Mrs. Yoon woke up with a start. She briefly looked over herself to make sure she wasn't injured in any way. There were a couple tears in her clothes due to running so frantically through the forest, but there was no harm done on the goat's body itself. That was a slight relief, at the very least. Although she didn't know where she was or how she got here...until she reluctantly remembered the events from last night.
Her eyes lowered along with her ears, she remembered it all clearly. Those barbarian wolves that threatened her with a blade towards her throat...the lifeless, cold, bloodied bodies of her fellow villagers...and the bright burning blaze that engulfed the Valley afterwards...she has a feeling that she passed out some time after that. The trauma must have hit her pretty hard if it made her fall unconscious like that. Though that doesn't fully explain how she got out here. Wait a moment...she looked to the side to see that the wolf was currently cleaning his tantō with the water fromthe riverbank they rested beside. She was able to take a faraway look at his tantō. It had the marking of a wolf's head surrounded in dark shadows. It looked pretty sinister. However, he looked nothing close to what that word describes. In fact, he looked pretty calm compared to most of the other wolves that were seen last night. He was the one who saved her, so he couldn't possibly be as bad as the other Lin Kuei wolves...was he even a Lin Kuei at all? Because they were unprepared for him suddenly attacking them when her life was in danger. And he wss genuinely upset when he was unable to save all of the other villagers.
She has come to two conclusions. He was never truly part of the Lin Kuei at all, or he was very remorseful for his actions. It could be a combination of both, but she was not certain about it. The boy irked her curiousity. She believed he could tell, because the very next moment, he turned to look at her. She jumped slightly from the initial blank tare he sent her, but it turned into a gentle one soon afterwards.
"You passed out while we were fleeing the Valley. I carried you all the way out here where we would not be found by any of my former colleagues." He frowned, and turned his attention back to his tantō, placing it back into it's sheathe. "However...the Valley must be completely annihilated by now. The Lin Kuei are rough, but they're also very thorough in their jobs. I'm afraid your home...is no longer standing."
Mrs. Yoon looked towards the ground, her eyes blank from the sadness overcoming her. Her home...was gone. In one single night, her fellow villagers were killed off for nothing short of hatred from some angry noble named Jong Sung. What could have provoked this tragedy? It was completely out of nowhere, there was no chance of any reaction. No matter how long she thought about it, she couldn't wrap her head around it. All she knew at the moment that she is the only survivor of the massacre. But Ànyǐng made sure that none of the Lin Kuei knew this, hence the whole running away from sight plan. But now that they're here, they had no clear idea on what to do next. He couldn't force her to return to the charred cinders that used to be her home, nor could he let her follow him. He couldn't let himself be seen with her due to a rather...hated outlook towards wolves. Not that he blames anyone for it. He also couldn't leave her alone by herself. Some Lin Kuei wolves may still be sniffing around for possible survivors.
There has to be a solution to this, anything.
"Dear young man...I do thank you for saving me." Mrs. Yoon eventually said, causing his eyes to resume their gaze on her. He could see her smiling, but her eyes were very clearly filled with pain. Yet she was genuinely trying to be grateful for his assistance, and not let her sadness interfere with said gratitude. She was trying to be strong, and desparately trying not to fail at it. "Those wolves that attacked me...they said your name is Ànyǐng."
"Yes, that is my name." He didn't know what this sudden interest in him came from, but he decided to indulge her. She may be using this as a way to cope with her loss.
"Ànyǐng...hm...yes. I must promise to remember that name. I need to remember that namwe. I just...feel like it's very necessary to do so." She nods to herself while folding her arms. "Since most of my possessions may possibly be lost in that raid...I have no way to repay you for saving me..."
"That isn't necessary." The wolf shook his head. "The Lin Kuei has been derailing into more and more sinister activities ever since they began their formation...and that was many years ago. I couldn't stay involved with them any longer. It's just by confidence and luck that I manage to break away from them just last night and save you in the process. Though I may be a traitor to them, I made the right choice. I know I did. It will sport more consequences than rewards...but I'm strong enough to endure them."
Mrs. Yoon tilted her head slightly. "Strong enough to endure them...how old are you, Ànyǐng?"
