Hello there!
And, we're back today with another chapter! We hope you like it!
Oh, and we also have an interesting announcement to make regarding this story. After considering the size of the story, we have decided that it would be awkward to leave it as it is. And that is because, even though we are 25 chapters in (total), and we are in Part 2, we have not yet actually reached the halfway point of this story. Because after Frozenwolfheart and I talked about it, we realized that…
This is a long story.
So, to fix the issue of a very awkwardly paced Part 2, we are happy to announce that "The Empress" will have a Part 3!
Anyway...
On with the show!
Tigress' Hospital Room
Knock, knock, knock!
Tigress, blinking her eyes and snapping herself out of her small trance, quietly called out-
"Come in."
There was a click as the door handle turned in place and the door gently swung open, letting a goose inside. He softly closed the door behind him.
"Oh, good morning, Mr. Ping."
The goose softly smiled, not feeling the need to tell Tigress that the Sun was about to set in an hour. He walked over to her bedside and hopped up on the chair beside her bed.
"So-" he began. He knew better than to ask her how she was doing, as he was in the same place as she was, but he also knew it would be insensitive to not ask her.
"-How are you feeling?"
She slowly nodded. "I'm feeling better, thank you." She then went silent.
Mr. Ping knitted the tips of his feathers together as he prepared his next sentence. His head dropped for a second, and for an instant, Tigress feared yet more bad news.
"Um, Tigress, Viper's father is here."
Her brow raised. "Here? Now?"
Her father-in-law nodded. "Yes. Li Shan and I just talked with him."
Tigress dropped her gaze. "So he knows…?"
"Yes. And he wants to try and help you. All of us."
Tigress sat up straight in the bed, adjusting her pillow so it was now supporting her back. When she finished, Mr. Ping began to speak.
"The doctors say that Viper will live, but she has very bad injuries. They say she'll need time to heal, and someone has to take care of her during that time. And you're pregnant, and you'll also need help in the latter months of it."
The old goose paused, hoping that he might get some kind of response out of Tigress, a sign that she wasn't falling into consuming grief. Mr. Ping searched her face, and while she remained silent, he could see in her eyes- well, her eye- that she was paying attention, and wanted him to go on. So, he decided to continue.
"He's planning to take back Viper with him to his home where he, Viper's mother, and two sisters can help her get back to full health. But he's also offered to take you with them while you have your baby."
Tigress remained silent for a few seconds as she realized that the goose had reached the end of what he had wanted to say.
"That's very kind of him," she finally said, her voice monotone. "But I wouldn't want to leave you and Lei Lei and Li-"
"-Oh, no, no!" he interrupted. "Oh, no, he's agreed to take all of us! No, no, we wouldn't have any of it when he first suggested taking only you and Viper!"
Despite all that had happened, and everything Tigress was going through at the moment, she couldn't help but crack a soft smile. She could imagine the scene perfectly in her head, as a kung-fu grandmaster, who had protected his village single-handedly from bandits for decades, got harassed into submission by a kind old goose who made noodles. Mr. Ping took the smile as a good sign, and he continued.
"No, we would never think of letting you leave us now. He's agreed to take me, Li Shan, Lei Lei, and her grandmother. Of course, we would have to get our own place to stay, he can't house all of us, but we'd follow you wherever you go."
Tigress gave another soft smile, grateful that she still had some family left to her.
Mr. Ping continued. "The doctors also say that you'll be discharged sometime today. They just need to finish with the paperwork and you'll be free to leave."
Tigress kept on with their system of nodding as a reliable method of communication and did so once again. But then, a question popped into her mind.
"And when does he plan on leaving?"
"Well, as soon as Viper's healthy enough to be transported, I suppose."
"But won't we miss…" her eyes locked with the old goose's, and an understanding passed between the two of them.
They would miss the funeral. And she knew that Mr. Ping and Li Shan were willing to miss their own son's funeral just so she didn't have to be there.
"I see," she replied. "Well, express my gratitude to Grandmaster Viper, if you would please."
Mr. Ping once again used their reliable system of communication, nodding once more.
"I will." He then paused, debating with himself on what he should do next. He finally decided to let Tigress made the decision for him.
"Would you like me to leave or stay for a little longer?"
In response, Tigress reached out from under her sheets, and Mr. Ping took her large paw the best he could with his wing.
They sat together in silence for quite a while.
