A/N: As you can probably tell, I usually end up posting on Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays, plus the occasional Saturday. This is mostly thanks to my work schedule, but it may change. That being said, look for new chapters on those days.

ALSO I totally stole the idea for part of this chapter from an old kids show. If you recognize what it's from, I give you major props.

Fluff ahead! Enjoy J

OoOoOoO

After searching for almost six hours, Mantis found absolutely nothing.

No, he did find something small.

An older sheep told him in strict confidence that the person he was looking for had left Shang Zi. But he wasn't quite sure how trustworthy she could be, especially because he never even told her who he was looking for. She just peered at him through a vegetable stand and told him that the target was gone.

Now, he was sitting on the roof, watching every animal that walked the streets for a sign of something, anything. Most of them were guards, dressed in thick body armor despite the heat. He was growing frustrated, seeing as how this was their only lead.

He was about to give up and return to the camp when he picked up the beginnings of a commotion a few blocks away. He began jumping from room to room until he found the source of the noise-a small, dirty looking ferret holding tightly onto a crate.

"Give it over, you brat!" There were three wolves surrounding him in the small alley way. A few animals jerked their heads towards the noise, but they ignored it in fear of getting involved.

"No!" The small rodent gripped the box. He was only a child-and super thin. His grey and black fur was covered in dust from the streets, and tattered pants were the only thing he wore.

"Give it over! We know you stole it!" The biggest of the wolves was baring his teeth, not a very good sign. Mantis didn't want the kid to get hurt, but he couldn't get involved.

"I didn't steal anything!" the ferret begged, clutching the box tighter. "Please!"

"I will slit your throat if-" But the giant wolf suddenly fell to the ground, unconscious.

"I hope you weren't trying to hurt a child." Mantis was sitting on top of the unconscious wolf, glaring at the other two that remained. "Last I checked, that's illegal in China."

"China?" The second largest wolf scoffed. "China fell ten years ago. Where have you been, old man?"

The bug only scowled. With barely even a thought, he left up and delivered a kick to the gut that left the second wolf out of breath.

"I would hope you treat your elders with more respect than that." Mantis hissed. He turned to look at the final canine. "Do you respect your elders?"

"Y-y-yes." He stammered, jerking back a few steps. He looked like he was about to run, but Mantis delivered a kick to the head that effectively knocked him out.

"Are you o-" He turned to the ferret, but the rodent was gone. He must have slipped away during the action. "Oh well." Mantis sighed and was about to return to the roof, when something-or rather someone-caught his gaze.

An old goat stood at the end of the alley, watching him through narrowed eyes, as if sizing him up. The goat's face looked so familiar, but Mantis couldn't place it.

That is, until she murmured. "I wondered how long it would take."

"Soothsayer?" Mantis made his way over to her slowly, as if not sure it was really her. He only acknowledged that it was her when he noticed her colorful dress and wooden cane. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same of you." She replied. "Come with me."

They turned and she led him out of the alley.

OoOoOoO

It wasn't surprising that she would live outside of the city.

What was surprising was how far out she lived. They must have walked for an hour before they finally reached a small tent that served as her home. By the time she even began talking, night had fallen. She had built them a fire, and was warming soup over it.

"How did you get here? To Shang Zi I mean." Mantis asked as she prodded the fire.

"To answer that, I need to tell you a story." She sighed. "I am sure you came here because of the clues."

It wasn't even a question. She said it so nonchalantly that it made him wonder how involved she was.

"You mean the carvings? And the soup that Tigress got?" He nodded. "Yeah."

"I cannot say that I was the one who left those markers. But I am sure you know that." She removed the pot and began ladling out soup for the two of them.

"Where is Po?" She froze what she was doing.

"He is gone." She murmured quietly, resuming her task. "He waited around for quite a while, hoping someone would get on his trail." She handed him a bowl. "But there was nothing he could do for Tigress."

"He knew she was here?" Mantis sipped on the soup, relishing in the warmth. "Why didn't he try to find us? We could have gotten her out sooner."

"I do not know." She replied. "He only found out she was here a year or so ago. He has been chased across China by those mongrels since the valley was attacked. Li Shan's village-" She broke off. Mantis' heart froze in his chest. He could feel it sinking.

"No." His voice was barely above a murmur. "Please tell me they survived."

"Some did. Li Shan, and a few others, did not."

Mantis sighed, feeling slightly relieved that not everyone was gone. Still, though, he could only imagine how Po must be feeling. "Do you know where he went?" He insisted.

"I assume the Valley." She replied. "He said he wanted to go home." She was about to say something else, but a howl sent them both to silence. Mantis jerked up from his spot, letting the bowl drop.

"We need to go." He urged her to get up.

"Where do you think you're going, little bug?" The Massive wolf he had taken down earlier came sauntering out of the woods. The flames were reflected in his teeth and his eyes, making him frightening. When multiple other wolves filed out around them, Mantis felt a deep sense of dread.

They weren't getting out of this one without a fight.

"Well, well." Snarled the canine. "If it isn't a little pest."

"Considering we are outnumbered, I think you guys are the infestation." Mantis retorted. It earned him a snarl and an internal sense of superiority.

"Take them." He gestured to his wolf buddies, who looked to be itching for a fight. There were at least ten of them, all big and snarling. Mantis had no doubt he could take most of them, but he was worried about Soothsayer.

"Don't worry about me." She gave him a mischievous smile. "This old goat can handle herself."

He nodded, still not feeling reassured. But, he had no time to dwell on that. He sprang into action, landing a gut kick to the first of the wolves. He used the momentum to fly up and nail a second in the throat. Both wolves fell to the ground, and Mantis landed perfectly. He glanced back for a brief second to the old goat, who was whacking a wolf harshly with her cane. With a chuckle, he jumped up again, this time landing a kick to a wolf's knee joint. There was a satisfactory crack. Mantis used the distraction to flit up the wolf's side and land a kick to the back of the head, sending the wolf's face into the dirt.

He went to look around for another target, but he noticed that seven others lay sprawled near the fire. There was no way the goat took them all out, not by herself. He turned around slowly and his breath caught.

"Po?"

OoOoOoO

As long as she had been away from the Valley, Tigress still managed to wake up before dawn every morning.

That morning was no exception. Surprisingly, she made it through the whole night without nightmares. That was something she had not had the luxury of. Maybe it was because she felt safe? Maybe it was because she was exhausted? She wasn't sure.

What she did know was that the sun was barely up and she felt warm under the covers. In fact, if it hadn't been for the light breathing that she heard, she probably would have fallen back to sleep. Instead, she sat up slowly. When she saw who was sitting there, her breath caught.

"I am so sorry." Po was the first one to break the silence. He sat there in tattered shorts, looking rugged and exhausted. In fact, she was certain that he was probably worse off than she was. He kept his head bowed, and she could hear a tear fall on the edge of the bed. "I should have come for you, and I didn't, and I am so sorry."

She got out from under her covers and scooted down the cot until she was right in front of him. She had to make sure that he was real.

She placed a paw on his shoulder tentatively, and felt the coarse fur that was there. It was him, in the flesh. She didn't hesitate.

Po was rather taken aback when she wrapped him in a hug. He expected her to be angry, to shout at him. He abandoned her, so why shouldn't she? But when she hugged him, there was no way he could push her away.

"You're alive." She murmured into his shoulder. "I thought I killed you."

"I mean it hurt like a bitch, but nothing I can't handle." He replied, not letting her go. His chuckle was reassuring, and she found herself laughing as well.

In fact, it was the first time in a long time that she truly felt safe.

OoOoOoO

A/N: D'AWWWWWWWW I had fun with that. Boomie out