The wolf looked at her with a small smile. "I'm 19 years-old, Miss."
"19?! You were involved with such a dangerous organization as young as you?!" Her hoofs covered her mouth to show how surprised she was of this information. He did look like he was around twenty, though that didn't necessarily mean that was the exact number. "Dear...such a risky occupation, being involved with people like them. Aren't you afraid that you might get killed by them for betraying them like this?"
Ànyǐng closed his eyes, still having a small smile. "You don't need to worry about that. I've lost my fear of death as a young cub. There's nothing they can do that I'm not prepared to deal with. Death-threats towards me won't...no. They can't bother me."
Mrs. Yoon was even more shocked of the wolf than she was before. Who loses their fear of death at such a young age? What has this wolf been through? "But...what if they target your loved ones...?" She knew that was going in too personal, but she wanted to see his reaction.
Ànyǐng slowly reopened his eyes at this question. "There is only two people the world I genuinely care about right now. My mother and my little brother. They won't endanger them just to get back at me." His claws slid out slightly. Not to scare her, but to prove a point. "They know better." Mrs. Yoon didn't press the issue past that. He was definitely not a killer, his eyes suggested no such thing. But they did promise pain to whoever crossed him just to provoke him.
Just then, he heard the sounds of somebody passing by the duo, and he instinctively grabbed his blade, though the elder goat prevented him from taking it out of it's sheathe. "Hold on...I recognize those voices...I hear Mr. Ping and Po...I have...I have to tell them what happened!" She was about to run ofr, but the wolf grabbed her by the arm, and looked at her seriously.
"Tell them whatever you'd like. But for your sake and theirs...I was never here."
"You saved my life...surely you can at least meet them?"
He shook his head. "No. I'm a wolf, and a former Lin Kuei. Those are two factors that can spark distrust towards me, and I don't blame anyone for it. Just don't mention me at all. They'll never believe it, because its far too random." He let her go and bowed slightly. "I hope you'll be alright...despite this horrific turn of events." He then disappeared in a blur, surprising her because it was so sudden. She wanted to think on it more, but she had more focus on reuniting with Po and Mr. Ping. They needed to know of the events that have transpired.
(With The Gang)
Serious silence has always been very discomforting to Po. Too much silence was very disturbing to him, because he didn't know what was going to happen. When he gets serious, then the silence is for what he calls 'awesomeness points' because he sometimes basks himself in that kind of light. But when he's being himself, sioence was never something he enjoyed. He didn't know what was going on, he didn't know what was going to happen, and that discomfort turns to fear when he's in the dark.
Yes. Po is still slightly, though not to a paralyzing degree, afraid of the dark. While he's asleep, it's never a big problem. But sometimes he gets insomnia, and he finds himself too afraid to go to sleep without having the assurance of either Master Fenghuang or Mr. Ping. He never fully got over it, even as an adult. Though no one called him out on it in an embarrassing light, because he was at least brave enough to admit it.
He really admired Tigress in that aspect. She has no fear of the dark. Being cramped in a dark metal room during her days at the Bao Gu Orphanage has unknowingly trained her eyes to see through the dark, in any instance. She feared it for a very long time, but she's had 15 years to get over it. And she did. It made him feel embarrassed nonetheless that he still felt incredibly nervous in dark places all by his lonesome. In some aspects, it's understandable.
Back to the main matters at hand. It has been awfully quiet in the group...because Shifu has been feeling very disturbed, and the feeling compels him to make his way towards the Valley of Peace as soon as possible, with little to no delay. Tigress was certain he has only been this quiet once, and it was the times he was recovering from Tai Lung going rogue...something neither of them have fully recovered from. She didn't take he could take anything thay mimics that sort of heartbreak. Through determination, her cherished scarf, and ironwood tree training, she wouod do just fine, regardless.
The others had just as much reason to be nervous. Everything was far too quiet, but they were also too afraid to break the silence just because they were afraid of breaking the silence that Shifu was unconsciously trying to substain on them all. They felt that there would be serious repercussions if they dared to break this silence. So for their own sakes, they kept quiet.
Everyone was nervous...except for Fenghuang.
