Come on you coward. What is wrong with you?! It's just water; simple, liquid water. What could go wrong? It had only been an hour since she had her heart to heart with Huifang, but Jade, was faced with another dilemma; swimming lessons. Jade couldn't believe it; she had been the top student, as well as second-in-command, of Jindiao, able to take any hit that came her way. Now, she felt like a helpless fawn who needed help in something so trivial that a, well, fawn could do it with relative ease.

But, after being offered to be taught by Huifang, her friend who she could now openly call her sister, in a platonic way, to join in the swim lessons of some of the panda cubs from the village, did she realize how ill equipped she was in the topic. Heck, she was twenty-seven, and she still didn't know how to swim. I mean, she knew basic steps like treading and doggy paddling from her time as a fawn, but nothing too advanced. But the real reason was a traumatic event from her childhood.

To say she was embarrassed after telling Huifang that she wasn't a strong swimmer and needed further lessons was an understatement; she was so embarrassed that the blush had shown through the fur on her face. Heck, she and her clan where water deer; the name pretty much makes it obvious that they thrive near water. But, much to her surprise, and utter relief, Huifang didn't laugh, but instead offered to teach her new sister some of the advanced lessons in swimming.

But that still didn't quell her anxiety; not about swimming, but what her fellow clan members would think of her. They needed someone strong, who could do anything. What would they think of her if they knew that she was a weak swimmer? But, those worries were quelled after Huifang had informed her that other members lacked the ability, and were also offered lessons by the bubbly deer. Jade even recalled at one point from the other day when she saw Huifang teaching some of their clan sisters the basic steps of swimming. She realized she was overthinking things, but that still didn't ease her mind about the possible jeers she was certain she would receive.

"WE'RE HERE!"

The sudden outburst from Huifang snapped Jade out of her thoughts; they had arrived at the shallow pond that was located behind the village. At the edge of the pond were a small group of panda cubs, ranging from 4-7 years of age. Among them, to Jade's surprise, was the "weird, angry panda," herself; Jing. Next to Jing was the new, de facto leader of the Four Constellations; Nu Hai.

Huifang had told Jade that the two adolescent pandas were her teaching assistants for the day. At that moment, Jade thought, Forget the clan, that angry little brat is going to torment me relentlessly. Approaching the group, Huifang let go of Jade's hoof, which the former had been holding since she dragged the latter out of her hut. The loss of the comforting feeling caused Jade to slightly panic; yes, she was actually getting scared at the moment. Approaching the group, Huifang began to speak;

"OK KIDS! Today we are going to start with some pretty basic stuff. And once you guys get the hang of it, we're gonna get to the hardcore lessons." She ended in low, edgy voice. Jing, along with some of the other cubs, were fist pumping the air and cheering. The others, who were standing nearer Nu Hai, expressed openly what Jade was feeling on the inside; anxiety. Noticing the emerald toothed cervine for the first time since she arrived, Jing decided to engage the deer in her own twisted version of small-talk.

"What's up, Fungus Bite?" she jeered at the leader of the Poison Clan.

"Nothing much, Short Fuse," Jade jeered back.

This started an intense stare down between the two, which caught the attention of the nearby group. Many of the group held their breath as they didn't know where the "small talk" was going to go. As Huifang was about to step forward to diffuse the situation, Nu Hai held her back, with a knowing smile on her face. Soon, the stare down came to an end as Jade cracked a small smile, releasing a small chuckle, earning the same reaction from Jing. Soon, the panda and water deer were laughing harder than their respective friends had ever seen them laugh before. Jing then held out a paw to Jade for a fist bump.

"We still cool?" she asked. Still wearing her smile, Jade returned the gesture.

"Yeah, we're still cool," she replied. It had only been a short time since the fight with Jindiao, but Jing and Jade had developed a strong relationship that contained a lot of friendly banter. This strange friendship, as Nu Hai thought, probably started after Jing used White Tiger's qi to heal Jade after Jindiao's betrayal. Jade even thanked Jing for the kind gesture with a staff she had carved herself in the days after the battle with the former Dragon Master. Now, they were the best of friends.

