Author's Note: Um... Hi everyone... It's been a while... Heh heh. Okay, lets address the elephant in the room. Sorry I've been practically non-existent for almost two months but I have been EXTREMELY busy. Like I have had barely any time for this because of my Uni work (Not hating on it, I love doing it.) and as a result of doing so much writing for my work, I've had a huge burnout by the time my holidays have even begun and it took me forever to do this chapter despite knowing exactly what I want from it. Anyways, enough about my life. I hope you do enjoy this chapter (Especially considering how long I've kept you waiting.)

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KFP (Obviously)

Enjoy.

An Illustrious Summoning

As Po and the furious five begin their training once more, two figures can be seen basking in the tranquil presence of the peach tree of heavenly wisdom, its mesmerising peach blossoms accentuated by the sun's radiant glow. Shifu's steely blue orbs open up and gaze at the tiger master in concern. For several minutes they have meditated up here, hoping to eradicate Tigress' vile nightmare from her mind. Though she looks calm, the red panda cannot deny his worry for the feline.

Sure, she has handled worse before and there is little doubt that she can handle herself now, but he can't just sit back and watch his own daughter be fearful of her own strength. Especially when he should've helped her overcome this fear long ago. "How are you feeling?" He asks, his gruff voice taking a gentler timbre.

Several calm breaths are given in response, the tiger master wanting to say she is fine, that her nightmare is only a distant memory now. But she'd be lying if she said that. In spite of the tree's calming aura, her mind could still see flashes of the valley bathed in a hellish fire. Granted, it is much less than before but the very sight of it is still enough to punch a hole into Tigress' heart. Her amber orbs open up, no longer distressed yet far from tranquil. She looks to the ground, disheartened by her seemingly inescapable dream, "Calmer." A small whisper escapes the warrior's mouth, only adding to the red panda's worrisome thoughts.

Blue orbs continue to gaze upon the feline in subdued but clear concern, the grandmaster sensing the conflict within his daughter. "But it's still there… the nightmare?" To his dismay, Tigress nods in response as she gazes down to the valley of peace below, blanketed by the comforting rays of the sun. Shifu sighs as his eyes follow hers, the two warriors taking in the sight of their beloved home. Too many times had it almost been taken from them. Too many times where failure had almost seemed like a certainty. Now, with two dark omens presenting themselves, their fears of the one day where they simply cannot defend the valley only become more real. As the father and daughter continue to stare at the valley below, their ears pick up a strange, haphazard sound from behind them, slowly coming closer.

The pair look at each other in confusion as the sound becomes more frantic until both their eyes widen in realisation, "Is that?"

"Zeng." Shifu answers before Tigress can finish her question, his irritation clear in his voice. They turn around to see said goose flying up the steps to the peach tree, hyperventilating with each and every single flap of his wings. Once he finally manages to reach the two masters, he flops to the ground with a nervous squawk. Blue eyes regain their usual coldness as Shifu and Tigress rise from their lotus positions. "I thought I told you we are not to be disturbed."

Before the red panda can even begin to reprimand the messenger, Zeng quickly babbles, "I know I know but someone really important arrived and they told me that they need to see you and-

"Zeng." Tigress stops the bird in his tracks as she raises her paw up to him. Seeing that she's gotten his attention, she gently commands him, "Just relax, and breathe."

He nods as he breathes in and out, managing to calm himself down to a reasonable level before speaking again, "A messenger from the forbidden city is at the front gates." Amber and blue orbs widen at this, "They said that they have a message from the emperor himself for the furious five and the dragon warrior."

Shifu and Tigress look at each other, completely astonished by the very idea the emperor would ever send a message to them. Still finding this hard to believe, the grandmaster looks back to the trembling messenger, "Are you certain?"

"Yes! They have the imperial seal on the scroll and everything! And from what the guy said, I don't think this can wait, master." Zeng squawks out, his nerves only growing from the red panda's speculative eyes.

Believing the nerve-wrecked bird, Tigress swiftly informs her master, "I'll get the others." Before leaping down the stairs and heading off towards the training hall on all fours.

