Chapter 41 is here at last! Like, finally!

I meant to post it earlier, much earlier after I wanted to end my hiatus...but things kinda held me up. But I'm definitely putting this up now, so you can go and enjoy it!

Was gonna put an intro scene here, truly. I just had a feeling it wouldn't exactly fit at this very moment, so I'll just save that for the very beginning of the next chapter. The reason why, is that I made the beginning of thischapter too long. It was necessary, but still.

Okay. It's been a while, so of course there's a chance there's more mistakes than usual and it might not be too good. Hopefully it's not too much of a bother.

Start!

(Gongmen City: Tower Or Sacred Flame)

Master Croc sighed as he stood up and gazed at his students. All of them scattered across the Tower of Sacred Flame Courtyard, battered and bruised. Yet he doesn't have a scratch. "Alright...that's enough for today."

"I feel like I puked out my spine..." Gahri groaned as he raised his head, trying to regain his balance. His comrades also got up, one at a time. Except for one, one decided to stay down. "Irwin? Can you get up, please?"

"No thanks, man. I'm actually beginning to like the taste of ground." Irwin was the bulkiest of the crocs since Fung was not there anymore. He raised a paw up to wave away his request, then hit softly hit the ground again. He looked like he could care less about succeeding or failing.

Wong, one of the skinnier crocs, folded his arms in disappointment. "Man. We stink without Fung. With him, we were at least able to land a solid hit." His eyes looked like he always wanted to set something on fire...that or he's just really angry a lot.

"My tongue is all dusty tastier." Wall-Eye was sitting on his rear, trying clumsily to wipe the dust off of his tongue, as his eyes seemed to always dart in two directions. He didn't seem to be very skilled in grammer or pronunciation. But in a very, very strange way...he was the adorable one.

Gahri sighed as he realized what was going on. "Okay guys, okay. I know. You guys miss Fung. I miss Fung too. But he entrusted us to the safety of Gongmen City. And as Gongmen Guards, we have to live up to his expectations!"

Irwin raised an eyebrow. "Weren't you the one who always fights with him because he expects a lot from us?"

"That detail...is not important right now!"

Master Croc sighed as he scratched his snout. "There is a second meaning to his departure, aside from wanting to reunite with his childhood friends. You can't always rely on Fung to give you a victory, regardless on whether or not he's the strongest or has the most tactics in mind. He wants you to be able to do things on your own, just as well as when you're all together."

"Yeah, we know...it's just..." Gahri rubbed his arm nervously.

Master Croc raised an eyebrow, and smiled. "But of course, there's absolutely nothing wrong with missing a dear friend. I did not mean to insinuate that in a negative light. I apologize."

"N-N-No Master Croc! You don't have to apologize for that! I'm sorry you had to be sorry about that!"

"Gahri, you-"

"As a matter of fact, I'm sorry these practice sessions haven't been going as well as you've hoped! You're right we should be getting better with or without Fung! We're sorry!"

"Yeah, we're sorry." Irwin bowed.

"We're pretty sorry." Wong bowed.

"We don't mean badness." Wall-Eye attempted to bow, only to end up face planting on the ground. It didn't seem to affect his usual expression, however.

There was a short, yet loud laugh that echoed a couple seconds through the courtyard. The crocs turned to the sight of Master Rhino, holding his signature hammer, while Storming Ox walking alongside him. "Rise your heads, crocs. You have nothing to be ashamed of, I assure you. There's no shame in continuing to learn. Now as Master Croc said, how about you take a break for the day?"

"You boys are pushing yourselves too hard." The Soothsayer, one who has also done a good job in looking after the boys, smiled at them. "I agree that rest would benefit you right now. Trust me...you'll need it." The mysteriousness of her...none of them could ever understand her.

Gahri seemed to hesitate for a bit. Though Irwin and Wong wasted no time in pushing him along. They were not going to pass up the chance for a break. Though Wall-Eye needed a couple seconds to recover before following them. But he had to also recover from bumping into the wall.

Master Ox chuckled. "Ha! Your students giving you a difficult time, Croc? Have they worn out your patience?"

"...They do exhaust me once in a while, yes." Croc sighed while scratching his snout again. "Though I must admit, Fung was always the one who exhausted me most of all. He'd be the one who'd want to keep going despite how tired he was. Youth tends to have more energy when they're determined."

"I don't entirely disagree with that viewpoint. There's a lot of lazy ones too, though." Ox said.

Rhino chuckled again. "The fact of the matter is: You miss Fung just as much as they do."

Croc folded his arms at Rhino's slight teasing...then he smiled slightly. "...I do."

