The sun had set and the moon rose since the Jade Palace Masters' confrontation with Yué. The wolf had slowly began to come to and his senses were flooded by both familiar and unfamiliar sensations. The first he felt was how dry his mouth felt. His tongue was overwhelmed by a fuzzy sensation, as if he'd tried to swallow a hairball and it didn't want to go down. He tried to flex the fingers on his paws, the right paw twitching successfully but his left straining with a dull throbbing pain. The canine growled and tried to move, though his side strongly disagreed with his choice.
Yué yelped sharply at the pain, wrenching his eyes open to survey his surroundings. That's when things became less familiar. He was in a rather spacious and nearly empty room, lying on a bed just large enough to accommodate him. He slowly began to sit up, careful not to aggravate his condition more than necessary. His abdomen was bandaged up firmly, his arm in a sling, and he felt a sharp prick on his back. Yué winced at the pain as another prick was felt again.
"You should really stay still." A small voice recommended, "Acupuncture is crazy dangerous for fidgeters." Master Mantis stood on the wolf's shoulder with a smug grin, his arms full with needles larger than himself. The lupine let out a groggy groan and felt an aching in his head which was also bandaged. "Where am I?" He asked. "My room. And to be honest, I'm not thrilled about it." Mantis replied, jabbing another needle into Yué. He hissed and growled at the bug. "A little warning would be nice." He chided before feeling his side, flinching a bit at how tender his ribs felt. "How bad off am I?" He asked, looking to his shoulder only to find Mantis missing. "Well, your ribs are cracked, you have a mild concussion, your arm was dislocated," the mantid named off the wolf's injuries, giving his right bicep a solid thump and making him hiss in pain, "And judging by how tender your muscles are you may have a bit of damage to your tendons."
Yué chuckled dryly, "I've had worse." He wasn't exaggerating as Mantis well knew. The wolf's body was covered with scars ranging in size. The largest and most notable was a large gash in his abdomen, just beneath the bandages, that was mirrored on his back. Both the entry and exit of a past injury that would've killed most. Yué shifted a bit and just then realized the state of undress he was in. His torso was bare, that he took note of immediately, but he found himself also lacking pants. His mind was briefly thrown into a state of shock, realizing that the picture of his daughter was missing before quickly calming himself with the realization that the Dragon Warrior had it. He felt another especially painful prick in his lame arm's bicep, looking to Mantis who had quickly traveled the expanse of his body. "You should wear a bell, you know. A really tiny bell." He said with a glare. "And where are my pants?" The diminutive master sighed exasperatedly, "I had to see just how bad off you were. Lucky for you it was all upper torso injuries."
Yué thought for a moment about what happened while he was out cold, or rather what he could gather from it before groaning. Mantis rolled his eyes, "Trust me buddy, I didn't take any joy in doing it either." The mantid hopped off the wolf and went across the room for more acupuncture needles. "How did you even – you know what? Never mind." The wolf shakily rose from the bed with a quiet whine, stumbling a little and holding his side before gaining his footing. Mantis quickly turned to face the canine but covered his eyes at the sight of the disrobed wolf, "You really should stay in that bed. And I'm not just saying that because you're naked." Yué chuckled softly and picked up a pair of pants lying on the floor, careful not to worsen his condition, "Not like you'll see anything you haven't before."
He limped out of the room into the barracks hallway, the dorms all dark save for an illuminated doorway down the corridor. Yué turned his ears towards the light and moved closer, the sound of clinking dishes and hushed voices becoming louder as well as the smell of food. He held his paw to the wall to keep himself stable as the sound became more intelligible.
"– Shifu crazy?" Asked one voice. They sounded worried and concerned, "He could've killed you!" Another voice picked up from there, "But he didn't. Besides, he kinda had a good reason." A slurping sound was heard. "Right. His 'daughter.'" Someone clearly didn't believe Yué's claim. "I for one don't buy it. He probably ripped the picture off some painting somewhere." A more gentle sounding voice spoke up, "I don't think so. You saw how he acted when he told us about her." The wolf smirked softly and limped into the dining room, the conversation dropping just as Tigress was about to speak.
He plopped down in a seat with a grunt and sigh, looking around the table at the warriors before him. For legends known across the land they didn't look like much, however deceiving their appearances are. He smiled warmly and leaned back in the chair comfortably, "It's impolite to talk about people behind their backs you know." Yué said. He let out a soft chuckle, "I don't expect you to apologize though, nor would I want to. I'd do the same to be completely honest." Tigress chuffed at him disdainfully. "Speaking of honesty," Monkey spoke up, "Who are you?" The wolf laughed, "It's about time. Here you guys are whispering and plotting instead of getting to the damn point." He reached across the table to a small cup and pot of tea, pouring himself a drink and taking a sip. "My name is Yué. And I do believe the Dragon Warrior has something of mine in his possession." He looked over to Po expectantly. The panda looked back confused before realizing what he meant, taking the picture of his daughter from his pocket and giving it to the canine. He was thanked with a nod.