Both Zeng and Shifu head down the stairs just after her, a feeling of unmistakable dread bleeding into the red panda's soul. "Are you absolutely sure it is from the emperor himself?" Any hope of this message being false is completely dashed away by Zeng rapidly nodding his head. On any other occasion this message would be a godsend, but with Oogway's warning fresh in his mind, the grandmaster concludes that it can only be one thing.

Meanwhile in the training hall, the dragon warrior oversees a sparring match between Mantis and Monkey whilst Crane sleepily spectates them and Viper cares for the exhausted bird. However, this is no ordinary sparring match. Instead of having them battle with each other the regular way, Po had thought of something far more ingenious, something that will test their newfound skills. When the two combatants had entered the ring, the panda had explained that he wanted them to use their inner peace until they could no longer concentrate. Though they were slightly confused, the two warriors nodded. It was at this moment that the panda had chucked an iron ball straight at Mantis, who responded by immediately deflecting it towards Monkey. In response, he had deflected it back towards the insect, who deflected it once again.

For the past five minutes the two best friends have reflected the iron ball at each other, with heavy breaths exuding from both warriors. "C'mon guys! Keep focused! I know you've got it!" Po yells out with a gigantic grin on his face, beyond overjoyed that his method is somehow working. Jade orbs take a quick glance towards the spectator seats to see Viper coiled around the sleeping coin, rubbing her head onto his. Good to see Mr. sleepy is all taken care of. The panda chuckles at this for a brief moment before being reminded of Tigress' situation and his pathetic attempt at helping her. His face drops in shame, the guilt sucking him away from his own training session.

Wham!

The loud noise of the iron ball smacking into Mantis snaps Po out of his stupor and manages to pull master Crane out of dreamland. They look towards the sparring arena to see only Monkey and the iron ball, with their insect friend nowhere to be seen. Before long, the iron ball trembles slightly until it is fully pushed over by the warrior underneath it. "Ow." He chirps out as he stays down on the ground.

"Yeah. *pant* Take. *pant* That. *pant*" Monkey just manages to gloat, exhaustedly panting whilst he falls onto his bottom.

Po and Viper shoot past the fatigued primate to look over their injured friend, "Are you alright, Mantis?" The serpents master asks with worry clear in her voice.

"I'm fine, just a bit bruised… I think." Mantis brushes this off with a nonchalant tone, "How'd I do Po, I mean, master?"

A giant smile fills Po's face as he gives the insect a thumbs up, "You were both awesome! You managed to keep that going for five whole minutes! At this rate, you'll fully master inner peace in no time!"

"Sweet." A fatigued response exits the langur master's mouth, now finally catching his breath.

Boom!

All five masters dart their heads towards the thrown open front doors of the training hall, seeing master Tigress standing there, arms crossed, and a serious expression forged onto her face. A massive smile fills Po's face at the sight of the feline, "Oh hey, Tigress! How are… you… feeling…?" He trails off, recognising her signature stern countenance.

"There is a messenger from the forbidden city waiting for us by the front gates, he has a message from the emperor himself." Everyone's eyes shoot open at the tiger's announcement, even the sleep deprived Crane bursts out of his woozy state at the sheer gravity of what the tiger had just said.

"Wait, you mean…" Mantis trails off, completely stunned by his feline comrade's message.

"We've been summoned by the emperor!?" An excited shout exits the dragon warrior's maw, the gigantic grin on his face almost exploding at Tigress nodding in response.

"Yes. From what Zeng has told Shifu and I, it sounds urgent." Her comrades' expressions change from surprise to an understanding seriousness, though Po's countenance still contains a measure of his usual excitement. Monkey, Mantis, Viper and Crane swiftly exit the training hall, the tiger master noticing the bird's tired eyes as she waits for the panda tailing behind the five. "Is everything okay with Crane?"