"Ugh! This silence is starting to piss me off!" She groaned. "One of you SAY SOMETHING! Don't be intimidated because Midget is in a bad mood."
"Will you cease with that nickname? I am not in the mood for it." Shifu grumbled, not even wasting energy to glare at the owl for her insult. "I just know something is wrong. Something very wrong."
"Well that doesn't give you the status to make everyone feel like you're about to murder one of the young ones because of your bad mood." The avian glared at him. Then she turned to Zeng, which made him flinch. "You! Palace Servant. Scout ahead and see what the hell he's so worked up about." Of course she got a terrible feeling tugging her senses just as much as Shifu, she's decided to at least do something about it other than glare in one direction.
"Y-Yes Lady Fenghuang!" Zeng gulped and flew off in a hurry, not wanting to suffer the wrath of either his master or the owl. He would prefer not to get in the middle of whatever conflict they might get into. Hopefully they wouldn't get into that with the younger adults around.
Po and Tigress were beginning to feel nervous that their respective masters were once again beginning to conflict with one another. It was in all seriousness this time, because Fenghuang was not using her snarky tone. She has grown increasingly irritated by Shifu's tense mood, because he was taking it to the extreme, whioe she managed to keep her calm for the most part.
"Oh man...I hope they don't end up fighting. A spar is one thing...but if they get into an actual fight it might get ugly. Really really fast." Po said with worry, clutching onto his hat. "Are you worried, Tigress?"
"The thought is definitely concerning..but I think we should steer clear of them for the time being." Tigress said. "They have more personal ties with one another than we do with either of them. Unless our intervention is really needed, we should keep our distance for the time being. They should work this out on their own." She then folded her arms. "That dark feeling, however...is felt by all of us. I too, can't get over the fact that something is wrong."
Po gripped his hat and lowered his eyes a bit. "Yeah...come to think of it...something does feel awfully wrong. How long were we gone?"
"Close to a week and a half. If you're worried about the state of the Valley...so am I." She admitted with a more relaxed tone. "A lot can happen in that kind of time, with the way China's dark side tends to rear it's ugly head. I do hope Oogway is alright. I also can't stop worrying about Father...he's more tense than he's ever been." Tigress stopped for a moment ad she noticed Viper stop her slithering and stare ahead with wide eyes. Now Tigrrss shifted her worries on Viper. "What's wrong...?"
"...I smell blood...far too much of it to be just from someone's injury. Why would the smell of blood completely take up the air...?" Viper whispered. Tigress was taken aback by the grimness of her words, before she also sniffed the air with her sensitive nose. Her eyes widened when the scent she picked up was indeed heavy with blood, and she shook her head slightly.
"Oh no..." Without warning, Tigress took off on all fours, surprising everyone in the group. With haste, everyone followed after her, except for Mr. Ping. He held back when he heard his ne being called. He turn around only to be caught in a rather tigght embrace by someome he recognized.
"Mrs. Yoon?! What's going on here?! And-" he stopped his shouting as soon as he noticed both her tears and the tears in her clothes. "Mrs. Yoon...? What's wrong? Why are you crying?"
"Ping...it was horrible...utterly horrible, terrifying, and tragic...and I was there to witness it..." She said, holding on to him while trying to keep herself together. Mr. Ping's fears began to grow as she went on with this. She was incrediblyshaken up, and there was slight blood on her clothes. But that blood was not her own...
"Mrs. Yoon...calm down." The goose saif in a calmer tone, as he softly patted her back to try and calm her down. When she stopped sniffling and dried her tears, he met her eyes. "Now...tell me what happened."
A conplete recollection of her experience last night was shared with Mr. Ping, and each passing moment, his face continied to shift further into disbelief, and then onto horror. When she finished, he began to shake his head in order to try and dissuade the dread beginning to fill the air. But he knew that Mrs. Yoon wouldn't lie to him about something so serious. So...it was true...
Mr. Ping looked down at the ground, as he fell slightly. Only his wings kept him from completely hitting the ground. He continued to shake his head...until he got back up and thought of something more important.
"How are Po and Tigress going to take this...?"
