"It's getting cold."

Kai felt rather than saw Yu come up beside him and wrap her arms around herself, shivering in the moonlight. The full moon hung mid-sky in the dark. The city of Shang Zhi had gone dark, as had the imperial palace. Now, they just waited with baited breath.

"Hey," she had seen his worried frown, and she bumped her shoulder against his, "Your plan is gonna work."

"I hope so." He finally muttered. "I can't help but worry about what happens if it doesn't."

"No one is going to hate you, if that's what you mean. It was a good idea, Kai. You should-"

After a split-second of silence, he finally looked at her, but her gaze was fixed on something in the distance.

"Yu?"

"Look."

He frowned into the distance, not seeing it. "I…..oh." Once he noticed, he couldn't take his eyes off of it. "That's not good."

"Shifu!" Crane suddenly dropped from the sky, chest heaving. When the old master neared his protégé, Crane spoke. "Fires, in the woods."

"What do you mean?"

"Someone lit up a caravan not too far from here, set the whole thing ablaze. Then I noticed another one further east. The army, they've been stalled for almost an hour."

Kai and Yu looked at one another, and must have thought the same thing simultaneously.

"Tigress."

Shifu's eyes went wide, but he said nothing.

"Kai," Fiang came towards them across the courtyard, "You were right. The armory was stocked."

"All totaled, how many can fight?" Shifu asked him.

"I have two hundred volunteers," Fiang sighed, "But there is no telling how well they will actually be able to hold off."

"If this is Tigress, which I cannot guarantee, that tells me she has a bigger plan at play. However," Shifu furrowed his brow in thought, "Diverting the wolves may very well be a decent plan until she can return."

"We have no clue how long that could be, Master." Crane spoke.

"Bai Liang only has one place left that he can go, and that's in the east." Kai interjected.

"Master? What's going on?" Viper had come out to join them, yawning widely. Since their return from the docks, she had been resting in the medical area, fighting off sore muscles.

Crane quickly got her up to speed on their discussion, and when he was done, she thought a moment.

"Well, Kai, you said he only has one place to go. How do you know?"

"His boats are in the eastern harbor. You said so yourself that there were thousands. If whatever he is planning is happening soon, he will need to be there." He hesitated. "Plus, the emperor had a summer home there…it's where he found me."

"So, he's in the east, and Tigress seems to be heading that way. You think she's going after him?" Monkey and Mantis had joined them as well, and the simian didn't seem to need to be brought up to speed.

"I doubt it." Insisted Crane. "She's smarter than that."

"Po-" Yu looked to Kai with realization. "You think they were separated? He was in a pretty bad way when we left them-"

"So, let me get all of this straight. Po was somehow taken to Bai Liang in the East, so she's going after him. Meanwhile, we are about to be attacked by a very large group of wolves." Mantis' voice rose as he panicked. "Is anyone really worried about our odds, or is that just me?"

"Calm down, Mantis." Viper replied indignantly. "If this is what is happening, then she was right. We need Po here. He and Tigress are our strongest fighters. The fires bought us some time, so let's send a few squads out and continue that pattern. Hopefully we can stall the army until the two of them return."

Shifu nodded in agreement. "Send our fastest. Mei Ling and Mantis, Monkey and Viper, if you're up to it. Crane, return to the skies. We need to know what the army is doing."

"Sir, I may be able to help." Fiang spoke up. "We have a young hawk in our group, named Li. He is capable of flying quickly."

"Good. Crane, take a few moments to rest and eat. When you are ready, head east. See if you can track down Tigress, or at least her path. We need to confirm our theories." Despite his age and absence from the rebellion, Shifu commanded authority in a way Kai admired. People looked to him, listened to what he had to say. He thought things through and almost always had a solution. This time was no different. The remainders of the Furious Five watched him carefully, taking in every word.

Kai was almost…jealous.

OoOoOoO

She was almost there.

A few more li and she would be in wolf territory. Just in time too. The sky overhead was beginning to grow just a shade lighter. She urged herself faster, staff strapped to her back by a few vines she had found mid-run. Even though she didn't hold it, it seemed to burn into her back, leaving her sweaty.

Her paws flew over dirt and roots, and her head was so clouded in thought that she didn't notice him touch down at first.

"Tigr-"

"What the hell?" She skidded to a stop so fast that she fell flat on her tail, and the staff slid off her back. She panting hard, and her heart thudded loudly in her chest. "Where did you come from?"

"Sorry!" Crane offered her a wing up. "I called but I guess you didn't hear me. What are you doing?"

"Po was taken." She rested her paws on her knees, trying to catch her breath. "I have to get that to him." She gestured with her head to the staff on the ground.

"We are about to be attacked!" He said incredulously. "We need you."

"I know. As soon as I get him out, I'll come back."

"Is that what's best?" He relied, watching her stand upright.

"Crane, what are you talking about?"

"You'd chose your boyfriend over the rebellion. That's just great."

She grabbed him suddenly and shoved him hard into a tree, snarling. "You watch your mouth."

He blinked a few times, caught off guard, and his eyes seemed to clear. She recognized that cloudiness, and slackened her hold. The staff still lay several paces behind her, and she could still feel its effects. She couldn't imagine what Crane was feeling.

"Woah." He breathed.

"Can you see why I have to get it to him?" She asked, letting him go and stepping back. "I promise, we will be there in time, but I can't risk it getting in the hands of wolves."

"I know." He frowned. "Stay safe, okay?"

"I will." She replied with a nod. Tigress watched as he took a step back, readying to take off again. "And hey Crane, he's not my boyfriend."

"Of course he isn't." The avian winked and took to the sky, leaving her shaking her head on the ground below.

OoOoOoO

Po's head swam,

He forced himself to stay upright in his cell, but even sitting on his metal cot he couldn't manage it. A guard peeked in from around the wall, and chuckled when he saw the large panda sway.

"How ya feelin', Dragon Warrior?" He sneered, leaning against the cell door. When the bear didn't respond, he whipped out a baton and slammed it against the metal bars.

It was all Po could do to not flinch, but he did clench his jaw as the sound seemed to reverberate around his skull. At the very least, he had a concussion. Whatever they'd hit him over the head left him feeling woozy.

If he leaned against the far wall of his cell, he could make out a small window in the cell adjacent. The sky was beginning to lighten just barely.

"Psst."

He cocked his head, not sure if he actually heard that.

"Pssssst."

The sound was coming from a grate in the floor, one he had noted when he first woke up. But the rusty rings around it were enough to deter him the first time. He neared it with caution.

"Hello?"

"Dragon Warrior, it's me."

He knew that voice. He hadn't heard it in a decade, but the squirrely tones of it were easily recognizable. "Zheng?"

OoOoOoO

A/N: Drop a review if you want...or nah