Before they could continue their conversation, they heard the sound of the latch that locks the courtyard being slashed in half. They turned instantly towards the source of the sound, only to be surprised, almost horrified, by what they saw.

The sound of metal talons clanking against the ground echoed throughout the courtyard, as the one they'd never thought they'd see made his presence known. Outside, they could see that the positioned antelope guards were defeated with zero effort. The menacing red eyes that managed to intimidate them to their very souls. They also recognized the snow white feathers, and the train of white with red eyes.

"Shen...?"

The peacock chuckled. "Oh, well would you look at that! All of you were kind and gracious enough to keep the place nice and tidy for all of these years. Really, hats off to all of you." He then stared down the current Masters with an eye of indifference. "Now...I do believe that it is within your best interest to either leave the premises now, or accept yourselves as my subordinates. Or you can die. I'm not that picky."

"Your banishment must have driven off what's left of your sanity! You think we're just going to bow down for you?!" Ox growled.

"A bit of groveling would do as an extra, yes." He waved off carelessly. He then eyed the Soothsayer, and his smile grew. "Ooh how adorable! You were even kind enough to take care of my nanny. So...how's that prophecy coming up, hm? Either you're getting rusty...or I must have the ability to defy fate. Which one seems more likely? You have been getting older lately...but no concern is needed. Sometimes age and beauty go together!"

All she did was glare at him with immense disappointment. "Your years away from home have not done you any good, or changed you in any way."

"Oh...but I'm afraid you're incorrect on that part." Shen shrugged her criticism off easily. "I've learned many things. Visited many places. Won many battles, lost a couple of them. And they only managed to make me grow in body and mind. Now...my wait is over. I'm here to take back what's rightfully mine. Gongmen City."

"You think you can just take Gongmen. Surely you jest." Croc huffed.

"I'm afraid I'm not joking, Master Croc. You can make this easy on yourselves. Lest you force me to do something...pragmatic." His eyes narrowed and they almost seemed to glow with dark intentions. "And you truly do not want to see how pragmatic I can get."

Master Rhino pounded the dull end of his hammer into the ground, creating a small shock wave that echoed through the courtyard and a wave of dust picked up across the area. Shen was not intimidated. "Shen. You've lost your birthright from your horrible crimes all those years ago. If you want it back so badly, then I suggest you prepare to do battle for it." Shen's eyes actually beamed at the threat.

"Oooh! That does sound rather interesting! I'm admittedly a bit eager to see how much I've grown. But I have a faster, much more effective way of getting what I want. You see, you Kung Fu Masters...many of you have the same weakness. A completely understandable weakness, don't get me wrong. But sometimes I feel like it's embarrassingly easy to exploit."

The three Masters narrowed their eyes, not understanding what he meant, until...

BOOM!

Their eyes widened as they heard a loud explosion erupt not too far from their location, and a pillar of smoke began to rise into the air...as well as the screams of innocent citizens. Shen raised a wing to his head and partially closed one eye as of struggling to listen.

"Oh my. What is that sound?" He asked in a mocking tone. He then smiled again. "Ah yes. The screams of innocent bystanders running away from large, intense explosions. It's a bit of an uncomfortable sound, isn't it?"

"Shen...what did you do?!" Soothsayer shouted, which was also a kind of plea.

"That was my new weapon against Kung Fu. I was going to use it to subjugate the three of you...but why not use it to gather all three of you under my wing, instead? Seems a bit easier to me. You can show me what's changed about my city, and I get a little bit more muscle. Reasonable trade off, no?"

"You...you filthy...miserable, COWARD!" Ox roared loudly as he took out his mace and jumped high, and aimed for Shen to get a strike at him...

He was surprised when a wolf jumped from the shadows and blocked his strike with a hammer. A wolf with a scar running down his left eye, possibly meaning it's forever closed. His remaining eye was red, his fur was dark gray, and his armor was black with Shen's emblem on the shoulder. He smirked darkly.

"Yeah...dude. I'm just gonna lay it down for you. You don't wanna do that." the wolf snarked.

"Out of my way, dog!" Ox shouted as he pulled back his mace and struck again, which was deflected by the wolf's hammer swinging downwards, making it impact the ground and crack it slightly.

"No, seriously. I'd stop and take a good look around if I were you." Rhino seemed to be the one who took the advice deadly serious, as he scanned the compound. There were wolves who were carefully watching the scene from atop the walls of the courtyard, watching their every move. "My pack is much larger than that, but those specific wolves are monitoring your every move. And every two minutes you don't relinquish control to my boss, they'll raise a signal. And..."

BOOM!