(Valley Of Peace: Ruins)
Po and Tigress...truly had little words to describe how they were feeling about this. Their reaction to the scene before them was nothing short of disbelief and heartbreak. This wasn't something they could process in an instant.
After a couple moments, Po began to speak. And it made everyone even more uneasy. Because he was usually a positive person. But it's not surprising that his positive attitude dropped completly when he saw what lied in store before them all.
"...Wha...? What...what happened here...?" Po said quietly.
"How did this happen...?" Tigress said just as quietly, though her face wasn't as easily readable as Po's. She was just as stunned as he was.
Fenghuang was currently kicking herself for thinking Oogway coupd have prevented this. Sure, he could have done it himself, no issues. But he had to croak on them the day before this happened. No one else could have seen this coming. No evacuation was sent out...no one was here to help them...no way to defend themselves...everyone here has been slaughtered, and everything was smashed, trashed, broken, torn, or burned. And she could tell that there has been a lot of burning.
Shit...I knew something would go awry while we were away...but not to this magnitude. Fenghuang cursed in her head. Any of them could have stopped this had they stayed behind, but Oogway had already sent them all on their way. She was sure he had some sort of premonition that warned him about this, but he couldn't do anything about it when he passed on. She was handling it better than she thought she would. She was feeling a mix between sadness...and contentment. She broke her emotional ties with the citizens of the Valley Of Peace decades ago, therefore she has no apparent feelings for them. However, she was definitely saddened that her former home has been destroyed. She imagined that Shifu wasn't doing as well as she was.
She was correct.
Shifu had disappeared from sight while everyone gazed on in disbelief. He reappeared right in front of a Jade Palace...or what's left of it. The outside of it was burned. The inside was even worse. Everything inside of it was missing instead of burned, meaning that the place was ransacked instead. Someone had ransacked the Jade Palace while he was away, then burned everything else while killing the citizens, which includes the Palace Servents. He was suddenly grateful that Zeng came with them, otherwise he would have suffered the same fate. But then his thoughts shifted to something else. Why didn't Oogway prevent this tragedy...?
The realization hit him very quickly, as his eyes widened in shock and disbelief. Oogway's Chi...I can't sense it. Not even a little bit...wait...don't tell me that he's...no...it can't be...it can't! He shook his head, but the fact remains that he could not sense Oogway anywhere in the Valley. And he would have sensed him anywhere in the Valley's proximity if he went anywhere. He also wouldn't ever leave the Valley unattended unless someone was left behind to protect it.
...Was Oogway truly gone? There was one way he could be completely sure. He moved swiftly over to the Peach Tree to know for sure. He passed through all of the wrecked and burned interior of the home he's resided in his whole life. He wasn't even gone that long, then it's gone the next moment. It couldn't have been gone within that time period, he had too much difficulty accepting this as reality.
But he laid his eyes upon the Peach Tree. He saw how much lifeless it looked. Oogway always told him that he and the Peach Tree had a deep connection with one another. So if one were to suddenly disappear...like Oogway...the other would look a bit more...drained. If the Peach Tree died first, Oogway might have gotten tremendously I'll. But the case is reversed. Oogway died...and the Peach Tree has lost much of it's life force along with him.
His Master has left this world. There's nothing that can dissuade this fact.
He was caught up in so much grief striking him at once that he didn't notice the letter scroll of Oogway's last words...they were burned as well. They didn't even let Oogway's last thoughts reach his students...that was an entirely new concept of cruel.
Back down below with the group, Po and Tigress were walking through the main road in silence. They weren't looking for anything in particular...they just observed the scene with blank faces. Something that deeply saddened their friends.
"Everything is destroyed...and everyone here is dead. This must be very painful for Po and Tigress..." Viper said quietly, wiping a tear from her eye with her tail. She was the latest addition to the group, and she was supposed to be happy about that. But how can she, when a tradegy like this has struck her friends. Fung could relate to her feelings. He only spent a single weei in the Valley of Peace, so he had no personal connection to it. But it was important to Po and Tigress, and it was also the place the three of them became friends. So he too, had a heavy heart about this.
Their new friends were little different. The sight was both saddening and infuriating, that someone would do something so heartless and evil.