Po stops in his tracks, a sad expression forming on his face at remembering the avian's state in the morning. "Well… He couldn't sleep last night." Amber orbs gaze with melancholy directly into jade as the two begin to make their way out of the hall, the tiger certain that her nightmare had something to do with it. "He drew up a bunch of battle strategies after you had the… Um…" He halts himself, knowing that reminding the feline of that nightmare would only make it worse, "I'm sorry."

A light smile finds its way onto Tigress' face, appreciative of the panda's kindness, "It's fine."

"Um, how are you feeling about that by the way?" His gentle tone caresses the tiger's ears as he once again makes his concern known.

Her smile widens slightly. Though the nightmare hasn't been eradicated from her mind, her loving panda never ceases to banish those thoughts of fear and pain. "Better." Her light whisper kisses Po's ear as a small grin finds its way onto his face. They look into each other's eyes for a brief moment, simply enjoying the other's presence only for the tiger master to remind herself of the urgent business they need to attend to. "C'mon, we have no time to lose." With a swift nod from the dragon warrior, the two lovers speed off towards the front gates of the Jade Palace.

Once they arrive, they are greeted by the sight of Shifu and the others standing in front of a brown eagle, dressed in golden robes with a black trim and standing firm with an ornate scroll in his messenger bag. Tigress and Po stand in line with the rest of the five as Shifu stands directly in front of the imperial messenger. Noting their arrival, the eagle speaks, "Dragon warrior, Furious five, master Shifu; I would like to apologise for dragging you down here, but I've been given strict instructions from counsellor Zhoudao that this message should be given to you and you alone."

"It's no trouble at all." Shifu reassures the messenger, holding his paw out as the eagle takes the scroll out of his bag. Its seal has the emblem of the golden phoenix, with golden fire patterns swirling around the scroll's black casing in an elegant fashion. Whilst the five look on with a silent awe at the exquisitely crafted scroll, Po practically bounces in place, finding it impossible to contain his excitement. Noticing his unkempt joy, Tigress lightly smiles before placing a paw on his shoulder to calm him down. The grandmaster opens the seal with a gentleness foreign to the rest of the Jade palace masters, and delicately unfurls the scroll to look upon its elegantly written message before turning to his students and reading it out.

"Greetings masters of the Jade Palace. I know that you still need to recover from the events that had transpired nearly a week ago, however there is a serious matter that requires your assistance." Po's excitement almost immediately flatlines at this, his expression soon shifting to one of focus rather than giddiness. "For nearly two years now, the imperial army have scoured across the edges of China and beyond to apprehend the members of Shen's forces that had retreated from Gongmen city." All seven warriors' faces darken at the mere mention of that psychotic peacock, "We hoped to finally have them hauled off to prison, but three of our convoys returning them have been attacked by an unknown assailant. When our guards went to check, they found the bodies of both imperial guards as well as the prisoners inside their transport all dead. On top of this, one of our ships coming in from outside our borders has gone missing." The dragon warrior and furious five look at each other with horrified eyes, an unmistakable feeling of dread bubbling within them all. "I require your help in identifying and apprehending whoever could have done this, for I fear that whatever plan they have concocted could spell danger for not just the forbidden city but for the whole of China. I hope to see you all soon. May the Gods watch over your journey here."

After scanning through the message to make sure he hadn't missed a single piece of information, the grandmaster finally rolls up the scroll with a shellshocked expression plastered onto his face. Granted, he had suspected that nothing good could come from this message, but he hadn't thought that this threat would be so audacious and yet unidentifiable. No matter who this threat could be, there is no doubt that it is linked to Oogway's warning. It has to be. He turns to face the eagle messenger once more, silently noting the clear subdued distress littered across his students' faces. "Please inform his grace that we'll be heading to the forbidden city as soon as we can."

In response, the eagle whips out a parchment from his messenger bag and swiftly writes onto it before sealing it into its own illustrious casing and bowing towards the red panda. "Of course. And may I say, it has been an honour to meet you all." Failing to read the expressions of the kung fu masters, the eagle messenger quickly puts the scroll in his bag and bids them, "Farewell." Before ascending into the sky at a blinding speed. A harrowing silence encapsulates the front gates of the Jade Palace as the masters think upon this eerie new threat.