Another explosion. More screams. More smoke and fire. More innocent lives probably lost. The wolf shrugged. "Well...ya get the point by now, right?"

"I suggest each of you take heed and listen to my trusted second-hand. Sometimes, notably when he isn't drunk..." the wolf pouted in embarrassment. "...he really knows what he's talking about. The innocents can stop suffering any time you wish, many more citizens will survive this ordeal...just surrender now."

Soothsayer's eyes were filled were disappointment still, but they were also filled with immense shock that Shen would go so far to reach his desires. Making the Kung Fu Council submit by setting up a sort of hostage situation beforehand was such a cowardly move. Though she's guessing that he'd see it as merely pragmatic.

The Masters all glared at Shen with a mix of rage, shock...and fear of the consequences if they refuse to submit to his wishes. Ox was the most resistant, but he didn't dare make a move.

Shen's eye opened a bit more. "Really? Still no answer? What a shame. Although...I may have found another incentive." He slowly gazed at the tower entrance. Croc followed his gaze, and his eyes widened. Gahri and the others were coming coming back out to see what the commotion was about. Shen's wing slowly rose, and the wolves on the wall began moving towards them and their weapons ready.

"NO!" Croc shouted in response, prompting Shen to stop his wing, though his face didn't change. Croc clenched his fists in shame. He was playing right into Shen's wings, he knew he was. And yet...

"We'll surrender. Just please...don't hurt them. They're no threat to you in any way. Let them leave here unscathed." Croc pleaded. Ox's eyes glared at his comrade's submission, but Rhino didn't give him acknowledgement. He didn't show disappointment in Croc's choice like Ox, but disappointment that things were able to escalate to such a level. Attacking would result in violent retaliation. Trying his patience proved to be even worse.

Shen smirked. "At least one of you is reasonable enough to make a compromise. Lucky for you, I'm a man of my word. You heard Master Croc. Get those four out of here. And...throw them in Gongmen Jail, just to be safe." Croc's eyes widened again, which Shen waved off. "Oh stop. You said not to hurt them, and I'm not. That just means I have to deal with them with differently."

The wolves grabbed hold of Gahri, Irwin, Wong, and Wall-Eye, and began pushing them out of the courtyard. Gahri was the only one to gaze at Master Croc with concern, before they lost sight of each other. Shen turned to the Masters again, his metal talon lightly tapping the ground.

"Now then. I'm still waiting."

Ox glared dangerously, raising his weapon. "Like we'll bow to scum like-"

"Enough, Ox." Rhino ordered, silencing his student. "It pains me...but we cannot risk any more innocent lives. I can tell that he's not bluffing about his threat. He's ready for any retaliation on our part, ahead of time. Should we continue, he might go back and harm the students anyway. They are not involved in this conflict, I wish no harm upon them either." Rhino gently placed his prized hammer on the ground, and got on his knees. Croc was a bit slower, making sure his students got out safe and unharmed, then also bowed. To their concern, Ox was still standing in resistance, which Shen took notice of.

"Well now. It seems one of you just continues to be uncooperative, as I thought. All I'm asking you to do is bow before me. There isn't much to misunderstand here. Ah well. It seems I'll have to help you." It happened in a blur. He threw his wing forward and a rope dart shot out and ensnared around Ox's horn, threw a throwing knife to his knee, and pulled the rope. Very little reaction time provided, Ox grunted as the knife embedded in his knee, making him lose his balance, and was pulled towards Shen and his face hit the ground. Shen quickly drew the robe back, covered his wings in his robes and chuckled. "Oh dear! You ended up overdoing it and falling face first into the ground! You should probably get yourself cleaned up. Playing in the dirt isn't always very healthy." He walked past the three Masters, two of them making sure that Croc was alright. He walked by his canine second in command. "Zhong."

"Yes Sir."

"Get this filth off of my yard." Shen said lowly without turning back, his smile disappeared as he trekked towards the Tower Of Sacred Flame. His second in command nodded as he raised his head up and howled. On his call, a portion of Shen's army poured through the door. Gorillas, wolves, komodo dragons, and crocs poured into the yard. Rhino and Croc closed their eyes as they were grabbed and taken elsewhere.

"...Shen. Your heart has grown even darker and colder than I thought..." Soothsayer said sadly as the wolves gently scooter her along to follow the peacock into his old home. She only hoped that he wouldn't do anything rash...but her visions might say otherwise.

He mustn't discover that the Kung Fu Council knows of the Warrior Of Black And White...

