A/N: Shout out to my followers! I've never had that many before! You guys are awesome! This chapter will be long, as a majority of it is flashbacks. I may have to divide it, we'll just see.

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At first, Tigress thought she was dreaming.

The bright light permeating her eyelids couldn't be real, could it? The events of the last few days were rushing back to her like a flood, and that made her wonder all the more why she wasn't in a prison.

But when she opened her eyes, and say the big window illuminating the tan walls, she wondered what exactly happened. The bed was too soft, the room too large. Where was she?

"You're awake." A soft voice spoke from across the room. A young wolf stood from her chair and came over to pour a glass of water for the tiger. "I was wondering if you would wake up."

"Where am I?" Tigress whispered, her voice hoarse and dry. She tried to move, but found that her wrists and ankles were bound.

"The Imperial City." Tigress watched the young she-wolf with apprehension, not sure if she was being serious. She drank eagerly when the cup was brought to her muzzle.

"Why?" She asked. The wolf sighed and sat back.

"I'm afraid I cannot tell you just yet." Replied the wolf. "Sleep some more. I'll wake you when it's time."

"Wait." Tigress stopped her before she got to the door. "What's your name?"

"Mei." The wolf replied, and then she left Tigress alone.

Hours later, when the sun had dipped below the horizon, Tigress woke again. This time, Mei wasn't there. The ropes binding Tigress to the bed were gone. A bowl of soup was left for her on the bedside table.

A small note instructing her to get dressed was left beside the bowl.

She took the soup and finished it eagerly. The smell and taste both resembled Po's so much that it made her homesick. Once she was finished, she put it back on the table.

Tigress then stood slowly, not sure how well her feet would support her weight. Surprisingly, her legs didn't wobble in the slightest. She was able to walk over to the dresser with no problems and even dress herself without falling over.

In a silver shirt and black pants, she felt much more comfortable. Even the sprawling bruises across her abdomen didn't look as bad.

There was a knock at the door, and she hesitated before opening it. Mei stood there, wearing similar, if not identical, clothing.

"Come on." She gestured for the tiger to follow, and the two made their way down the hall.

"Mei." Tigress kept her voice low, noticing at least ten wolves in the hall with them alone. "What do they want with me?"

"I cannot officially tell you." Mei replied, but her face looked cautious and sad. "But whatever you do, accept. The more you fight back, the greater the punishment."

"Punishment?"

"They'll beat you, Tigress." Mei replied with a wince. "They do not believe women of any kind should speak out. If they didn't need you, you would have already been dead for fighting back."

"Do they know who I am?" Tigress didn't mean for it to sound demanding. "I mean my title."

"Most likely, even if they know, they don't believe it." Mei stopped outside a massive door and put her paws reassuringly on Tigress' biceps. "Hide who you are. Don't try and make them think you are powerful, because here you are outnumbered. Even if you are a member of the rebellion, do not let them get that out of you. That is the only way you survive." She emphasized, and dropped her arms. "Go. I'll be here when you are finished."

"Thank you." Tigress grabbed Mei's arm a she walked past. The wolf nodded and turned a corner.

"Tigress!"

When she entered, she found she was in the massive throne room that she remembered from her childhood. A magnificently golden throne sat underneath tall ivory columns on the opposite side of the room . A white wolf stood in the center of the room, but he moved to her when she entered and took her paw in his.

"It is an honor to finally meet you. You know, when the guards told me how much you fought back, I was afraid we'd never have this meeting." He seemed too jovial and happy for a villain. "I am Master Bái láng."

She nodded but said nothing. He frowned.

"Don't just stand there." He hissed. "Bow."

At first, she was convinced that he wasn't serious. That is, until he backhanded her clear across the face. His slap was so hard that she stumbled and fell to her knees.

"That's better." He immediately went back to being cold and calculating. He folded his hands behind his back. "Now, I bet you are wondering why you were brought here." He gestured with his head to a guard and the wolf left the room for a moment. "I have a task for you."

She remained silent and on the ground, her cheek still stinging from his hand.

"You are going to remain here, to live here. I will provide food, water, clothing. You will have free run of this castle to do as you wish." He grinned maliciously, the light of the room reflecting off of his teeth. "In return, you will look after him."

He gestured grandly to his guard, who had returned and brought with him a young tiger. Tigress' eyes went wide. She had never seen another tiger. As far as she knew, she was the only one left. The small tiger they had brought in was easily only four or five years old. He was a small thing that squirmed as the guard practically dragged him over to where Bái láng stood. For a moment, the young tiger stared at her, dumbfounded, until his ears perked up.

"Momma!" He cried. The guard wrestled to keep him away from the older tiger.

