"Don't worry, little one."
Crane takes off his battered hat, exhaling shakily, eyes on Viper as she slithers slowly by, demonstrating her grace and control over the rugged terrain whilst cradling a swaddled infant in her battered tail.
"We'll find your parents." The strain in her voice is enough to make his chest hurt almost unbearably, far worse than his injuries. "Be brave for me, okay?"
With wet eyes he looks to Tigress.
She grunts, hefting rubble on her good shoulder, the other weeping afresh from agitation. In applying her brute strength, she frees a family from their torn home, the rabbits hurrying between and around her braced legs, babbling incoherent gratitude.
He feels a tug on his ruffled wing and gazes down at a child, dust and ash caking her cheeks.
Po is on his knees, retrieving salvageable things. He is reminded of a cub's doll discarded in the ruins of a panda village, years ago.
"I'm no expert, mind you, and my eyesight's a little foggy," says an elderly pig, unhelpfully poking the Dragon Warrior with his cane, "but those bandits fought with some skill and they worked together as a team."
"How inspiring." The comment is only partially sarcastic.
To see such mean, selfish individuals – mere bandits with infamously black souls – twist their bodies to protect each other was inspiring.
"It's Kung Fu, isn't it?"
"Yeah." The panda's soft, round belly hurts, peppered with bruises. He can deflect many blows, but his defences are not impenetrable and the enemy had greater numbers on their side. "You're right, sir." He sounds sedate, even to himself.
"We've had bandits attack our village, before, of course. Who hasn't, these days? But this…"
"Someone must be teaching them."
"Surely, no self-respecting Master would do such a thing, for the sake of criminals?"
"Kung Fu is beautiful. It's the most beautiful thing in the world. But sometimes Masters lose their way."
"That is not comforting."
"No." Po sniffs wetly, glad that Tigress doesn't overhear his weakness, even if she wouldn't insult him for it. "It's totally the opposite of comforting. It's very, very not-comforting."
"What do you plan to do, Dragon Warrior?"
Silence.
"Our village won't be the last." The elderly pig prods again. "That's the tragic thing about bandits. What little treasure they escaped with, even their very lives, will never be enough to satisfy their greed. Such miserable, misbegotten scum. Inside, they are like bottomless pits, crying hollowly."
"Are you a poet, sir?"
"I dabble."
Mantis tends to the injured villagers, assisted in his tasks by Monkey, who lifts their spirits with comforting talk whilst checking for broken bones.
Viper didn't find the mother or the father, but did succeed in discovering a surviving grandmother. Blue eyes are fire-lit, brighter still with disappointment and sorrow for breaking what felt like a promise to alleviate some of this tragedy.
Crane surrendered the girl to a kindly couple, willing to adopt. He stays close to Viper, now, sharing in her heartache.
Mantis has fallen asleep in Monkey's hands.
Tigress is bent and stern, her face brought forward, toward the fire. The light catches her teeth like shards, bared as Po tries to take care of her reopened shoulder.
"Don't beat yourself up," he says, eventually, the only one to speak.
"I suppose I shouldn't," is her sardonic reply. "Those common criminals did a fine job of that for me."
"Hey."
"It's humiliating."
"I got a good knocking, too. Doesn't make us less awesome. We defended a lot of lives, today. Nothing to be ashamed about."
"The bandits almost overwhelmed–" She growls when he puts his paw under her chin, but doesn't resist the caress that follows.
"Stop that."
"Po…" She feels him trace the tense muscle of her throat. "Let me be angry at myself."
"It's not your fault."
Crane tenses, then lowers his hat.
Viper's tongue briefly flickers, tasting him.
Tigress glares at Po, showing fangs.
He smiles back at her.
She is defeated again, her expression contorting with tender emotions, like the cub that felt alone.
He moves to take his paw away, only to give her an affectionate little press on her nose.
"We need to quell this." She allows his touch to remain, quickly burying most of her emotions.
"And we will. But right now, we need to rest and not destroy ourselves, okay?"
"And in the meantime, they'll prepare to strike, again. How many more people will die?"
"We can't let ourselves think like that. We just have to do our best and have hope."
She accepts a palm against her cheek.
"I'm sorry," he whispers, his face lingering close to hers. He is reminded of how he once fled his responsibilities when told of Tai Lung's return. "But no matter how dark things seem, we're the good guys, Tigress. And no matter what villainy throws our way, we'll win. Somehow. Always."
"We just have to be brave," finishes Viper.
Crane watches a tail tilt back his hat, exposing him to her kind eyes.
"You were brave, even if you don't think so."
"I could hardly speak. That girl… She lost everything. I tried to help her, but…"
"And when I no longer held that baby boy, I wanted to cry. I looked for you. And then I found you. You reassured me, like I knew you would."
Tigress silently brings her forehead against Po's.
He closes his eyes, feeling her blood, her fur, her breaths, her heat, her strength.
Mantis snores in the protection of Monkey's caged fingers.
Shifu receives their message from a goose in drab clothes who was willing to make the journey. Despite all that was said, the Master clings most of all to the news that his students are alive and in one piece.
The goose is permitted to recuperate in comfort, attended to by staff.
Shifu withdraws, easing his old bones by sitting on a step. Here he considers his options for aid.
There are Masters Ox and Croc. If the foreshadowing proves true, their assistance will be greatly appreciated, but they will be distracted with the safety of their city.
Shifu hesitates when considering the students from neighbouring academies, but draws from memory names of particularly talented individuals, even when compared to the mettle of the Furious Five. It's a short list which he continues to narrow down over several minutes of thought.
A breeze.
"I have a headache."