(Po's Dreamscape)

There was an entire village on fire. The young panda cub was dazed and confused by all of the fire messing with his vision as well as making him cough a lot. He was also a bit scared that many of his neighbors we're scattering around and running away from something, quite possibly the things that caused the fire in the first place. There were big, scary wolves setting fire to everything. And there were other pandas running away from them. Whatever wolves pounced on a couple, some never got back up. He was dreadfully confused, and yet scared at the same time.

He didn't have time to ponder it, as someone picked him up and began running away from the destruction. He recognized the feminine looking panda, but he couldn't put his mouth on it. Probably because he couldn't form coherent sentences yet.

There a brief gap of time before said female panda placed him in some sort of box. Then she lovingly kissed his forehead with tears in his eyes, before she began backing away. Growing more scared, the young panda began reaching out for her. But she was already far out of his reach. He really didn't want her to leave him here alone. Because it felt like the moment she ran back out to that fire, he wouldn't be seeing her again.

He desparately wanted to be in her arms again. He wanted to feel safe again. But that wouldn't happen. He'd never feel that kind of warmth again in his life. He didn't want to be alone. He was terrified of being alone.

But he was helpless to do anything about it. All he could do was cry.

The last thing he saw was the blood red and snow white train of a peacock being followed by wolves...

Then he woke up.

(Reality)

Po gasped as he shot up from his resting place, looking around frantically if only to confirm that he was not trapped in a nightmare, still. Once he foumd out that he was in the clear, he sighed as he grabbed his hat and placed it on his head.

"Welp. I'm not gonna be able to go back to sleep after that." Po yawned while scratching his belly and walking out of the tent. Oh well, the been of sunshine warming up his face told him that it was morning anyway. "It's that same dream again...what the hell is it about...?"

That's right. This wasn't the first time Po's had this dream. And it wouldn't be the last, either. it was very strange, because he hasn't had that dream for such a long time. At least until Fung announced that they would be taking a trip to Gongmen City as their next major destination. Does that have anything to do with it...? Nah, couldn't be. Must be coincidental timing, or whatever Fenghuang calls it.

"Oh, good morning, Po!" Mr. Ping exclaimed while coming out of one of the other tents, jumping up and hugging his belly. Po chuckled and hugged the goose back.

"Morning, Dad."

Mr. Ping let himself down as he stared into Po's eyes. His own eyes lowered as his head tilted to the side. "Did you have that strange dream again?"

"Nooooooo...yes." The panda lowered his head from the lame denial to the blank acceptance. The goose father sighed as he held Po's paw.

"Come now, son. We shouldn't keep your friends waiting, they'll be waking up soon as well. If they haven't already, the smell of food will surely get them awake in no time. Its like an alarm clock, but in smelling form!"

"Or...we can just have Zeng ring the..." Po slumped a bit. "Oh...right. No bells here."

"Ah well. If they don't wake up soon, I can always resort to my excessive quacking skills to be a reliable alarm clock!" Mr. Ping cleared his throat and took a deep breath...Po swiftly covered his beak to orevent further progress.

"Nah nah, that's okay Dad! We just gotta trust that they'll be waking up on their own." Po smiled nervously. When Mr. Ping readies one of his louder quacks, no one is safe. Especially Shifu. Heck, Shifu is the most vulnerable because he has the best hearing. So...nope. A quacking Ping probably wouldn't be the best wake up call today.

There was another warrior they could count on being awake. Tigress was probably the very first one awake, because she once again needed a change of wardrobe. Her current one was kinda burnt and torn after surviving a chi-explosion. Fortunately the Ladies of the Shade could happily and proudly provide her a change in clothes.

What was unfortunate, was the very small gap of personal space. The snow leopards were swarming her in admiration, and it was taking a lot of self-control for her to not begin punching any of them in the face.

"Wow! Don't you have a face of beauty!"

"Her fur is so smooth for just having endured such an ordeal!"

"You have got to tell us how you look so amazing without even trying!"

"CAN YOU ALL BACK OFF?!" Tigress roared with comically sharp teeth. "This isn't something I'm interested in discussing!"

"It's like you're a perfect blend of beauty, brains, and brawn! It's triple a B combination!"

"...You're not even listening to me." Tigress said dully.

Su eventually walked through the tent, placing her paws on her hips. "Now now, ladies. Lets give the tiger some space before she begins to strike. I heard that she's both the calmest and yet the most tempermental."

Tigress tilted her name. "I...wouldn't go that far."

"Not to worry, dear. Your current clothing is horribly tattered. But we Ladies of the Shade can provide you with something, no problem." Su folded her arms. "And of course, we make sure that they fit, and that you're comfortable in them. And we make sure that the design...suits your taste as closely as possible. Of course we know it's not totally easy to do. You're not one who cares much for fashion, we get that."

