up with her…" Po whispered softly into Viper's ear.

"Change is Tigress's worst enemy. It'll take her a while to get used to the new pacing of things… she's also not entirely over the fact you 'usurped' the position of Dragon Warrior from her and managed to defeat Tai Lung," Viper warmly replied.

"I understand."

"I thought you would be more pessimistic, she's your childhood idol!"

"Having an idol and having a comrade- no, a friend are two different things, Master Viper… she'll come around eventually," Po's warm smile was acting as a snake charmer as Viper calmly nodded before turning her attention to the chaos that surrounded her.

"Crane? Can you get an aerial view of the destruction?" Mantis asked the avian as he nodded and took flight into the air, only to sharply return 2 minutes later.

"The dust still shrouds a majority of the valley, I don't think the damage is that widespread so we shouldn't have to clean up much," Crane sharply stated as Mantis nodded in a show of respect.

"Po? Son!" Mr. Ping cheered as he noticed his son for the second time, bouncing into his belly for a warm hug, earning a coo of empathy from the nearby civilians as well as Master Viper.

"Hey Dad, I'm back… again! Here to see how much damage Tai Lung and I caused…" Po warmly embraced his father as he allowed himself to fully relax, knowing that he had saved the valley, as well as his own father, was good enough for him.

"Well, aren't I glad to hear that!" Mr. Ping replied, his beak still stuffed within the fur of the newfound Dragon Warrior. "Do you think you could… you know, stop by for a meal tonight?"

"Of course! If Shifu allows it, I may bring the Furious Five here too!" Po cooed enthusiastically.

"The Furious Five? Master Shifu? The Dragon Warrior? - All in my restaurant at the same time? Now that's an honour a goose such as myself should be preparing for!" Mr. Ping replied with astonishment. He slowly lifted himself from Po's belly and detached himself as he ran towards his restaurant, his pace allowed for a few of his grey feathers to be set free from his body; calmly blowing off as a brisk breeze blew past.

"You do plan on showing up, right?" Po innocently remarked, his eyes fixed on the gazes of the Furious Five and Master Shifu.

"Of course. I would never want to let down your father," Shifu stoically replied as he glanced at Tigress, who sighed at the prospect of being inside of a restaurant.

"Being outside of the Jade Palace for something that isn't a mission is a required tolerance that all warriors must prepare for," Master Shifu reminded Tigress, who merely bowed and flattened her ears once her father was outside of her vision.

"You barely treat me like a daughter any more, I'm just a warrior to you," She silently spat as she finished sealing up the hole, unaware of the panda's presence looming over her.

"I'm sure he doesn't think of you like that. All fathers love and respect their sons and daughters- there's a reason parenthood exists for a reason!" Po shocked Tigress, although she just gave him a slight scowl.

"My father doesn't love me. Ever since he adopted me, he always belittled me for my flaws… the small mistakes I made were constantly mocked as he wanted me to become the Dragon Warrior; only to have you come along and snatch it away from me when I was training for 20 years!" Tigress was beginning to snap, Po grabbed her by the arm and pulled her aside as he sensed she was getting ready to begin an outburst. However, after gripping her arm and accidentally sliding his fingers across her open paw, he noticed how calm she had become.

"Your father may be many things and your perception of him may be… confusing. I don't know your whole backstory but I can tell that love still lies within the eyes of your father… love that he has for you," Po placed his paw around the shoulder of Tigress before pacing off into the distance to reach his father's noodle shop.

"Thank you, Po," Tigress uttered as her words whispered into the ears of the Dragon Warrior. She was shaken to her core when he turned around and replied with a warm "Thanks!" before turning the corner into his father's noodle shop.

'How did he hear that?' Was the thought crossing Tigress's mind, but she buried that thought as she realised the universe works in strange ways. The universe most likely wished for Po to hear that message.

8 PM – Mr. Ping's Noodle Shop.

"And that's where Po got his pants from! He refused to wear the clothes I bought him so I sewed them myself!" Mr. Ping finished reminiscing about his formerly young panda, whose present-day form was quietly cringing in a corner as his paws covered his face.

"Daaaad! You tell this story to everyone and now you're telling it to the warriors of the Jade Palace! These are my idols and you're embarrassing me!" Po whined, but his complaints only made Master Mantis and Master Monkey crack up further.

"My apologies, son. I just thought giving your new friends some insight into your earlier days would be an interesting discussion to have!" Mr. Ping replied, warming the heart of the Dragon Warrior a slight amount.

"Yes, thank you, Mr. Ping-" Mantis's sentence was interrupted by a wheeze of laughter leaving his throat. "This conversation has been very- HAHA- insightful!" Mantis was beginning to lose himself to laughter as Monkey fell out of his chair.

"I apologise for those two, they're the Jade Palace 'pranksters' – They like to find something small and make a large deal out of it in their spare time," Master Shifu explained to Mr. Ping, who merely shrugged it off with a wing.

