Oh boy, we on a roll now cause here is chapter 13! I hope y'all are enjoying the progress so far, always appreciate your feedback. What did y'all think of Jian's back story? I just wanna say it's not finished yet - more will come! Anyway, getting straight into it, will Po survive this rugged, mountain climb - or will a rock give way and cause our hero to fall to his death? Who knows. With Tigress getting the life beaten out of her for some time with these wolves, will Po be able to save her in time or will he be too late? You are soon about to find out! So kick back, turn on your favorite music, and immerse yourself into this new adventure where the flame has only just begun to grow.

The panda's heart rate began to pick up as he felt the rock move from its once, solid position on the cliff. Po looked around frantically for something to grab onto before he slipped from his hold to his definite demise. As all hope seemed to fade from the panda's mind, he caught a glimpse of something just above his head - it was a tree root, to be exact. An elated expression came over Po's face as he grabbed it, hoisting himself the rest of the way up. Sweat poured from his face, mixed with blood and his muscles were painfully sore, but Po, steadfast and determined, clawed his way to the top and soon swung his body over the edge - now lying on flat ground.

Po panted heavily, trying to catch his breath while remaining unseen from the unpleasant collection of bandits that lay just over a small ridge. The large panda slowly got up - using the tree for support to rise to his feet once more, he then quickly but stealthily ran towards the direction of his lost friend. As he made his way over towards the sound of groaning, something stopped him dead in his tracks - it was the leader and what he heard enraged the panda. Deciding the wait for the right moment, Po watched for his opportunity to save his friend.

"I think we understand each other now." the leader grinned in a sadistic manner. "After we have some fun, we'll see just how tough you are, tiger!" he stated lowly before taking a blade, and sliding it under her waistband as the others held her up by the arms.

"Oh, I wouldn't do that." the feline growled hoarsely.

Ignoring her, the leader continued to cut some of her white waist band, but before he could finish, the tiger saw an opening and decided to take it. She then threw up a sharp, straight kick - impacting directly under his nose, thus driving the bone through his brain, killing him instantly. The tiger was not going to let these goons take advantage of her that easily. Upon witnessing this, the other bandits screamed in horror as their deceased leader lay motionless on the ground.

Unfortunately, the other saw this as their chance to get a hold of her and try to force her into submission. The weakened and wounded tiger had been beaten and starved for just over a day - not to mention she used every last ounce of her energy left to execute that kick. The tiger struggled to get them off of her, but it was no use, she was trapped and fear was beginning to take hold of her. Suddenly, she heard a very familiar warrior's cry and punches being landed.

"Leave her alone, right now!" The panda exclaimed furiously, grabbing the first one and knocking him out cold with an elbow to the head.

It was Po to her relief, and the twinge of fear began to subside a little as the burly panda grabbed the other two off of her as well to subdue them. A weakened smile formed on her face seeing this, but she was starting to lose consciousness due to malnutrition, and blood loss from her wounds. He then proceeded to ram their heads together, knocking them out of the fight as well before the last two began to circle him with their blades at hand. The first bandit charged him from behind, blade extended, but the panda spun around, disarming the dagger before throwing a hook kick to the other attackers' jaw - knocking him out cold.

Po bent the first bandits' wrist back hard, after disarming the blade as he was the last one standing and he needed info. The large panda had the lone wolf in a submission lock and he groaned in pain as the pressure intensified.

"Is this what you do for fun - taking advantage of an injured woman like that!?" Po inquired angrily as the wolf whimpered in fear. "Now, where is Jian's army?"

"Who? We're just road side thieves - nothing more. I-I don't know-" he was saying before Po cut him off with a sharp right hook, knocking him out also.

"Not good enough." Po sighed releasing his anger some before he quickly returned his attention to his once missing friend.

"Tigress!" he yelled anxiously running to her side to lift her up some. "I'm so sorry I couldn't find you in time - are you okay?"

The injured female tiger coughed weakly, blood trickling from her lips, "T-that remains to be seen." she remarked hoarsely. "Don't blame yourself, Dragon Warrior - better late than never..." she whispered before passing out in his arms, bleeding profusely. Her wounds had been ripped open once more, and the tigers' lack of nutrition, and fluids wasn't helping matters.