Meanwhile
Somewhere inside a large tent, there was a table. The rectangular table held three people at the moment, although there was room for more. On either side of the tent's entrance were a lion and a leopard. On the table itself sat a rhino, a fox, and a crocodile. They all sat in silence, as if in anticipation of something.
After a few minutes, the tent opening was pulled aside, and another rhino stepped in, a wide-eyed ram following him in. At the sight of the ram, the croc slowly began to clap his clawed appendages together with a straight face. None in the group were sure what to make of it, so they stared at him in silence. Then, he slowly sped up, and a smile appeared on his lips. The others in the room, except for the ram, followed suit and clapped along with him.
Qian gave a satisfied smile and gave a little bow as Duan Jing and his men applauded his great deed. Finally, after the applause died down, the Clan Chieftain held his paw out.
"Please, take a seat."
Qian graciously- or rather, as graciously as someone like him could- took the offered seat and looked around at the crowd. He recognized everyone, from the lion, leopard, and rhino, all of who had entered his shop when Duan Jing had approached him with his deal, and the fox as the "treasurer" who had brought the ram the gunpowder.
Duan Jing held his claws up with an amused expression. "I gotta be honest: I really don't know what to do now. I mean, I'm still trying to make sure this isn't some kind of dream. Part of me doesn't believe they're all dead. It's much too good to be true."
Qian shrugged, trying to act humble but his smug expression undermined that effort completely. "Well, I'm glad our deal worked out."
"And so am I, my friend. I assure you will get your reward soon. Let's see, how much do you think the heads of three kung-fu masters, Master Shifu, and the Dragon Warrior are worth, Name?" His head turned to the fox.
The fox was fiddling with his paws as he nodded to himself. "Umm… a lot."
The croc smiled. "Well then, you'll get, as my dear friend here puts it, a lot."
It was then Qian's turn to smile, and everyone seemed mightily merry for a few seconds. But eventually, Duan Jing's smile faded as his mind moved on to the problems at hand.
"Now then, we have an… interesting situation before us. Of course, our goal is to take over the Valley of Peace, but we don't want to do anything stupid. If my sources are correct- and they usually are- then Master Viper is still, unfortunately, alive, but wounded, and Master Tigress is also alive. Now, I'll admit, I would have preferred to have gotten rid of all of them, but the odds are now in our favor for the first time."
The croc then paused, but Qian was getting impatient, as he wanted to hear his fortune, which included tales of him living like a king.
"So what are you going to do now?"
"Now? Hmm. I think what we'll do is wait."
Qian's smile now faded. "W-wait?" he stammered.
Duan Jing now leaned forward, sensing his disappointment. "Is that an issue for you?"
Feeling the croc's displeasure pressing down on him, he quickly moved to correct his error and move back into the bandit leader's good favor.
"No! No, what I meant was, I'm just confused as to why you wouldn't move to take the Valley now, especially since the Five are out of the way for now, and Master Viper injured."
Duan Jing's eyes searched the ram for a second longer than he was comfortable with, but he seemingly bought the explanation, as his smile returned to his face.
"Hmm, I see your point, but I've heard tell that Master Ox is there in the Valley. But he cannot stay there forever; Gongmen's a place with too many issues to be left alone to its own guards and army, and with-" Suddenly, he stopped, leaned back in his seat, and grinned even wider.
"Damn, I forgot all about Master Croc! Wow, things really are going our way, huh? Without him, Ox can't stay here long. And when he leaves, we'll gladly waltz up every single one of the One Thousand Steps, singing all the way."
Qian tried to keep his face from showing it, but his eyes couldn't hide his insatiable greed.
"But what about the Valley guards?"
"Pfft. Without the Five, they'll be easy pickings."
"And what will-" The ram was interrupted as the tent suddenly opened again, revealing another crocodile.
"Yes?" Duan Jing asked. "What is it?"
The croc bandit at the door nodded his head. "Sir, someone's here to see you."
"Who?"
Qian could have sworn that there was a hint of a smile on the croc bandit's face as he stepped aside and let another bandit enter. The newcomer was an enormous lion, with plenty of scars on his face and body, and he had an eyepatch to boot. His attire was the same as most of the bandits in the camp.
The croc searched the lion with his eyes and leaned back in his chair, putting his feet on the table. He shook his claw at the newcomer.
"You're not part of my clan. But I would swear on my mother's grave that I've seen that ugly face of yours before."