Mei Ling placed her paws to her mouth when she spotted the local orphanage...it was also burned down. And therewe're a couple corpses of pig, geese, rabbit, and goat children...eyes lifeless or closed completely. She choked a sob, as Crane kept her from falling. "Not...not even the children were spared...how could this happen...?"
"We need to find out the identity of the bastards that did this." Monkey snarled. Nothing about this was good to the primate, he was angry the moment he saw all of this. He, Po, Tigress, and Mei Ling were struck extraordinarily hard by this sight. The four of them were orphans. Their actual family were nowhere to be found, so they were each orphans at some point or another. The difference was that Monkey stuck out for himself for a very long time. The other three were adopted or they were being looked after by someone else. These children had bright futures ahead of them, despite the lack of their birth parents. They were looking forward to the day when someone would eventually take them in to be lived and cared for like they truly wanted.
To have that chance taken away from them for no reason, so early in their lives...it was not easy to imagine who would do such a cruel thing. But it is easy to imagine how angry Tigress was. Having to wait for such a long time to be adopted by someone who would give her the family she wanted was an emotionally agonizing time for her. Though Shifu was trying hard, he did not spend enough time with her as she would have liked. But it was better than being left alone completely. These kids would not be getting the chance she and Po were lucky enough to get through their foster fathers.
Her fists clenched tightly. She noticed blood leaking from them, due to having her claws slightly out as well. Luckily she didn't feel it, but she would need to bandage her paws later. "This terrible act...will NOT go unpunished. That is a promise."
"Yeah it is! I really wanted to see what your home is like! Now we won't get the chance because somebody decided to be a bunch of assholes!" Mantis ranted.
Fung folded his arms. "But who? Who could have done this?"
Mrs. Yoon, while being held up by Zeng, answered them: "A large band of rogues...known as the Lin Kuei."
Fenghuang didn't even need to think about it in order for that to make sense. She stopped them from killing Po as a child. They must have thought of doing this as some sick way to get back at her for disrupting their reputation. Her talons dug into the ground at this thought. Why those miserable filthy dogs...they'll suffer for this. I may not give a damn about this Valley anymore...but Po and Mr. Ping do. And that's a good enough reason for me to be pissed.
"Oh thank goodness! It's not damaged!" She blinked at Mr. Ping's cheer and turned to face him. She saw him rummaging through the remains of the Noodle Shop he left behind. He pulled out a radish basket and clutch it tightly. "Thank goodness..."
Monkey scratched his head. "Er...Mr. Ping? Your Noodle Shop was burned down. What are you so relieved about?"
"Can't you see? The radish basket made it out okay!"
"Alright, different approach. Why is that radish basket so much more important than anything else that was in that shop?"
Mr. Ping closed his eyes, smiling gently. "This radish basket was in the alley at the back of my shop were I pick up supplies...and I found Baby Po inside of it." Everyone's eyes widened and turned to him to pay special attention to him and the basket. All excpet for Po, obviously. "He was left all alone in this basket for who knows how long. He was covered in soot, but otherwise had no injuries. I have no idea why that may be. But I obviously could not bare to leave him out there. So I fed him...gave him a bath...then fed him again...and when the day was over, I tucked him into my bed and kissed his head goodnight. I knew he was scared and lonely, so I slept beside him until the next day. From that moment on...my loneliness was dispersed...because Po appeared at random. Did I complain? Not once." He looked inside the basket and took out the Sun Lantern of himself and Po made for Winter Feast. The basket itself was filled with things he and Po made together when he was a small cub, before Fenghuang entered their life. "I finally had a reason to celebrate holidays in cheer. Because now I had someone to spend them with. That panda that I watched grow and grow...and smile at me every day. And I always smiled back. Po...my little panda. Po...my son." He closed his eyes again. "Memories...fond memories...I could use those right now..."
Everyone grew silent as Mr. Ping quietly reminisces his days with a younger Po. Eventually, Viper slithers up to him. "Mr. Ping...isn't there anything else worth of value to you left unscathed?"
"No. This is all I could salvage. This basket, a paint portrait of himself and I, and the Sun Lantern. Everything else is cinders now. But...I'm content."