"Nooo, Tigress!" he yelled as fear gripped his heart. The panda grabbed her paw and held her up as tears threatened to leak from his orbs. "Don't leave me, please! Not now..." Po whispered as his paws began to glow a soft yellow. Pink peach petals began to form around them as her life force began to fade, but Po was determined to bring her back this time.

"I'm sorry I let this happen to you, Ti." The panda muttered in despair while his chi continued to glow. "I screwed up, but I can make this right. I lacked the courage to do what I had to before, but that changes right now." Po finished, before closing his eyes and hovering his paw a few inches above the tigers' chest.

The panda began to concentrate with every fiber of his being, and in his mind, he focused on her wounds - mentally closing them up. At first, nothing happened, but he pressed deeper, and soon the deep lacerations on her body began to glow yellow and seal up - one by one they began to disappear as if they were never there. As Po was doing this, however, he felt his own chi begin to drain, but he didn't care - he was fiercely determined to revive his friend. The panda then began to shift his focus towards the bruises on her face, and they too vanished before Po collapsed on the ground beside her - now finished, exhausted and gasping for breath.

A few uncertain moments passed, but then suddenly, the tigers' eyes shot open as she jolted upright with a sharp gasp. Breathing heavily, trying to contemplate what just happened - the feline took a moment to evaluate her condition, and in doing so, she found that all of her old wounds had been completely healed. Even the bruises on her body were erased and Tigress was in total awe - the panda had done it, and she couldn't be more pleased that he figured out the impossible.

"Po...?" the tiger managed to mutter as she stood to her feet on her own accord. "Are you alright?"

Upon hearing this, the large, elated panda jumped to his feet and swiftly embraced the female tiger, wrapping his burly arms around her as tightly as he could manage. Tigress's eyes widened in shock at this sudden gesture, and the warmth surrounding her, but she soon started to relax as he began to speak. After all, this wasn't the first time he had hugged her this way, but it was still quite a surprise.

"Oh, thank the gods you're alive!" Po exclaimed, almost tearfully, as he can feel her stuggle some in his arms.

"I'm sorry, I know you don't like it when I hug you, but I almost lost you back there - you scared the daylights out of me, Ti." he muttered sadly in her ear, loosening his grip a little to look at her.

After a few moments, the tiger collected her thoughts, "Well, you didn't, Po. I understand - really I do, and I appreciate your concern for me." the tiger replied with a small smile before continuing.

"Also, who said I didn't like it?" the orange feline inquired much to Po's shock. "I just wish you wouldn't hold my arms back from returning the favor this time, Dragon Warrior." she remarked to the fact that he had her arms pinned to her sides.

"Oh, okay." Po chuckled, releasing his hold just enough for her to properly return the embrace, thus wrapping her arms around the panda bear.

Po smiled fondly at this, seeing the tiger express her softer side - which was a rare occurrence, but he understood that she was beginning to open up to it more. Emotions like these had always been a challenge for Tigress, however, her panda friend always seemed to make it somewhat easier.

"Thank you, Po - really." the female tiger said sincerely before breaking from the embrace to face him. "You figured out how to heal and you brought me back when you could've just left me. If you hadn't come when you arrived they..." Tigress paused, a hint of struggle in her voice at the last part.

"I know." Po whispered calmly placing a paw on her shoulder. "But I couldn't let that happen. Not to you..." he smiled to which the tiger nodded with a smile of her own.

"Now, we should probably get going - I'll explain everything on the road, but right now I think I know how to find Crane and Monkey." Po stated as he picked up their supply packs that the bandits stole as well as some of their stolen supplies for the trouble.

Tigress raised a brow, taking her pack and putting it over her shoulder. "How's that - you found more leads?" the tiger inquired, her normal tone returning.

"Yup. More than that!" Po replied as he pulled out the map and a white feather, before putting on his backpack. "Crane's leaving us a cookie crumb trail right to him!" He exclaimed excitedly handing her the items.

"Ah, this is Cranes' feather, but how do you know Monkey is with him?" the feline questioned, inspecting the avians' feather, noticing it had been forcibly plucked out.

"Easy." Po grinned, grabbing their canteens and handing her a much needed drink. "I noticed their tracks and this feather while I was on my way to find you. It's gotta be them!"

"I see. Wait, who taught you how to track?" Tigress smirked secretly, knowing the answer.