Upon seeing that the situation was under control, Huifang instructed everyone to go to change into their swim wear. As the cubs left, Jade realized that in her rush to get to the pond, she forgot that she had no swim wear of her own. Looking behind her, Huifang noticed her friend's hesitance, and realized right away what was happening. Walking up to Jade, Huifang handed her a spare satchel she had with the one she brought.

"Yeah, Sorry Jade," she apologized. "I totally forgot that you probably didn't have anything to wear. Good thing I brought extra for me." Upon handing the bag to Jade, Huifang turned to walk toward a secluded area to change. Looking into the satchel, Jade took note of the white cloth towel, more than likely to dry off with, as well as the dark colored, clothe chest wrappings, and matching clothe swimming shorts.

Upon finding a secluded area for herself, Jade began to discard red vest that she had put on prior to leaving with Huifang, as well as her usual training pants. As she was changing, Jade felt a new wave of anxiety wash over her, but pushed it aside. After changing, Jade walked out of the tent to notice the children were in similarly colored swimming attire; the males in dark clothe swim trunks, and the girls, including Nu Hai and Jing, in swimming shorts and chest wrappings.

Looking to Huifang, Jade noticed she was wearing the same attire she and the other girls were. Wrappings that bound her chest tightly, and skin tight swim shorts. Both articles allowed Jade to take in the slender, appealing frame that was Huifang's, dare she say, sexy body…

Shaking her head clear of these thoughts, Jade walked toward the group. Upon seeing Jade walk up to the group, Huifang's eyes widened at the slender, and surprisingly, curvaceous, doe before her, so much so that her mouth was slightly agape. Feeling somewhat uncomfortable, Jade cleared her throat. The action succeeded in snapping Huifang out of her thoughts, leading her to return her attention to the cubs before her.

"Okay guys, Jing and Nu Hai are gonna lead you through the simple stuff, while I help Jade out with some advanced lessons," She announced.

Jing actually couldn't believe her ears; the Great Jade Tusk, was getting swimming lessons from her bumbling teammate. Upon hearing the muffled giggles coming from the young Panda, Jade turned her head to give a hard glare at the amused cub. Upon catching the hateful gaze from the cervine, Nu Hai elbowed her friend in the side to get her to stop. Quickly catching on, the still giggling panda helped chorale the cubs to the pond as Huifang took Jades hands in her own, and began walking backwards, leading the latter to the same body of water.

As Huifang started stepping into the water, Jade was soon starting to become overwhelmed with the same anxiety she felt before. As soon as her foot touched the water, horrid memories from her childhood came rushing back, making her eyes go wide in terror, and breathing accelerate. With lightning speed, Jade withdrew her hands from Huifang's, and bolted away from the pond, being out of sight in seconds.

Taking a few seconds to overcome the feeling of shock the reaction of Jade had given her, Huifang noticed the confused and concerned face of Nu Hai. Even Jing had a look of concern. The cubs, on the other hand, were entirely oblivious to the situation as they continued their lesson. Huifang soon returned her attention to the direction that Jade had fled. After a few moments, she exited the water and began walking toward the direction her friend had fled, but remembered that she needed to address her class.

"OK EVERYONE!" she yelled, drawing their attention to her, "I think that's enough for today." The cubs began to groan in disappointment.

"But we just started," one whined. Huifang hated disappointing people, especially children, but she needed to make sure that Jade was alright.

"I know," she replied, "But I just remembered I need to take care of something." More like someone, she thought to herself. "We'll pick this up tomorrow, K?" she offered. The cubs, while still disappointed, relented. After gathering their things, they were ushered away by Jing and Nu Hai, who both gave Huifang an understanding nod and smile as they passed, which she returned. Once she was certain everyone was gone, she resumed her search for the emerald toothed doe.

After asking around if anyone had seen Jade, Huifang finally learned from one of the other does that they had seen jade run into her hut. After offering a quick word of thnaks tot he doe, Huifang bolted in the direction of said hut.