"See," Bái láng grinned, "he likes you already."

"Why am I doing this?" Her question was soft. Somehow though, it still angered him. He grabbed an ear, still a sensitive part of her body, and yanked really hard.

"You should be GRATEFUL." He hissed. He looked away from her and towards one of the guards stationed at the door behind her. "Take this whore away."

The two of them surged forward and grabbed both of her arms with iron grips to pull her away. Although she wanted to fight back, she couldn't help but look at that little tiger, beginning to cry for his mother.

"Stop. I'll do it." They released her roughly, letting her fall harshly to the ground. Bái láng smiled ruefully.

"Fantastic." He stepped forward. "As you can probably tell, any action that you commit against me will hurt you. If you run, I kill the boy. We have a deal?"

She nodded shakily and he laughed, a sound that made her blood go cold.

"Welcome to the Imperial City, Tigress. I do hope you enjoy your stay."

OoOoOoO

"I wondered." Viper's soft voice broke her reverie. She didn't realize she had fallen silent during her story. "When you first got here, he wouldn't leave your side. Even insisted on sleeping in the corner." The snake gestured with her head towards the young tiger, who remained asleep in a cot in the corner.

"His mother died when he was a young child. I don't know what happened to his father. When the Emperor went to South China to visit the ports, he found Kai in an abandoned village and took him in as his own." Tigress glanced fondly at him, clutching her tea. "That was only a few months before everything went to hell."

Viper looked back at her friend, who was sitting up and seemingly feeling better. She had barely been able to keep much more than broth down, though. She was looking pretty thin.

"I guess it makes sense, Bái láng taking control of him." Tigress frowned at her friend, but the snake kept going. "If Kai comes to the throne, he will bring the last of China under complete control. Plus, it prevented you from running away. Talk about killing two birds with one stone."

At first, Viper was afraid she had offended the tiger, but surprisingly, Tigress cracked a small smile. "More like failing to kill two birds with one stone. I don't think he ever expected me to run away with the thing that was supposed to keep me from running away."

"You did the right thing. He's a fine young man." Viper replied kindly.

"This may sound strange," Tigress changed the subject, "But can I go for a walk?" The snake frowned, looking apprehensive. "I haven't had fresh air in a while."

"Sure." Viper nodded with a smile. Getting to her feet was surprisingly easier than she thought. Although it hurt like crazy, it wasn't any kind of pain she hadn't dealt with before. She could ignore the throbbing of her ribs for a breath of fresh air.

Of course, a few people stared as they walked, but Tigress focused more so on her paws hitting the grass and the smell of autumn tickling the air. Just walking a few feet made her feel infinitely better.

"Do you remember that time a while ago, when we blew off training and went to the water fall." Viper mentioned, slithering up so she was sitting on the tiger's shoulder. "Po got in so much trouble for letting us go, but it was so worth it."

She was happy to see Tigress smiling. She hated to jeopardize that, but she needed to know. "Do you know where he is?" Tigress stopped walking, and the smile fell from her face.

"No." Her voice was quiet. But then, something donned on her. Her eyes went wide. "But I may know someone who does. Where is Mantis?"

"Over in the training hall, why?" Tigress began walking as fast as she could, given her condition. She barely made it up the steps, but didn't stop until she had opened the doors.

"Tigress! You're up! OW?!" Monkey cheered when she entered, but was whacked on the back of the head by Mantis, whom he was sparring with.

"Hey Mantis, you think you could do me a favor?" She asked, turning towards the insect.

"Anything."

"Tigress. You're awake. What's going on?" Master Shifu entered through a side door, carrying a cup of tea.

"Mantis, when you came to the palace to see me, did you pass through Shang Zhi?" Tigress ignored his welcome and focused on the bug.

"No, I didn't need to. I was really only coming for you." Mantis shrugged.

"Tigress, what's wrong?" Shifu insisted.

"Viper mentioned that she found a carving of the character for noodles on a tree. I don't think that was saying Po was in the Imperial City. I think it was talking about Mr. Ping." Tigress replied.

"Why do you think that?" Viper replied.

"Because the first night that I got there and the night I was broken out, I was given a bowl of noodle soup. The only thing I've tasted even remotely as good was Po's." She saw them trade uneasy looks. "Look, I know it sounds crazy, but something in my gut tells me that we have to look into it."

Viper watched her friend with narrowed eyes for a moment before she nodded. "I agree."

The ultimate decision was up to Shifu, who pondered it while stroking his beard. "It seems like it's the only lead we have right now. Go." He nodded to the bug, who took off.

"I hope he finds something useful." Monkey replied, still unsure.

Tigress didn't want to admit it, but she was worried as well. "I hope so, too."