"At least somebody does."

"Yep. From one humbly beautiful feline to another."

I walked right into that one. Tigress mentally sighed, trying to will her bashful blush away. "You seem to have quite some skill in embarrassing other women in this kind of manner."

"It's one of my favorite pastimes." Su chuckled. "In all seriousness, you tend to underestimate your own beauty. Inner beauty is an okay thing, don't get me wrong. But you don't always have to put down your outer looks in order to prove that you're humble about it. Some can tell just by looking at you that outer looks are not your main concern. And I can tell it isn't Po's main concern either. From what I've seen, the only thing bigger than his stomach is his heart. And his stomach is quite huge." Su smirked.

"Heh. I noticed." Tigress stood up, holding her scarf close to her as she walked out of the tent and into the morning light. It was time to check on the others.

In another tent, Peng was slowly opening his eyes to the morning light shining through his tent. Though it appeared that something was blocking it from view, just slightly. When his vision managed to clear up a little, he saw Lian's face in front of his, smiling widely. He returned the smile. "Hey there, sleepy head."

"Morning, Lian. Just waiting for me to wake up, huh?" He laughed slightly as he sat up and stretched his arms out. He allowed one arm to wrap around her waist and pull her closer to him. She welcomed the one-armed hug, and returned it with both of her arms.

"I'm quite patient when it comes to getting a chance to cuddle you." Lian stated as she pulled back a little. "Also...I wanted you to be awake for us to complete our usual ritual." She said slyly, before leaning in and kissing his lips. His eyes widened in slight surprise before they slid closed and he returned the kiss, as he now had both arms wrapped around her waist to pull her closer. Her paws held onto his shoulders to do the same. And they both noticed that they were letting out a small, gentle purr that resonating between them in sync.

"Are you awake yet, Peng? I just wanted to inform you that-"

Tigress slid the tent open in order to check on them, but her eyes widened when she saw what they were in the middle of. They pulled away from each other instantly, with Lian covering her face and Peng rubbing his neck sheepishly. "A-Aunt Tigress! We were just...we were...um..."

"N-No need to apologize. I was in a bit of a rush and didn't bother to provide a heads up. Therefore, the fault is mine. I'll just...see myself out. D-Don't mind me." Tigress mumbled before stepping away while her scarf covered the lower portion of her face in embarrassment. She just walked in on her nephew having a good morning kiss with his girlfriend. That was awkward.

"Hey guys, what's Tigress all red for?" Bian Zao walked in the tent after the former left. He raised an eyebrow as he saw that their faces were also reddened. "And why are you all red too? Unless...did she catch you two making out?" He was only joking, but the blushes got harsher, which actually made him laugh. "No way! She actually walked in on that?"

"Yep..." Peng sighed. "Well...in the bright side, I can count this as an official family moment. Foster relative embarrasses me even though she really didn't mean it."

"Well...at least it's over. Now we should be getting ready to leave. I think that's what Tigress was trying to tell us." Lian stood up with folded arms.

"Yeah. That does seem to be our next destination given how Fung said we'd be going to Gongmen City next. And that place is not very close at all." Bian Zao yawned. "I do wish that it wasn't so early in the morning. My Dad had to wake me up. All I wanna do right now is go back to sleep. We don't have to head out so soon."

"Well it doesn't hurt to be prepared and ready, at least." Lian shrugged slightly. "We might as well take that time to get our stuff together then take a little bit longer to get some R&R. But until them, try to tough it out, bestie~"

Bian Zao was still slightly taken aback by how determined she was to keep this 'best friends' thing going. And by the looks of things, it didn't seem like she was ever going to let it go. He had a bit of mind to try and dissuade from having that mindset...but it would be less of a hassle to just accept it and keep moving on. So he just shrugged and accepted the fact that she plans on bonding with him. And Peng already knew she wasn't going to let this go, so he didn't even make an attempt. That and he seemed to be up for that idea too, so he was kind of outvoted even if he resisted. But still...

"Are you sure you want me as a best friend? I don't really have any best friend qualities."

"I'm pretty determined to prove you wrong." Lian smirked.

The warthog sighed. It was worth a try.

In yet another part of the camp, Shifu opened his eyes as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. He looked to the side to see Mei Ling the Fox sleeping alongside him, somewhat peacefully. He placed a paw on his stomach to see that it was carefully and properly bandaged up. The bleeding must have persisted for a while, but eventually stopped. He lowered his eyes when he realized she must have been very worried about him in his injured state.