"You did, of course - learned from the best!" he complemented in his usual jovial manner as they made their way down the opposite end of the mountain.

"You got that right." she replied, playfully giving his arm a punch, to which the panda smiled, rubbing his arm.

Soon, the masters had circled back to where Po had first noticed the feather and his friends tracks. Upon their arrival, they picked up the trail that the tracks made in the dirt, and the panda began to tell the tiger what he dreamt from the soothsayer. The two warriors walked for a couple hours while Po told the assassins' riviting back story as Tigress listened in awe and horror. After some time, Po finished and the female tiger took a few moments to process this information.

"I-I don't know what to say, Po." Tigress stated, somewhat dumbfounded. "It's unbelievable. Even after all that time with Mei Ling, Jian still chose to burn off his soul to become stronger than the monster who killed her?"

"Apparently. Instead of choosing the path of peace, he gave into the darkness and became what he hunted." Po replied, before snacking on a dumpling.

"Yeah, it's tragic to say the least. Oh and Po?" The tiger inquired casually looking up from the map.

"Yeah?"

"Is there any tofu or fish in your pack by any chance?" Tigress inquired hopefully, as she was quite famished, and reasonably so.

"Yeah, actually some of the fish is still good!" The giant panda replied, grinning while handing her a fillet.

"Thank you." the tiger muttered, taking the fish, but not before noticing the panda's classic grin hadn't left her.

Consequently, a warmth began to rise in her cheeks due to his staring. "Uhh... what are you looking at, panda?" she questioned her friend.

Po, realizing he was caught, snapped out of it - returning his attention to the road in front of them. "Oh, sorry - it's nothing. Just glad to have you back."

"Likewise."

After the masters walked for some time, they arrived at a large boulder, which sat at the edge of a bamboo forest that bordered a small river. Upon their arrival, however, the two warriors noticed the tracks seemed to have vanished - much to their dismay. Consequently, the tiger began to sniff the air, allowing her acute feline senses to possibly pick up on their scent. Suddenly, the feline's ears perked up, indicating she had caught a whiff of a familiar scent.

"I think I know where they are, Po - this way, towards the river!" Tigress stated with certainty in her voice as excitement began to rise in both of them.

Po nodded and followed the striped tiger, "You're so incredible, Ti - what would I do without you?" The panda thought to himself as they approached a small, rocky ridge that stood above the flowing stream of water.

The two masters scanned the area for any sign of their friends, looking along the river and rocks that bordered it. The tiger sniffed the air once more before motioning to the right, to which the panda followed. The duo scanned the rivers' edge for some time before they finally saw two figures by the flowing stream, who appeared to be getting themselves a drink. After walking a bit closer, the two warriors knew for sure it was their missing friends: Crane and Monkey.

Po was the first to wave as he excitedly yelled out, "Hey guys - it's us!"

"Shhh!" Tigress quickly shushed to his yelling. "Not trying to be mean, Po, but there could be bandits in this area so we need to stay quiet."

"Oh, right - sorry. Let's check up on our friends." the panda whispered apologetically.

The tiger nodded with a small smile before the two warriors ran towards their missing comrades. Monkey was the first the see them coming in the distance, and he couldn't be more pleased, despite his broken jaw, the primate made his best effort to grin as Po and Tigress made their way towards them. Upon the masters' arrival, they noticed the extent of their injuries and Crane's badly broken wing.

"Hey, you guys - it's so good to see you alive!" Po greeted with a bow, knowing he couldn't hug them. "How did you escape the elites?" Po inquired as Tigress just listened quietly.

"Likewise." Crane replied, speaking for Monkey as he still couldn't speak. "It wasn't easy, I'll tell you that much. The elites did a number on us, physically and mentally during our failed escape attempts. Their combat style was unlike any Kung Fu I'd ever seen or fought before." Crane admitted as Po listened in dreadful silence.

"In the end, we managed to out smart them, and the very chains that held us captive became our ticket to freedom - thanks to Monkeys' wits here." Crane stated to which the primate nodded in silence.

"I also understand that they did a number on you too back in the valley?" Crane inquired of the tiger to which she solemnly nodded.