"Oh, no. This is absolutely fine! I thought my son would be moving in with a bunch of soulless warriors but I was pleasantly surprised that you guys have personalities… I've already heard from Po that he gets along with Master Monkey quite well!"

"They may be pranksters, but they still have a sense of heart!" Master Viper cooed as she finished slurping the remainder of her noodle soup, a nearby lantern was making its presence known with a flicker induced by the wind, indicating that night was beginning to fall heavily and it would be best to return home.

"I thank you for the food, Mr. Ping. This has truly been a delightful experience. We must be heading back to the Jade Palace for tonight, is it okay if we bring your son with us?" Master Shifu informed and asked the grey goose.

"I don't see why not! I love you, son, I'll see you soon!" Mr. Ping cooed as the masters of the Jade Palace left their seats and exited the establishment. Po shot back a kind wave before following the rest of his friends home, guided by a lantern that Crane carried with his beak.

"Is it bad that I don't see a difference between the soup you cook and the soup Mr. Ping cooks? It's almost as if you've mastered that recipe!" Viper gawked as she opened a conversation with the panda. "It makes me wonder if that secret ingredient even exists," Viper commented, receiving a sly nod from Po.

"It's a family secret, trust me- it's there! Perhaps you'll feel it once you sleep… I heard my father's evening soup is great for curing this thing called insomnia!"

"Well, if that's true, then we're definitely going to need that for tomorrow!" Mantis remarked as they reached the steps. Po yet again noticed how Tigress was lagging behind.

"Hey, Tigress! Are you alright?" Po asked as he sprinted back to Tigress, who appeared to be walking at half of her speed. Po's concerned voice shook her out of her daze as she continued walking forward.

"Po? Oh, yes. I'm fine… just thinking, that's all," Tigress vaguely responded as they reached the stairs and began ascending them.

"Thinking about..?" Po trailed off whilst twiddling his fingers.

"Many things. Some things you would understand, others… not so much," Tigress deadpanned.

"Ah, I see. I understand you're not one for small talk so I'll just leave you with your thoughts," Po awkwardly responded, a mild huff from Tigress caught his attention before he began sprinting off.

"Actually, I'd like you to walk with me…" Tigress awkwardly requested.

"In silence?"

"Of course, I'm just very tired and I don't want to lose my bearings," Tigress said as the events of the day truly began to force its grip upon her body. Exhaustion was causing every breath to become agonising as small bags formed under her eyes, demonstrating to the world that the strain of that day had even impacted the greatest and most hardcore of the Jade Palace masters.

Po and Tigress managed to catch up to the pack of warriors ascending the stairs. The conversations that were whispering throughout the night became mumbles as both merely focused on each other and their journey up the stairs. After a while of walking, they reached the palace. Shifu nodded and bowed to the students before sending them off to bed.

As the warriors made their way to the sleeping quarters, Po slid open his door and was welcomed with the sandal-wood incense that would be forced to become a part of his daily routine as his stay at the Jade Palace was a permanent arrangement. Before he stepped foot in the room, he was met with a sharp claw poking into his shoulder. Po slowly turned around and was greeted by the burning timbers that filled the amber eyes of Master Tigress.

"Thank you," Tigress vaguely uttered as she locked eyes with the wilderness within Po's jade eyes.

"For what?" Po asked, confused by the gesture that Master Tigress had shown him.

"For calming me down… no one has ever done that before," Tigress responded before opening her door and calmly closing it.

"Goodnight, Tigress," Po warmly cooed.

"Goodnight, Po." Tigress neutrally stated as she leaned into her bed and attempted to sleep… but she found herself filling with more rage and anger the more she thought about the day.

Those seconds of unrest turned into a few minutes, then those minutes multiplied themselves into hours. Tigress was unable to prevent herself from thinking about the events of the day that had battered her physically as well as mentally. Although Po was very nice to her, she still resented him for taking the Dragon Scroll from her; a prize that she thought of as rightfully hers.

Tigress slid open her window, exposing herself to the cold wilderness that laid outside. A brisk breeze slid across the fur on her face as she climbed out of the window and under the spotlight of the beaming moon above. She was going to visit a reliable place to vent her anger… the ironwood trees.

Po awoke after an hours worth of fidgeting, something didn't feel right to him. He felt as if he had been awoken by a sudden change in temperature as well as a very faint but noticeable crashing sound. He could swear that the window to Tigress's room was open as he slowly peeled open her door. The Dragon Warrior felt as if he was intruding on Tigress's privacy but was then horrified to see that Tigress had disappeared, leaving the window open to indicate that she was gone. The curious panda placed an ear into the outside world, only to hear the sound of violent crashing and what appeared to be the snapping of wood.