A slight chuckle came from the lion as he nodded his head. "Yes sir, I believe you have." Qian was struck by the fact that the lion spoke as a servant might, with a smooth, monotone voice that evidently sought to please.
Suddenly, Duan Jing stood up, spreading out his arms wide. "Ahh! I know you! Jingwei! I've not seen you since the last Clan meeting! Ah-ha! I knew I've seen you before! So, where is the main man himself?"
"Chieftain Duan Jing, may I present to you my lord, Chieftain Mingzhi."
The enormous lion stepped aside, and yet another person stepped in. Qian noticed the awed atmosphere of the people sitting at the table and of the other bandits standing up, but he had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing when he saw the person that commanded such respect.
The stranger was a small, old, porcupine. He looked as if he were at least seventy or eighty years old, and he hobbled over a cane as he entered. However, Qian instantly knew he was different from the bandits, as his attire was a thousand levels higher. His flowing mint-green silk robe, complete with a crimson-red cape, may have been harsh for the eyes and a questionable fashion choice, but one could not doubt it was expensive.
"Mingzhi!" Duan Jing shouted, walking around the table to the porcupine. Much to Qian's surprise, Duan Jing gently picked up the old man, who also had his arms extended, and hugged him. He then gently set him down, and the croc was chuckling to himself on the way back to his seat.
"Now then! To what do I owe the great pleasure?"
As the porcupine took a seat at the table at a speed that his age allowed and after he had courteously nodded to everyone at the table in greeting, he answered.
"Oh, my dear friend, I must admit I have heard quite unbelievable rumors spread among my boys. I have come to dissipate any illusions they might carry within their thick skulls." The porcupine spoke with a friendly tone and wore a magnetic smile that someone's grandpa might have. However, he had a thick accent that Qian couldn't place.
Duan Jing looked at Qian from the corner of his eye and gave a knowing smile. "Well, I'll try and help you out. But it depends. What kind of rumors we talking 'bout here?"
"Oh, nothing but fanciful wishes. My boys have somehow gotten it into their heads that the Dragon Warrior and the Furious Five have finally been removed."
The croc chuckled. "Well, when you go home, you can tell your boys they're right."
Mingzhi's countenance lit up with a mixture of surprise and joy. "What!? No, no, it cannot be. You must be, oh, how do you say? Ah, you are pulling my leg!"
"I may have before, but not today!"
"Ah!" The porcupine stood up from his seat and, tucking his cane in his armpit, clapped his paws together. "That's wonderful news! I'm so glad I come here today!"
"I'm glad you come here today too, my friend!" the croc responded with a hint of cheekiness, but the porcupine didn't speak well enough Mandarin to realize that the croc was mimicking his deficiencies in it.
Mingzhi then turned his attention to Qian. He searched him from top to bottom before saying-
"You have a most curious choice of attire for this profession. Forgive me, but I do not recognize you, but it might just be my poor memory acting up again."
The bandit Chieftain's eyes lit up as he had a chance to introduce Qian. He stood up once again and stood behind Qian's seat, placing his heavy claws on top of the ram's shoulders like a proud parent showing off their child.
"This here is the man who made the Five's removal all possible."
Mingzhi's brow shot up in surprise. "Oh?" he then politely stuck out his hoof. "Well then, I am honored to have your acquaintance, Master…?"
"Qian," the ram answered.
"Master Qian," the porcupine echoed. "Tell me then, how did you remove those dreadful problems? I mean no offense sir, but you don't exactly strike me as someone who would go, umm, how do you say…? Ah, I don't think you would go paw to paw with them if you know what I mean!" The porcupine then patted his belly to emphasize his point.
"Well, I-" the ram was about to begin, but Duan Jing soon cut him off.
"This madman here knows one or two uses of Lord Shen's wonderful black powder!"
For a single instant, Qian could have sworn that something flashed in that old porcupine's eyes, which already shone brightly and were far from belonging to someone of his age. But whatever it may have been, it passed before the ram had time to decipher it any further.
"Ah, I see!" Mingzhi answered. "Well then, I'm sure Duan's clan will appreciate your help forever, hmm?"
"Oh, we will, you don't have to worry your little old head about that," the croc playfully quipped.
Mingzhi's eyes searched Qian one last time, and then he took his cane back out of his armpit and bowed.