"How can that be?"
"It's easy." Mr. Ping smiles. "I treasure my memories with Po more than anything else the shop had to offer me. He matters much more than my business. I can think of it this way. I no longer have to worry about family tradition taking over my son. I was thinking of breaking it, anyway. Not out of disrespect...but because Po matters more. Isn't that right, son?"
Mr. Ping was not surprised when the panda suddenly turned around, picked up the goose, and pulled him in for a hug. It was a rather tight one, but he didn't mind at all. He could feel Po shaking, lile he was trying his hardest not to cry. That's because he was. It was understandable. Po was not particularly fond of the villagers here, but he never wished for this kind of fate to befall them. He was feeling sorry for the very people who kept him from making friends. Fenghuang could hardly believe it. When Po let Mr. Ping down from his hug, he stared blankly at the remains of the Noodle Shop, feeling the same nostalgia from it like Mr. Ping was. They we're away from it for 15 years, but it was still holding fond memories.
"...We should spend the day burying all the bodies. We don't want to just leave them out." Po said quietly. No one disagreed with the panda. Leaving even one body out would be disrespectful. So they went to work, burying every single corpe in the Valley for the whole day, and with every one, they would pray for the departed, then continue to find more.
Everyone went on with this with no sound except for their own movement.
(The Next Day-Sunrise)
Everyone was up early, greeting each other quietly, and headed onto the Peach Tree after Mr. Ping and Po cooked them breakfast and they ate quickly. Po and Tigress stood beside the Pesch Tree, overlooking the ruins of the Valley, while the others stayed back.
They learned a lot. All of the knowledge that would possibly be kept in the Jade Palace was either burned, or long gone by now. Shifu now held Oogway's staff, the only thing he has left to remember him by. They also discovered that the Dragon Scroll was destroyed. Tigress felt slight relief, even muttering 'Good Riddance'. She didn't want anything to do with Dragon Warrior related business, and she meant it. They would be fine without it. Fenghuang couldn't carw less about the Valley at this point.
"Now I think we're on the same page here." The avian said. "The Valley Of Peace definitely held true to it's name for a very long time. But the 'Peace' began to decline quite rapidly as the years passed. I am of course one of the causes of this, and many more before and after me have ruined the peace of this Valley. Now it's not there at all, as you can old turtle had a good run with it, really. But the curtain closes on the Valley Of Peace. The winds have changed."
"What do you mean?" Crane asked. Wind being a specialty of his, he was interested in what she meant by this.
The owl turned to face them. "You can feel it too, can't you? This is a new chapter. A new era has begun for everyone not just us. With the passing of Oogway, the destruction of the Valley of Peace, and the treasures of the Jade Palace either destroyed or scattered, it's pretty obvious what's happening." Her eyes opened calmly, as everyone felt a breeze become even stronger, as it rustled her feathers and robe for a couple moments.
"Oogway's Era...had ended..." The wind stopped, and she stared at the group before her. "He held his era together for a thousand years, not a bad run. But China has grown some dark shadows over the years. This just seals the deal and proves that it's real. And we'd better get used to it, because we're in for some painful times. What we have to learn how to do, is endure it, get stronger than it, and make sure it can't keep us down for good. You all will be a major example on what Kung Fu's Newer Age represents. Especially you two." She gestured to Po and Tigress.
Tigress folded her arms. "The first chance we get, we're going after the Lin Kuei. They can't be allowed to get away with this." Due to Fenghuang's influence and Mrs. Yoon's tailoring skills, Tigress was no longer wearing her training vest. She replaced it with a red short sleeved Kung Fu buttoned shirt with shaded images of tiger lilies in the front, and there as the image of a tiger on the back of it. It related the scarf Po gave her as well, making it a good match in her eyes. It looked like it would be suitable for both relaxing, and fighting. It was a slight change, but she was comfortable with it.
"I heard what Stripes has to say. What say you, Panda?" Fenghuang turned to her student with a small smile. She knew what he was thinking. She just wanted to hear him say it.