The Dragon Warrior calmly ascended the bed of Master Tigress before slyly crawling outside via her open window… making sure to shut it once again to avoid disturbing the sleep of the other masters contained within the sleeping quarters.

Upon stepping foot outside, he acknowledged he had to remain silent and as stealthy as possible as he made his way towards the strange noises. At this point, Po had connected the dots within his mind and was very certain that Tigress was surely responsible for creating such a ruckus this late at night. He had only heard whispers about this old way of stress relief but tonight… tonight he would witness it first hand.

After walking for a few minutes, almost tripping over stray pebbles left in his wake; Po approached a forest filled with extremely sturdy trees. He was almost certain that this place housed the fabled ironwood bark that Tigress had notoriously trained herself on. However, a deep feeling within Po told him that Tigress was doing more than training and merely relieving her stress with kung-fu as he picked up on her uttering some words in the distance.

"STUPID- PANDA!" Tigress shrieked as her paw dove into a nearby ironwood tree, leaving a dense hole in its wake. "TAKING- THE DRAGON SCROLL- WAS THE BIGGEST MISTAKE- YOU'LL MAKE!" Tigress roared as she flipped into the air and delivered a kick to the core of the tree, causing it to collapse onto the ground. Po could hear the spite within her voice and felt like allowing his tears to flow, but he acknowledged his requirement for silence, especially with Tigress's hearing and current mental state.

Tigress collapsed to the floor in a mix of anger and spiritual pain as reality set in, she was unsure of why she was beating these trees. She understood that they were an outlet for anger, but she was beginning to experience emotions that seemed foreign to her. She felt sadness… she felt guilt… she felt regret. Po realised Tigress was beginning to cry and slowly exited the bush, standing behind Tigress whilst wearing a straw hat that he had found on his way to find her.

"Today's been a rough day, hasn't it?" Po made his presence known, stating that fact in a fairly neutral tone.

Tigress's ears perked up as she almost exploded in embarrassment as she realised the panda most likely heard what she had said previously, but her untamed rage took over faster than she was expecting…

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" Tigress roared as she turned around, rubbing the tears from her eyes as she went to confront the panda.

"Just checking up on a friend, that's all," Po sheepishly responded, Tigress's cold stare was shaking his spine, but it wasn't enough to freeze him in place.

"You dare call me a friend after what you've done?"

"I took the Dragon Scroll from you, your birthright… I heard," Po tried to sympathise with Tigress, but it only seemed to anger her more. He had an idea as to how he could thwart any negative confrontation. "You wanna know who thought they had a birthright to the Dragon Scroll? Tai Lung… just look how he turned out," Po darkly said, temporarily shaking Tigress to her core as she let out a soft growl.

"NOW YOU'RE COMPARING ME TO THAT MANIAC? I'M NOTHING LIKE HIM!" Tigress was on the verge of hitting the panda at this stage.

"Look at you. You're taking out your anger by hitting things, it wouldn't surprise me if you tried to hit me. You're allowing your anger to blind you. If you could learn one thing from today, it would be-" Po had to defend himself as Tigress launched her fist at him in a fit of rage, only to have it blocked and then held by the panda. Instead of holding her paw in a ball, he allowed her paw to stretch within his hand.

"You're upset. I understand, but there's no need to place blame on someone when no such blame exists. Tigress, you're by far the most hardcore warrior I know. Not being granted some dumb scroll doesn't make you less than who you are… a fighter, a warrior forged out of steel, a soul developed from platinum," Po warmly smiled, causing Tigress's fiery eyes to be extinguished with tears.

"I'm- I'm so sorry…" Tigress admitted as her ears fell flat and she looked towards the floor.

"I know change isn't your thing, but I'm open to becoming your friend. We'll take things slow and easy. I know a hardcore warrior like yourself could use a massive panda like me to lean on!" Po enthusiastically suggested, Tigress's crying temporarily halted as she looked back up into the eyes of the panda.

"You'd do that for me? Despite all that I've said and done?"

"Why wouldn't I? You're awesome and I've admired you since I was a young child! - Who cares if you snapped at me, in friendships, those things are destined to happen… so what'dya say?"

Tigress stood pensively as she allowed the words of the panda to run across her mind until she eventually made her decision. She hesitated to open her mouth but eventually found the confidence to do so.

"I accept. What I've done tonight is foolish and I can only learn from it," Tigress woefully stated.

"Awesome!" Po gawked before calming himself, realising he still had Tigress's paw within his hand, of which he slowly let go of.

"I apologise for trying to hit you… my anger took hold of me and I'm quite honestly impressed you were able to block such a harsh blow."

Po locked eyes with Tigress and grabbed both of her paws before allowing him to gaze into her untamed and fiery eyes. He gained the courage to bless and also inform her of how he was able to do such a thing and finally released his words of wisdom.

"An action committed in anger is an action doomed to failure."