"Well, I hate to leave so soon, but I'm afraid my boys will get themselves into trouble without my supervision. But I had to come by to see if the news was really true."
"Of course, of course." Duan Jing finally let go of Qian's shoulders and walked over to the porcupine, who was now hobbling back to the door, his faithful lion bodyguard getting ready to leave as well.
"Well, the next Clan meeting is coming up in a few weeks," the croc said. "I suppose I'll see you there, huh?"
"Oh, yes, my friend. It appears we will have much to discuss, no?"
"Sure does. I just hope that Mother realizes the potential of what the Five's absence means."
The porcupine laughed at this, but Qian was only left confused, as Duan Jing didn't speak of "Mother" with any tone of respect, which made him wonder if he was actually talking about his own mother or not.
"Oh, you know her!" Mingzhi answered. "She may be… interesting, but I believe she has the vision to make the right decisions."
"Well, you can help prod her in the right direction, right?"
"Ah, I'll see what I can do my friend, but I make no promises."
"You never do."
The porcupine smiled as his bodyguard held open the flap to the tent. He bowed again.
"Well, it was a pleasure to speak with you again." Much to Qian's surprise, he then turned back to Qian and bowed to him. "And it was a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Master Qian."
With that, he hobbled out of the tent, and Duan Jing's own guards let the flap fall back down in place. The croc seemed lost in pleasant thoughts as he walked back to his own seat, but what really caught Qian's attention was the fox at the table.
He leaned forward, with one elbow resting on the table and his paw over his mouth in a pose that suggested he was thinking deeply. Unlike Duan Jing's smile that reeked of nostalgia, the fox's eyes were still lingering on the tent's entrance, as if he did not like the porcupine's sudden visit so much.
In fact, the more Qian saw his face, the more sure he was that the fox didn't like the porcupine's sudden visit at all.
The Jade Palace- The Next Morning
The staff of the Jade Palace was hit hard by the sudden deaths. But they felt as if they still had a duty to perform, so the Palace remained clean as it always had, despite being frighteningly empty as of late.
By the Moon Pool in the Hall of Heroes, Master Tigress stood peering down in it and looking back at herself. The first thing she noticed was her left eye. When she had first woken in the hospital bed, she had immediately noticed something was wrong with her sight. But she had never actually seen her own face in a mirror. She now knelt down by the pool and acquainted herself with her new image. Her good eye still shone with its usual amber fire, but the other was now a milky white. However, she could still make out her iris in the pool of milk that was now in her eye. It didn't move from its eternal stare forward or move along with her other eye, and she supposed it was destined to remain staring forward into the distance as long as she lived.
She soon stood up again and turned around, taking in the Hall of Heroes. The first memory that passed by her head was when Shifu gave Po the Dragon Scroll. Tigress looked up at the sculpted dragon that decorated the roof above the Moon Pool. Its maw was now empty, just as it had been for a few years now. It had taken a while for Tigress to get used to its emptiness, as she remembered glancing up at it a million times in her youth when she trained day and night relentlessly in an attempt to open that scroll for herself and make her father proud.
But she now realized that her old life was far behind her. It had only been just a few days ago, but the happiness she felt at the prospect of marrying the love of her life now seemed so far away, and she felt as if years had passed since then. She had spent much of her waking hours in her hospital bed crying, desperately wishing that the doorknob would turn and Po would walk in with that goofy smile on his face and her family coming in behind him. She wanted it so much at times that she almost fell into the trap of believing it. Sometimes, she would sit up in bed, waiting for her family to come and open the door. They didn't, though.
For the first time since the tragic events at the Valley Square, Tigress now gave thought as to what was next for her. Of course, in the hospital, she had been in denial, and she was still far from acceptance now, but she at least now knew that Po and her family weren't coming back. But she had Viper, and she now had to bring Po's child into the world, so all was not lost, she thought. She had Mr. Ping, Li Shan, and Lei Lei.
"Oh, my little Lei Lei," Tigress thought to herself. How terrible that one so young had to watch something like that. She could only hope that perhaps her head was turned or perhaps she had been drowsy in that terrible moment when Po had saved her life. How desperately she now wished she could go back to that moment and push Po off of her and give her life for his. In fact, the more she thought about it, the angrier she grew with herself for not seeing what Po saw. She had given her entire life to focusing on her surroundings and having unparalleled awareness, but in the moment that it had mattered most, she had failed.