"If you're thinking she's been watching to see if your state was stable until you fell asleep...then you'd be right." Taotie said, sitting a few feet away from the both of them. "You were out longer, obviously. Blood loss tends to do that to you."

Shifu managed to stand up a little and rub his head. "Fenghuang and the others...how are they?"

"They're alright. Damage from being ganged up on by the Lin Kuei, plus being beaten down by those kids, they might need more time to recover, aside from Fenghuang. She's actually the closest to making a full recovery aside from you. Fitting, given how tough the two of you really are."

"Ah. I see." Shifu sighed as he limped over to grab his staff, which is now currently a walking stick. His ears flicked up a bit as he thought about something important. "Hold on. Fenghuang didn't do anything chaotic while I was out cold, did she?"

"Oh. She's currently stuffing herself with much of the food she can muster from Mr. Ping. He and Po just started cooking and she's really digging into it. So is your daughter, apparently. You want me to get you something?"

"No. That is quite alright. I'll just...wait for Mei Ling to wake up. I do have to show my gratitude for constantly caring for me in my semi-helpless state." Shifu sat back down and crossed his legs.

"Eh. Suit yourself." Taotie shrugged as he walked out of the tent.

Shifu stared at Mei Ling's sleeping form quietly. His ears managed to pick up on on her slow and deep breathing, as well as the steady flow of her heartbeat. His eyes shifted to her face. Her eyes were closed, her muzzle were only partially opened, and her ears twitch a little bit to signify that she was locked in a state of dreams right now. He blinked a bit as a small rosy blush appeared on his cheeks just from waiting for her to wake up.

Even after all these years apart, he still thinks she's beautiful.

Shifu hesitated, before he reached his paw out slowly and quietly. The pain was still present from his wound, so this was no easy task. But eventually, his paw managed to reach the side of her head. Then slowly, he ran his paw down, allowing him to feel her soft, warm, smooth fur without having to worry about anything else except her possibly waking up. His flustering intensified when her lips curved into a content smile and a quiet purr began to rumble from her throat, and he tail begins to move side to side. Soon enough, his own lips curved into a smile as he eased into the gesture.

"She might enjoy it more if she were awake."

Shifu jumped slightly and turned around to see Mrs. Yoon stand in the tent entrance this time. His ears pressed against his head as he looked back towards the vixen. "She didn't get any sleep because she was concerned for me. I don't wish to wake her right now."

"Whatever brings you peace of mind, Shifu." Mrs. Yoon nodded as she stepped further inside the tent. "I do wonder...what we plan to do about these plans for Gongmen. For all intents and purposes, Fung seems pretty set on bringing them there. Maybe...we elders shouldn't tag along for this one."

"Mrs. Yoon...you're not actually suggesting we let them go to Gongmen City on their own?"

"I know it's a concerning thought. But they proved that they could take care of themselves without our constant supervision. As long as they can stick together, I don't think there's much to worry about aside from what lies in Gongmen City. Fung may have good knowledge of it from training with Master Croc and spending time with the Kung Fu Council. But om the other hand, I don't think we'll be able to split up much anyhow."

"How do you figure?"

"I find it highly unlikely that Mr. Ping will leave Po's side for long. You'll have a better chance telling him to stop making noodles, and we already know how he feels about his noodles. Then there's Taotie and Bian Zao, and yourself and Tigress. You won't be leaving their side just yet, will you?"

Shifu took a moment to think. Organizing their numbers is proving to be more difficult than he thought. He already knew as soon as Elephant, Snow Leopard, and Rooster have also finished recovery, they would go on their separate ways again. There was no way for the original Five to come together and stay together. The damage has already been done there. The young warriors were able to defeat them, even though they weren't truly at their full power. With Shifu's condition, fighting for long-term periods of time was out of the question. He also had no idea what Fenghuang would do, if he was ever able to figure it out. There was no way Taotie would leave his son alone with him, and Mr. Ping has made it painfully clear that he'll stand by Po's side regardless of the danger. And Mei Ling saved his life. She definitely isn't letting him out of her sight...as long as she's awake.

He sighed and scratched the back of his ear. "This will be quite a mess...but we'll find a way to get by, I'm sure."

Back in the center of the camp, Po was thinking about the dream he recently had. Mr. Ping was well aware of how bothered Po was by those specific dreams, it was the kind of dream that made Po unable to sleep on his own sometimes. He could never figure out why he had such dreams, just that they were there. Once Fenghuang began toughening him up more, those dreams ceased for the most part, and never came back. Yet the day after Fung mentions Gongmen City, he has it again without warning.