"So, how old was she?" Crane asked. Yué shot a glare his way before the leer melted away into a glint of shame and apology. "Is. She's eight." He quickly looked about the table at the stares, most of dubious nature. The wolf grinned, "You guys don't believe me do you?" His glanced at Tigress, "Especially you, kitten." She growled and bared her fangs at Yué. "As a matter of fact, not for a moment. For all we know you could be trying to kill us." Po cut into the moment, setting a bowl of soup in front of the wolf. "Thought you'd maybe like something to eat." He smiled. Yué chuckled softly, "Why thank you Po, if I may call you that." He picked up a pair of chopsticks and began to eat. "Well, seems your father taught you a thing or two Dragon Warrior." Po's smile dropped a little and became frayed, "You know my dad?" Yué nodded, "Nice guy. Told me where you were." He took another bite of food. "And as for you, Tigress, you're right. I could be planning to kill you as we speak. But, if I were an assassin why would I approach you guys directly?"
The feline couldn't fault his logic and only scowled before calmly storming off, her eyes following him as she disappeared into her room. He chuckled softly at the flustered tiger and suddenly remembered the acupuncture needles in him, setting down his chopsticks and pulling them out. "How long will you be here?" Viper asked. "Trying to be rid of me so soon?" Yué jested, "I'll hit the road as soon as I can. Just need the Dragon Warrior to come with." He looked to a dumbfounded Po with a friendly smile.
"I'm afraid you'll have to stay a while longer than that." Said a voice from behind. Yué looked back and down to Master Shifu and Mantis flanking him, flashing them a grin. "Is that so?" He asked. "Your injuries will need time to mend and that will take two weeks at the very least, according to Master Mantis." The elder stated. The wolf's ears dropped and so too did his smirk, "Yeah, that's a hard pass for me on that. I need to leave as soon as possible." He shakily stood, using his chair for leverage. "In your current state I can't allow you to leave, in good conscience." Shifu insisted. Yué scoffed and gestured at himself, "This isn't anything big. I've had worse. Mantis saw." Master Mantis shuddered and visibly recoiled. The grandmaster sighed exasperatedly, "Be that as it may, I don't believe the Dragon Warrior made his decision on whether he'd go with you or not. Correct?" The canine looked back at Po, the panda flashing a nervous smile, before looking back down at the red panda with a growl. "He hasn't. Yet." Master Shifu smirked, "Then until he does you will stay until your injuries heal." He quickly turned to leave the barracks, "Viper will show you to your quarters." He said as he left the dormitories, Mantis hopping off to his room.
Yué's claws angrily dug into his chair as he watched the elder master leave, fangs bared and ears splayed against his skull with seething rage. Master Viper cautiously approached the canine and hesitantly tapped his leg, "If you're ready I can take you to your room." The canine sighed softly and let go of the chair, "Yeah. Lead the way." He said before turning to Po with a glare, "I await your choice, panda."
Viper led Yué down the corridor, watching him carefully should he decide to lose his cool. The wolf slowly simmered down from his anger, leaving behind hints of regret. "You can calm down you know." He said abruptly, startling Master Viper. "Not like I'm gonna attack someone again." They soon stopped at the end of the hall in front of an empty room. "Here's where you'll be staying." She stated, pushing open the doors to the dorm. The interior was spacious and nearly completely bare. Inside sat a single bed, just large enough for one person, and a candle for light. The wolf looked about the bare room, fairly unimpressed with it. 'Could it be any more empty?' He thought stepping inside.
"The morning bell rings at dawn." Viper announced courteously, "Just so you know." Yué nodded and sat down on the bed, "Thanks." She nodded and slithered off to her quarters. The wolf laid down with a grunt and a sigh, "Could've chosen a worse spot to stay but this'll do." He took out the picture of his daughter and gave it a melancholic look, pressing it to his chest as he nodded off.
In The Hall of Heroes...
Master Shifu sat by the edge of the Moon Pool in deep meditation as Zeng approached. His steps were tentative and hesitant, his body quaked nervously. "Um... Master Shifu? You called for me?" He asked. "I have an important task for you Zeng." He stood and turned to the gander, his shaking only becoming worse. "I need you to find out all that you can about this wolf, Yué. We need to know just who we're dealing with. You have a two week head start." Zeng bowed, "Yes master." The fowl turned to leave reluctantly and took to wing. Shifu turned back to the tranquil waters and continued meditating, thinking on the potential threat he allowed to stay in the palace and how best to deal with him if necessary.