At that thought, she decided to turn away from the Moon Pool and exit the Hall of Heroes. When she reached the door, she turned around one last time, as she suspected that she wouldn't be back for a while.
Somehow, the Hall's silent shine seemed to mock her, telling her that it would go on nicely without them. She was free to go, the Hall didn't need her. Before she could work up any more anger, she quickly turned around again and left. She headed across the Palace grounds and towards the barracks, determined to get just a few things before she left.
After a short walk, she soon found herself in the familiar hallway that she and her friends- no, she thought, her family- had slept and woken every day. It was silent now, but the silence roared in her ears like a waterfall crashing down on the rocks. The silence was pure audible pain for Tigress.
Before she could even realize what she was doing, she found herself sliding open each of the doors, looking inside all the rooms. From her own simple room to Viper's slightly more personalized one, memories flashed by her eyes with each opened door of of her family member's rooms.
Finally, she came to her own room and entered. She stood in the center and looked all around. It all seemed so alien to her now. Then, she turned to her small wardrobe and opened it, revealing her little variety of clothes. But there was one thing that interested her.
Neatly folded up in one of the drawers was a crimson cloak. She gently scooped it up and out of the drawer and let it unfold itself in the air as she held it by its shoulders. It was long and flowing, with a certain elegance about it yet also a simplicity. But most importantly, Viper had given it to her.
Because of that fact, she threw it over her shoulder, closed the drawer, and left her room and the hall, electing not to look back this time. She headed down the barracks all the way to the other side of the building. At the end of another hall was a door that she had not entered in a long time.
She gently slid open the paper-covered door, revealing a modest room similar to her own. In addition, there was also a small dresser in the corner, similar to her own room.
She stepped inside her father's room. She never knew that Shifu had such similar ideas when it came to decoration, but now that she thought about it, it made sense. She quietly walked to the dresser, taking care to not make any noise, as if somehow, it would be disturbing her father's newfound rest.
At that thought, she suddenly stopped in the middle of the room.
"Where are they now?" she wondered. "Surely they're all in the Spirit Realm now. But what are they doing? Are they enjoying themselves, patting themselves on the back for a life well lived? Do they have any regrets about leaving? I'm sure Po has to; he left his dads, and Lei Lei, and… me. And when he sits down to the feast I'm sure he'll have to celebrate his deeds, will he turn his head and look for me? Will he care that I'm not there? Is he unhappy there without me?"
She wished she could know the answer to that question, but she also knew she would never know. But the thought brought her comfort. She knew that Po and her family weren't really gone, they were just waiting for her. And they probably wanted her to continue on with her life and continue spreading the good in the world that they did.
"Yes," she thought. "That's what I'm going to do now. I have to keep fighting the evils of this world for them. Because that's what Po would do if I was gone."
But before she could get to fighting those evils, she first stepped forward again and softly opened the dresser. In it were clothes, just as might be expected. But a little digging revealed a small lump at the bottom corner, stashed away from the rest of his clothes. As she pushed them aside, she could faintly smell Shifu's scent coming from them. The smell evoked a fresh twinge of sorrow, but she quickly comforted herself by thoughts of the Spirit Realm.
She finally brought the small bag out of the dresser and held it in her paws. She set it on top of the dresser so she could open it. When she had undone the simple knot that kept it closed, she peered inside and gasped.
Inside the bag were several old, chipped dominoes. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't help one or two tears silently falling down her cheek when she pulled out two of them. She was surprised, not because she hadn't expected them to be there, she did, but now that they were in her paws, it seemed unreal. When she thought about her time at the orphanage, followed by her adventures with her family, it was all just too much for her.
Tigress had grown accustomed to crying in the past few days, and she wanted to avoid doing it again, so she quickly put the dominoes back in the bag and closed the dresser, taking the little bag with her.
She quickly exited the barracks, taking care to not look back and let her thoughts linger on any pleasant memories that would only serve to drive her deeper into her sorrow.
Eventually, she found herself going down the steps of the aptly named One Thousand Steps, walking at an increased pace so she could leave the painful memories that were located in the place behind her.
After a few minutes of hurried walking, she finally found herself at the bottom of the stairs. She looked at the streets now in front of her and started walking. She had meant to return to the hospital, but something deep inside of her wanted to go somewhere else. So instead of turning along the road she needed to, she just kept going.