He dissuading the idea that the two instances are connected. But he is considering it, as an act of caution. He'd never know. Maybe they are connected. Maybe not. All he did know was that he'd find out when they got there. It's all he could do about it aside from mentioning it to his father.

His eyes gazed to the sight of his friends. Monkey seemed wide awake and energetic, which proved to be annoying for the slightly drowsy Crane, who sleeps standing up. He never quite understood how he does that every single night. At least Golden Cat Mei Ling(that's still confusing even with species difference) was able to jolt him awake with a jovial good morning pounce. The commotion woke up Mantis, who jumped up and began springing all over the place, while Viper tried fruitlessly to catch him. Tigress was still changing, so she wasn't around to try and dispel the chaos. Peng was just watching in confusion, Bian Zao raised a lazy eyebrow, and Lian was holding her sides laughing. Ànyǐng was doing his absolute best to mind his own business, but he eventually got caught up when Monkey hopped on his back and made him fallen over.

...So yeah, this was gonna be a regular thing. Cool.

Fung scratched under his jaw a bit when the chaos died down...mostly. "Well, now that that crazy charade ended on a somewhat good note, we'll be heading out soon for Gongmen City. But first things first, we've been delaying a certain something for far too long. Ànyǐng, we gotta check you in with your mom, right?"

"Oh, that's right!" Song gasped while she turned towards the wolf in question. "We're so sorry, Ànyǐng! We were supposed to take you to see your mother, but we got seriously sidetracked, with my shenanigans and the whole Master Ding thing and stuff."

"No need to apologize. The urgency of those situations were simply higher, that's all." The wolf waved off with a nervous chuckle. "I'm not upset about it at all. Just a really long delay."

"We can't use that as an excuse, though. We had to put off on your request so we could get ourselves in order. Now that we did that, we can finally proceed as we were trying to." Crane said, adjusting his hat. "While we need for Gongmen, you'll be meeting up with your mom to let her know you're alright."

"Okay. Right."

"What about the other Furious Five and the monks?" Monkey asked.

"I'm afraid they'll be splitting off again." Viper said, turning towards the ones in question. "Aside from Fenghuang and Shifu, the rest of the Five are once again going their separate ways. And the monks will split up into in groups and go with each of them. Being free from Limbo has given them a chance to experience the world for themselves again, be they negative or positive."

"Is that so? Well, good luck to them, I guess." Mantis said. "Guess the damage really was too great for them to actually stay together. It was a bit much to hope for. Even so...fighting them was quite an experience...a rather hectic one."

"We never would have actually came out victorious if they weren't already exhausted, they went all-out, were in full control of themselves, and if Fenghuang joined the fray." Tigress's voice rang out. "As such, we can never allow ourselves to get too confident."

Po looked towards the sound of her voice. He saw she had once again changed her attire. her new vest was just like her old one, but this one was black with white vine patterns instead of red with golden vine patterns, and was short-sleeved instead of no sleeves at all. A noticable change was that she was now wearing gray, fingerless gloves, probably so her claws could be free at any time. And of course, her scarf remained securely wrapped around her neck. It made her look battle-ready for most scenarios.

Po smiled. "You took another change in attire, Tigress? You know, with you wearing mostly black this time, and your red scarf offering some contrast of color...I dunno how to explain it. So I'm just gonna say that you look awesome."

The same thing that happened last time, it repeated again. Tigress's eyes widened as she blushed a little, which wasn't too noticable because of her orange fur. She turned away a bit and placed a paw on her cheek. "I...well...thank you, Po. I-I wasn't really trying to pick something that really sticks out. I just wanted to be battle ready at all times..."

"Welp, nothing beats battle ready like mostly black clothes, fingerless gloves, and a red tiger scarf!" Po beamed, which served to enlarge the smile on Tigress's face.

"Tigress? Looking a bit caught off-guard and being cute while doing it? Wow. From what I've seen of her so far, I didn't think she could pull that off." Song blinked. "Oh well, many more surprises to come."

"It wouldn't be the first time." Crane sighed. "I feel like I'm the only one who won't get used to it with accurate enough timing."

"Dude. Join the club. I'm stuck with this." Bian Zao pointed at Lian, who seemed unaffected by the comment, and was just smiling at him with confidence.

"You won't be getting rid of me that easily, bestie." Peng's response was to rub his neck with a nervous laugh.

Viper turned to Taotie with an amused smile. "Your son made quite some interesting friends, huh?"

His response was a careless shrug. "My main focus is that he made friends. The type of friends they are, as long as they're under the 'good' category, really doesn't matter to me."

"At least you focused on good friends." Mei Ling shrugged.