The panda overlooks the Valley below him, before turning to his fellow friends, masters, and father. "I won't pretend that I completely know what I'm talking about. I'm not wise like Master Oogway or experienced like Master Shifu. What I'm saying is what I personally think." He paused for a bit, allowing them to focus their attention just a bit more. "As I said before with Viper, I don't intend to make us great heroes or anything. I just want to go on an adventure and make more friends. If people see us as heroes anyway, we can't do anything about that. It is what it is. The Valley I live in will never be the same again. But Tigress, Shifu, Dad and I can preserve the memory within ourselves, and keep moving."
"Is there anything else you'd like to say?" Fenghuang asked, her smile becoming wider.
Po nodded. "We're our own group...so we're gonna make and follow our own rules. We live how we want, we do what we want(without becoming total jerks) and we help people because we want to and it's in our heart's interest, not because it's some kind of 'duty' to follow. We'll be gathering the rest of the friends on the list as we go forward on our journey. It's an opportunity for us to get to known one another better, become closer, and make room for more friends. As for Kung Fu...Kung Fu is definitely not a bad thing. Hell, I LOOOOOVVVEEE Kung Fu. It's so awesome! But over time...it's become far too strict for some to handle, thus it keeps us from reaching our potential while staying true to ourselves. Not saying it's like that all the time, just that we should watch out for that. We'll learn at our own pace, with understanding Masters, with just the right amount of discipline. But most importantly...we stick together, stand up for one another, and we fight alongside one another when danger comes after us. And it will. Now...who's with me?"
"No arguments here. I'm game." Fung raised his paw.
"Me too. It could be fun." Mei Ling raised her paw.
"My Wings of Justice are by your side, Po!" Crane raised his wing.
"Ever need cheering up, you guys can talk to me." Viper raised her tail.
"I may be little, but my heart is huge! Count me in too." Mantis raised his foreleg.
"Why not? Authority could never hold me down before. Now I have friends who back me up." Monkey grinned, raising his paw.
"Ah what the hell. Might as well join in. We are the teachers, after all." Fenghuang raised her wing with a genuine smile.
Shifu sighed. So much was happening and he didn't have enough time to react to it all. He was still grieving, but he also didn't want to ruin the mood they had going. "...I suppose it can't be helped." Shifu raised his paw.
"I'm a good messenger when I'm at my best!" Zeng raised his wing.
"I make some mean noodles! I also have quite the experience in managing bonds like these." Mr. Ping raised a wing.
"Ever need a tailor, you can come to me." Mrs. Yoon raised her hoof.
Everyone then turned to Tigress, who hasn't raised her paw yet. "Come on, Tigress! Don't leave us hanging!" Po said, smiling.
The feline then turned to Po with a confused expression. "Make and Follow our own rules...live how we want...do what we want...and help people because we want to and it's in our heart's interest...not because we feel like we have to..." She looked up to Po with her eyes slightly widened in realization. "Po...do you realize that you're asking us to become a band of rogues?"
"..Is that what it's called?" Po rubbed his head in confusion. "Huh. Then I guess I am."
"Po...aren't rogues...dishonest and bad people?"
The panda chuckled, surprising the feline a little, before he looked up towards her. "Is that what you're worried about? Being the old-fashioned definition of a rogue? None of us are either of those things, so I don't think you have to worry about that. We're also gonna prove that being a rogue isn't as bad as people might think."
Why do I get the feeling that that sentence will come back to confront me later?Shifu thought.
Po rubbed his neck. "Tigress. We're not gonna go around breaking rules just for laughs, that's not what I mean at all. We just don't want them to hold us back from doing the right thing. I want us to do these things on our own terms. We're gonna be good people who live how we want to live, while helping those in need in our own way."
Tigress then began to fully understand. Fenghuang was no longer evil because she met Po. Now she's just an arguably decent rogue who follows her own rules and cares not for the criticism of others. She's also passionate about being a free spirit who is chained down by nothing that can hold her back from her true potential. Did this mindset of hers...influence Po's current mindset?
"Tigress." She looked up at Po, who held his paw out to her, with a bright goofy smile. "Don't think about it, just say yes."