The few people she passed on the street carried themselves with a solemn silence. When they laid their eyes on her, a gleam of both joy of seeing she was alright and of sorrow for what she had just been through flashed through their eyes, though none said anything to her.
Tigress soon found herself in the place where she had become a wife and widow. She looked around in the Valley Square. Most of it was the same as before. The decorations and seats were now gone, of course. And so was the guard tower on the left. The Valley guards had taken shifts to dig the rubble out, but it was so vast that it would still take them a few more days. In fact, twenty or so rhinos were currently digging and lifting the broken stones and woodwork that had made up the building.
She stared deeply into the center of the square. She could imagine the crowd there, gathering tightly and stretching their necks to get a better view. But she could also imagine one person among the crowd, stretching his neck for a very different reason. She could imagine him holding the end of his terrible weapon with his hoof, eager for the moment that he could get a good shot off.
For the first time since the event had happened, she realized something. The killer hadn't shot Po. He had been trying to shoot her, and then Po had jumped in the way.
"So I suppose Peng and his mother were wrong," Tigress thought to herself. Not that she blamed them. Even without their suggestion, after what happened in Gongmen with Master Croc, she too would have expected Po to be the target. But the next question was why. Why her? And why Master Croc, but not Master Ox?
She found herself growing angrier and angrier with each second she thought about Po's killer, so she decided to cast it from her mind for the moment. She walked around the Square, and came to the spot where she guessed Po had died. Then, she looked back up at the shattered building and remembered that her memory was blurry of what had happened just after Po had died.
"He died, and then…" realizing she couldn't remember, she became concerned. "Did I black out?" she wondered. "Was the shock too much for me?"
No, she thought to herself. She remembered snippets and flashes. Something had happened. But what? Her mind now burned to know the answer. She remembered that cursed goat, but that was natural. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized she had seen him in more places than the crowd. In fact, now she could have sworn that she had seen him much, much closer.
She looked around and found an alleyway in between the various shops lining the Square. At first glance, it appeared no different than any of the other alleyways, but somehow, it evoked a strange feeling of deja-vu. She decided to go to it. When she entered it, it was, unsurprisingly, an alleyway. But she decided to continue moving forward, trying to get back some of her flailing memories of those few terrible moments.
After a little walking, she could make out an object on the ground. She squinted her eyes, but couldn't make out what it was. So she approached it, leaned down, and picked it up.
It appeared to be a horn. Not like a rhino's, short and light grey. This one curved all the way around, and was a pale, milky color, with ridges ringing it from the base to the tip.
As if being hit by a club, her memory of that moment came back to her. She stumbled backwards and slid down the wall, holding her head with her free paw.
"No, I didn't black out," she thought to herself. "I… snapped."
She momentarily felt a surge of guilt and disappointment. She hadn't lost control of herself like that since that once in the orphanage. That once, when that pig had mocked her and mocked her, and then…
She now remembered what happened. She had chased down that goat, but Lianmin and Peng beat her there. And then…
"Oh no," she realized. "I attacked them." A fresh wave of guilt washing over her, she recalled attacking them like a savage animal. Were they okay, she wondered? She hadn't seen them since she had woken up, and Mr. Ping or Li Shan hadn't mentioned them. Had she…
She quickly stood back up again, determined to find the answer to her question. When she realized the horn was still clutched in her paw, she paused, unsure of what to do with it. Should she just leave it there on the ground? It seemed kind of odd to do so, but she also didn't want to keep it. But she realized that the sight of a horn on the ground probably wouldn't be met well by citizens of the Valley, so she decided to carry it with her for now, already loaded with her cloak over her shoulder and her bag of dominoes tied to the brim of her pants.
Tigress held it up in her paws, recalling what had happened to its owner. She had taken a swipe at him, and while she hadn't hit his face like she had hoped to, she had knocked his horn off.
Her grip tightened on the horn as a fresh surge of anger swelled through her.
"If I ever see you again, I promise you my claws won't miss your face a second time."
And that's that! So, what did you all think?
An aside: Jingwei (lion bodyguard of the porcupine) roughly translates to "guard" (creative, I know!) and Mingzhi (the porcupine) roughly translates to "wise."
A usual thanks to Frozenwolfheart for everything and all the help! I don't think "thank you" is a big enough word, but I suppose it'll have to do for now…
Well, we hope you enjoyed it, and we also hope you-
Stay safe and keep being awesome!