Upon approaching the hut, Huifang could see the deer ajar, the sound of labored breathing coming from beyond. Slowly easing the door open, Huifang was soon met with a startling sight; Jade, in her bed, curled in a fetal position, breathing heavily, her eyes wide with panic and fear, a clear sign of a panic attack. Slowly approaching the terrified doe, Huifang gently grasped one of Jade's hands with both of hers, bringing it close to her chest. This brought Jade's attention to the new presence in the tent. Looking to the new arrival, Jade saw the eyes of a doe who looked just as scared as she was, but for her.

"Jade," Huifang began, almost timidly, "You OK?" Looking away from Huifang, the still wide eyed doe slowly shook her head as her breathing began to pick up again. Huifang realized that if Jade didn't calm down soon, she would hyperventilate and pass out. Thinking quickly, Huifang, after getting int he barely large enough bed, pulled Jade into her lap, pulling the frightened doe's head tightly to her chest and began to speak softly to her;

"Shhhh," she soothed. "Listen to my heart, OK?" she instructed. Jade quickly nodded and began to listen to the gentle thrum of her companion's heartbeat. After a few minutes, Jade began to calm down. When she was certain that her friend had calmed down enough, Huifang decided to address the elephant in the room.

"You wanna talk about it?" She felt Jade stiffen, and began fearing that her friend would keep bottling up what was bothering her. But, much to her relief, Jade's body relaxed as she began to tell her comforter what was troubling her.

"I was just a fawn," she began. "I lived in one of the Northern provinces with my father. He was such a kind man; generous, loving, and he never spoke ill of anyone. I think it would have surprised you at how caring he was; it was as if he had no malice or hate in his heart, only love. And I always felt calm around him," Jade paused for a moment as she gave a small smile at the memories of her father. But soon her expression became sad as she continued to tell Huifang of her childhood.

"He was all I had when my mother had passed away. I was close to her, just like my father. Her loss hurt so much, that I began to fear for my father. But, he always reassured me that, no matter what happened, he would always be with me." A tear slipped from Jades eyes as she had reached the part of her memories that she dreaded the most.

"My father was a fisherman, you see. All year round, he would fish the nearby rivers and lakes, even during winter. One day, during winter, he decided to bring me along, instead of leaving me with Mr. Ling; a messy buck who always smelled of opium. I'm not kidding when I say the smell made me sick to my stomach." Jade's body shuddered at the bitter memory, and quickly returned to her story.

"We walked to a small river near our village. The ice was pretty thick, but father warned me of thin patches. We walked to the middle of the river, where father had discovered an opening in the ice. As he was preparing his line, I guess I wasn't paying attention; I stepped on thin ice. The next thing I remember, father told me 'stay still, stay calm, I'll come to you.' As he started walking toward me, I noticed the cracks in the ice getting bigger. As I was just about to warn him, the ice gave way and we both fell in." Jades body shuddered again.

"I know that you know what it feels like to be in water that cold, Huifang," Jade stated, referring to the time on the frozen lake when Jing took control of Jindiao's mind, making him break the ice they were standing on. Huifang shivered at the memory as Jade continued.

"It feels like a thousand blades stabbing you all over your body. You can't move, you can't breathe, you can't think, at least not about anything but the pain."

"Luckily, father had managed to grab me before we both went under. However, we both weren't prepared for the strength of the current. It tossed us around under the ice, bashing us into the rocks at the bottom and the ice on top."

"Father actually managed to find another patch of thin ice to break through as the current dragged us further from home. It must have been pure luck because, right where we came up, there was a branch from a tree, hanging right over us. Father managed to thrown me up to a branch. As soon as he was sure I was safe, he started trying to climb the branch as well. But, he…" Jade began to choke up as she tried hard to fight back the tears threatening to spill from her eyes. Huifang, who pretty much already knowing what happened, held Jade close to her. She knew what Jade was going to say but, for her friend's sake, needed her say it.

"What happened?" As the memory came flooding back, Jade's expression quickly changed to stoic.

"A twig snapped," she continued, "and he was gone." The tears then came freely, but with no sobs.

"After that, I wandered the river bank. I was so far from home, I didn't know which way to go. In the end I became an urchin, stealing in order to survive. I also had to learn to fight in order to defend myself, which is how I lost my tusk. That is until I met," after pausing for a moment, Jade's face twisted into one of anger and disgust, "HIM." Jade said "him" with such venom that Huifang was certain even mentioning Jindiao left a bitter taste in Jade's mouth. But, what really caught Huifang off guard, was what Jade said next.