"Correct. I'm alright now - thanks to Po, but when we tried to take control of the valley of peace again, we found some of those elites and they were rather difficult to beat, to say the least. We fought them hard, but despite our efforts, I got severely injured by their sabers in the fight, and nearly bled out due to the lacerations. If it wasn't for Po and his dad... I wouldn't be alive to tell you this." the tiger stated mater-of-factly to the avian, who's expression turned to one of anguish and despair.

The panda smiled briefly at her praise before Crane managed to speak up. "That's rather unfortunate, but it's a good thing Po was able to patch you up." he replied shifting his broken wing some as a jolt of pain shot through his broken appendage.

"It's more than that, Crane." Tigress deadpanned as she had more to say. "Later down the road, after we left the valley, my injuries began to get the best of me in combat - fighting various enemies along the way. Consequently, my wounds got progressively worse as we moved on, and every fight we got into, infection started to spread and make them worse. I almost died because of this. However, in my weakened state, a group of bandits captured me in the dead of night and kept us separated for days." The tiger recalled as Crane was speechless as he and Monkey listened in.

"Fortunately, Po tracked them down - saving me just in time and somehow figured out how to heal with his chi." The feline finished, giving the panda a proud smile, to which he grinned in return.

The avians' eyes widened, as did Monkeys' after hearing of such a phenomenon. "Really? Could you do the same to us?"

The panda smiled, walking up to his friends, "Of course - no need to ask." Po replied happily as he began to concentrate chi into his paws.

Soon, the panda's paw pads began to glow a soft yellow as he hovered his paw over the avians' broken wing and began to concentrate on straightening the broken bone. Suddenly, an audible snap was heard from the birds' wing as the bone straightened out and fused together - now completely healed.

"Whoa! That's incredible, man - thanks." Crane remarked stretching his fully restored wing.

"Don't mention it." the panda beamed before he then turned to Monkey, who's jaw was severely swollen by this point.

"C'mon you're next, buddy." Po stated, removing the tourniquet from the primates' head.

The panda's chi was nearly drained once again, but he was persistent in his concentration, making sure the jaw bone fused back together perfectly. After a few short moments, the bone fused - snapping back into place in the same way Cranes' wing had done previously. Elated, the gold and black primate laughed merrily, nearly jumping for joy that he could now speak.

"Oh, gods this is amazing! So this is what healing chi is like..." Monkey exclaimed, rubbing his face as the swelling started to dissipate while a tingly feeling grew along his jaw. "Me likey! Many thanks, buddy!" he grinned, sitting on his long, springy tail.

"Yup! There is one draw back to this however, using chi in this way to heal, it siphons some of your own in order to work." Po pointed out, while trying to catch his breath.

"So I see."

"Yeah, but luckily my chi regenerates over time as long as I don't use all of it."

"Ohhh, that makes sense."

As the two males continued in their banter, Tigress at this point, began to grow weary of the idle chat as she casually inspected her claws - unsheathing them every so often as the tiger couldn't stand still for long. Noticing this, Po caught on and pulled out the map from his pack - informing the two masters of where they were headed to find the others and stop this imminent threat to China.

"We should probably get going, guys - we only have just over an hour or so of daylight left before night fall." Po states truthfully before handing the map back to Tigress. "If we move now we will only have a days journey left before we're outside the walls of the royal city and have any hope of finding the others."

"He's right." Tigress spoke up after finishing a small piece of food. "We also need to be thinking about where to find food and to carefully choose a safe place to hole up for the night."

"Fair enough - let's do it." Crane replied and Monkey nodded in agreement.

With that being said, the masters made their way across the small, flowing stream towards the dusty path that would lead them to their destiny. The masters fate was uncertain, but the sense of strength grew in the reunited four as they drew closer to the city. The foe they were mentally preparing for was no doubt the biggest challenge the warriors ever faced - possibly the most terrifying threat they've encountered, but even then, one thing burned brightly within their hearts and souls: hope.

That about does it for this chapter guys! I know it took a while but I tried not to put it off as long as the last one. I've just been really busy with work and life in general. I do hope y'all are enjoying the read so far and I do apologize for any grammar mistakes in here, I'm still trying to recall what I learned in school. Anyway, things are getting ominous even with the reunion of two of their lost friends. Managed to squeeze in a few wholesome sweet moments in but with no trace of the others to be found, how will our heroes find their friends and save China from such an evil force of darkness? Stay tuned and find out!

- Josh