She wasn't oblivious to the fact that those are the exact words he used when he decided the two of them should be friends. It may have been coincidence or he did it on purpose. Either way, it was out in the open now. Po was not going against laws or the old ways of Kung Fu. He was fine with them...unless they intentionally try to harm him or his loved ones, or attempt to make him to do something related to that. Then all bets are off. This may have its risks...but Po has been taking risks ever since he was a cub.
If he can do it...she can too!
She smiled, and held his paw. "I'll follow you anywhere, Po."
Po's smile grew bigger. "Awesome! We're all in agreement! Now to make it official. Everyone: Group Hug!"
No one questioned him this time, they just surrounded one another and wrapped themselves in a large hug pile with Po right in the middle. Fenghuang and Shifu were the only ones not to jump in, but the support was there.
They then broke out of the hug pile, and Po turned to the sunrise, his hat raised so he could see it. He's been struck with grief for a bit, but he managed to recover from it. It can't be helped, so they'll just have to keep moving. He has his father, has his friends, will be getting more of them soon, and they have Kung Fu which will allow them to back each other up in a variety of situations. He couldn't stay sad after realizing all of this. In fact...he smiled.
"Today is a new day!"
(Unknown)
"Hm...what do we have here...? Oogway has transferred to the next world so soon? How unfortunate..." Master Yao turned towards the skies, blinking with curiosity. "It seems that the Chi in the world has been released upon the world, and people who have the ability to control it will become much more powerful. And some of then are not good people. This may lead to a lot of trouble..."
The Secret Scroll, which this Master has accurately and quickly deciphers at the age of five, has been burned alongside the Jade Palace, where it was being kept. The Secret Of the Secret Scroll...has a lot to do with Chi. It kept much of the chi in the world to a minimum so that evildoers could not misuse it. With the Secret Scroll now destroyed, the chi is beginning to naturally flow back into the world, giving potential users more power and restoring the abilities of experienced Masters. Pretty soon, things may get extremely chaotic...
...all he could do was laugh. This was a grand change of epic proportions, and he merely laughs at it. He then sported a goofy grin that rivals Po's.
"THANK GOODNESS! I was becoming so bored just sitting in my box for so long with nothing going on. Finally, the universe has decided to mix things up a little!" He stood up, his frail looking body wobbling a little, as he began walking on and waving. "Thanks for the experience of kidnapping me, young ones. But I wanna do a couple things on my own for a while. Such as eat tasty treats like moon cakes...I heard those are delicious. Mmmm...Anyway, see you later!"
There was a group of bandits lying on the ground, unconscious. Their force was 50. They were that determined to capture Yao and take advantage of the many powers he was possessed. He allowed them to do so...and when they threatened him, he defeated them all in seconds. Without moving from his box. He then stepped out and left them behind in the middle of a field.
Master Yao chuckled. "I wonder how the young generation is going to react. This is going to be fun. Really fun. And I'm interested in what they have to offer the future-oh! What a pretty flower!" He stepped up to the plant, sniffing it slightly. "Ah...what a delightful smell it has...I wonder what everything else around here smells like..."
Master Yao was wise, thoughtful and a really jolly nice guy. But he was also a bit...mentally unhinged. Not in a borderline insane way, it's just that being cooped up in a box for 60 years didn't do wonders for his mind. Being a legendary Kung Fu Master with a large IQ, however, he wasn't the one to be extremely concerned about. He could take care of himself...maybe.
Bottom line is, things will be getting MUCH more lively from here on out...and he can hardly wait to see it start.
End Of Chapter...
I'm guessing you see by now the small but important difference between Canon Po and this story's Po. This Po is influnced by Fenghuang. While he wants be a really good person, have many friends, wants the gang to live how they want without appearing to be jerks, and help lots of people wherever he goes...he's also insisting that being a hero is not what he wants, and he means it. Though if people see them that way, he won't harshly call them out on it. He'll just shrug and move on.
But to clear things up: NO ONE is going to leave that terrible act unpunished. If they ever find the Lin Kuei...they'd better be ready for some serious pain. And it seems the Dragon Warrior subject has been buried for good.
...or has it?
That's all. The Next chapter of the story will be out soon. Hopefully I won't take as long.
Later~