"So, am I the only one getting déjà vu here?" Mantis finally chips in, his weariness having only grown at his comrades' silence.

Blue orbs regain their mischievous flair as Monkey responds to his insect friend, "Well let's see, a bunch of people left dead with a suspect that we have literally no clue about. Nah, I don't see a single resemblance to anyone else we've fought before." Hazel eyes narrow at the langur's obvious sarcasm whilst said primate gives him a cheeky grin.

"But there is one major difference this time." Tigress interjects, her strong disposition only being betrayed by the tiny inkling of fear present within her fiery eyes. "They haven't murdered civilians, but entire squadrons of the imperial army." Her cold tone leaves a frosty chill up her comrades' spines, eradicating the langur warrior's smile completely.

Shifu breaks out of his contemplation at his daughter's words, "Tigress is right. Whatever threat this is, we cannot underestimate them. We cannot let our guard down for a single second… We cannot take any chances this time." He pauses for a brief moment to take a glance at his students. He can see the confidence welling in Mantis' face, Monkey's cheeky aura, Viper's worry and of course Crane's sleepiness. His eyes stick onto Tigress for a mere moment, focusing on the almost indiscernible terror that had been there this morning. Clearly deep down this new revelation had shaken the tiger but she had always been good at hiding it. However, the one warrior that does stick out of the six, is Po. Once again, Shifu is able to identify the panda's distress he had felt earlier this morning but this time that aura has only grown stronger with fear coating his eyes and uncertainty tainting his disposition. Deciding it would be best to leave this matter for later, the grandmaster finishes his declaration. "Which is why I will be coming with you."

Six pairs of eyes widen at the red panda's gruff announcement. "But master, who's going to defend the valley if we're all gone?" Viper inquires, her concern for her home clear in her timbre.

"I will ask Gonglu to cover for us while we're with the emperor. Shouldn't take him longer than a day to arrive here, so we'll be leaving first thing tomorrow. Is that understood?" All six masters respectfully nod to the red panda as he resumes his orders, "I suggest that you all begin packing up soon. Except for you Crane." He points at the dishevelled avian with his repaired staff, "Get some rest." The bird responds with a sleepy nod and a yawn as he heads back to the barracks, with Viper supporting him as they leave.

Whilst Monkey and Mantis head off to their rooms, the dragon warrior meekly pipes up, "Well, I gotta head down to my dad's shop. Left some stuff down there. Heh." Po gives his tiger a quick peck on the cheek before rushing down the thousand steps.

Amber and blue orbs look to each other, both father and daughter fully aware of the dragon warrior's growing anxiety. As Tigress takes a step towards the steps, Shifu simply blocks her way with his staff and gives her a light smile, "Don't worry, I'll talk to him."

She looks to the red panda for a few moments, no longer seeing her grandmaster that had trained her for 25 years but instead, her father that had raised her since she was a cub. Though the love in his eyes had always been accented by the ever-present stern glint within them, it had always been there. She gives her father a concerned but thankful smile, "Thank you, baba."

With that whisper, she heads towards her room to begin preparation for whatever hellish journey they'll have to embark on next whilst Shifu looks down the thousand steps with a warm feeling in his heart. Despite how rare it was to hear her call him that, it had always brightened his soul whenever she did. However, this brightness soon warps into concern as he stares down into the valley, more specifically Mr. Ping's noodle shop.

Finally, they got the emperor's message! And if you guys are wondering about developing the five, don't worry I've got more planned in the next chapter. Trouble is, I have no idea when the next one will come out. I'm just hoping I don't get writers block. One thing I do want to say, it does kind of suck that a lot of people are taking a leave but hey, life am I right? It has been awesome having them around. Just know that I'm not planning on leaving anytime soon, I'm just terrible with having a consistent upload schedule. Anyways, I hope this has made up for the two month wait (And I hope its a nice christmas present... or something). Until next time :)