"And all of it was my fault."

Huifang looked down at the doe in her arms, shocked that she would blame herself for the death of someone she dearly loved.

"That's not true," Huifang insisted, "You loved him and he loved you. How can you…"

"Because I was the one who wasn't paying attention!" Jade didn't move her body with the outburst, but the exclamation brought out a sob, but that was it. There was a brief silence in the room, neither doe daring to make a sound.

"If it was your fault, then why did he save you?" The question caught Jade off guard.

"Like I said," Huifang continued, "He loved you, and he was willing give up his life to save yours. Even if it was your fault, he still would have done it." Jade thought deeply about what Huifang had just said to her and, though she couldn't be sure, at the same time, felt a very familiar presence in the air. And this presence was one she recognized all too well. And at that moment, Jade could have sworn she heard a whisper in the breeze that flowed into the hut. Soon that whisper became a voice, one that washed away all the doubt she had in her mind and filled her heart with warmth she had not felt in a long time;

"I am still here." That voice, one she had not heard since that day, had just sounded again. Most would say it was impossible, but Jade had learned from her past experiences, that NOTHING was impossible. Jade soon melted back into the embrace she was currently in, smiling with content as she realized that what her father said about always being with her, was true. Sensing that her friend had calmed down, Huifang decided to see if Jade was comfortable enough to continue her lesson.

"Sooooo…" she inquired, "You wanna give the lesson another try?" after a brief moment of hesitation, Jade finally nodded her head. Releasing the latter from their embrace, Huifang stood on her feet and offered an outstretched hand to Jade. Jade tenderly took it with her own, and followed Huifang back to the pond. The sun was starting to go down, but neither doe didn't seem to care. As they reached the edge of the pond, Huifang took both of Jade's hands into her own, like earlier, and began to lead her into the water. Noticing Jade's gaze was focused on the water, Huifang used a hand to bring her head up so that they were face to face.

"Just look at me, and breath." Jade did as she was told and was so transfixed by Huifang's caring gaze that she didn't notice she had entered the pond until they were waste deep in water. As they continued walking into the pond, Jade began to notice that the water was getting deeper with each step. As the water got chest deep, Jade began to slightly panic.

Noticing the panicked look on her friend's face, Huifang brought a hoof out of the water to caress the former's cheek. Having her attention drawn back to the doe before her, Jade soon relaxed as Huifang began the lesson. As the lesson progressed from simple doggy paddle to basic breasts strokes, Jade found she actually enjoyed swimming. It would certainly make a great alternative exercise aside from Kung Fu.

Soon, the sun had set, and, as the moon began to rise, both deer decided to call it a day. After drying off and changing back into their regular clothes, Huifang offered to walk Jade back to her hut. Jade accepted. As they walked, Huifang was pleasantly surprised when she felt Jade take her hand in hers, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Both continued walking, eyes forward, but with a smile on both their faces, occasionally sneaking glances when they though the other wasn't looking. They arrived at the hut within a few minutes. Huifang walked Jade to the door and, as soon as she started to turn toward her hut, she felt a pair of lips press against her cheek. Shocked, and with a mad blush, Huifang turned to see Jade with half closed eyes, and a small smile on her red face.

"Thank You," said Jade. Huifang, sporting an equally bright, if not brighter blush, returned the gaze as she spoke.

"Anytime," she replied, and began to walk toward her temporary home. Halfway there she looked over her shoulder to see Jade standing right where she left her. Offering a timid wave, she gave a small smile and relaxed when she saw Jade return the gesture, after which she entered her hut. As Huifang continued walking toward her hut, she couldn't help but bring her paw up to tenderly caress the cheek that Jade had kissed. Could this mean that Jade thought they could be more than friends, more than clan sisters? Little did she know, Jade was having the same thought, but, decided not to dwell on it until later. For now, she would rest knowing that she could accomplish anything, so long as she remembered that the people she loved would always be there for her.