"Alright chumps! Listen up!" Fenghuang shouted aloud, gaining the groups attention. Except for the Ladies of the Shade, who were merely minding their own business.

"Must you be so loud?" Shifu sighed as he rubbed his ears while walking out of the tent he was in.

"That's what you get for having big ears, Big Ears!" She huffed nonchalantly. "Anyway, I'm healed enough to actually be on the move, and so is Shifu. So if any of you you have any business to tend to, do it now! Otherwise...Panda!"

"Front and Center, Master!" Po was up to her in an instant, hat on his head and his scarf around his neck, and one paw raised in salute.

"Ping!"

"Front and Center, Fenghuang!" Mr. Ping waddled up to her and next to Po, also doing a salute.

"They can get ready for as long as they'd like, but we're moving on ahead first! Now let's go!"

"Yes Ma'am!" They both shouted as the owl trudged forward strongly, followed by Po and Mr. Ping following her while still maintaining their salute. Everyone chuckled a bit as they got the rest of their belongings and followed them. Shifu was the only one who facepalmed at the display, but still kept moving as Mei Ling the fox snickered in amusement.

"The relationship between those three, and the entire party in general...I can tell it's very close. And very amusing." Su snickered. She turned towards Song and smiled while patting her shoulder. "I wish you well. And...try not to steal from those who don't deserve it. No matter how tempting it is. We may be thieves...but we're not totally heartless."

She nodded. "Understood, Mother."

"Very good. Now off with you all. Such a long journey head of you. So much to see, so much to steal from under the noses of arrogant pricks...it's gonna be a fun time, I feel." Su chuckled to herself. Song laughed at this, and waved cheerfully at her foster mother and sisters, who all returned the wave goodbye to her, as well as her friends. Su smiled as she watched her daughter off.

"Su. Do you think we'll ever see her again? This will probably be her longest 'expedition' yet." One of the snow leopardess said amusingly.

"I choose not to worry about that. It'll be nice for her to go on a true adventure and not worry about a deadline." Su smiled confidently.

"She has good friends that won't leave her behind. That's all I ever wanted for her."

(Now outside the Ladies of the Shade Camp)

"Alright, next stop...wherever Ànyǐng's mother lives!" Monkey shouted awkwardly.

The wolf rubbed his neck shyly. "Yeah, sorry about that. My mom lives in a pretty secluded place. You won't find it on any maps, which is why I have to lead you there directly."

"That secretive, huh? Is there a name for this secluded area?" Mei Ling asked.

"...there is. Unfortunately I'm not allowed to tell you. It's not like I don't trust you. But...anyone we don't want listening..."

Tigress nodded. "It's that serious...we understand. Lead us to where your mother lives. If it's that urgent for her to know you're alright, then we shall do so."

Po agreed readily to this. "Yeah, we don't mind taking a little detour before going to Gongmen. We're not in a serious hurry or anything."

"No way man, we have plenty of time. No need to rush." Fung shook his head.

Ànyǐng managed a small smile. He was glad to see that his request wasn't too burdening on his new friends.

Tigress seemed to agree with the statements. She sensed a certain change in the air, and it seemed...very familiar. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she walked a bit faster in the direction of whatever engaged her senses.

She pushed past a bush, and her eyes widened at the sight. It was an attack...or at least it was supposed to be an attack...if it is supposed to be an attack. It seemed like a bunch of snow leopards, not females, were trying to grab hold of a shirtless black who was admiring a flower he was currently holding. Two things shocked her. They couldn't land a single blow on him, and he seemingly wasn't even trying to avoid them. Even worse, he didn't even seem to acknowledge they were there. Second, she fully recognized who this blackbuck was because of how little he minded the hostile attention.

"...Master Yao?!" What was he doing out here?!

The blackbuck instantly turned towards the tiger and waved with a large smile, unknowingly side stepping another swipe from his aggressors. "Ah! Tigress! Long time no see! How strange, for us to meet up again in a place like this?" He ducked slightly to avoid a pounce that sent the leopard facefirst into a tree, but it turned out he did it because he was sniffing another flower. "These flowers smell absolutely delightful! You should sniff them yourself! I tried to get these fine gentleman to consider it, but they won't stop trying to tag me. I'm starting to think they don't like flowers...

Tigress sweatdropped. This was Master Yao, alright...

Yep...I'm just gonna cut things off here. A familiar Blackbuck was wandering around like a Goofball because he broke out of his box with no one watching him. He meeting with the party is clearly random and out of place.

...Maybe. Probably. Is it? I dunno. Maybe I do. Do I?

...I'm asking too many questions.

Oh well.

Bye~