Authors note: Greetings again. Glad to hear this fandom still has some breath in it. This story is going to come in stages and I do not have a regular update schedule planned so bare with me.

A little background. This takes place a few years after the newest installment in the series: Paws of Destiny which I think takes place a few years after the 3rd movie from what I can tell. There are some minor spoilers from the Paws series so be warned. And I also really enjoyed it so if you haven't seen it yet or are on the fence its got a vote in favor from me.

I own nothing and again please ignore any History Hiccups cause I'm totally just making all this up for fun.

Chapter 1

Frantic footsteps raced down the hall overloud in the silence of the sleeping castle. At this early an hour their owner should have been abed and yet here she was, awake and alert. Determined to reach her destination post haste. She threw open the doors of a secluded room and ignored the spirals of dust that stirred from her rapid entrance.

Princess Ting Hui of the royal house of Canton had always been taught 'a princess is never in a rush', but on this night, with so much hanging on her actions over the next few hours, she felt that it was a necessary divergence from proper etiquette. She had not been planning to proceed to the next step with her research still in its infancy but things had just become desperate. And she hated that. Hated that she was being rushed into this. Hated that it had to be forced and slap dash instead of natural and well thought out but there was nothing she could do about it now.

Earlier she had received the message that had altered all her plans and set this entire thing in motion. She had scrambled to gain the last pieces she needed and now she was here. Out of breathe, exhausted, hinging on the adrenaline and the sense of urgency that that small missive had planted in her core.

'They are marching on the borders'

She would be damned before she let them get much further. But she could not do this alone. And she knew there were very few who could see through the plans she would set in motion. She needed someone loyal only to her. Someone she could depend on to be her strong right hand. Someone that would strike fear into the hearts of her enemies and not shy away from the horrors of war. She knew where she had to go to find that person, but getting there was the trick. Perhaps, if the heavens were looking on her fondly, which they should after all the misery they had caused her in the past, perhaps she could manage to complete her task.

And her first obstacle was as daunting as they come.

She slowed as the door swung closed behind her on old iron hinges, plunging the room she entered into a heavy gloom. It was no matter, she was familiar with this place and had no need for the abrasive light of the oil lanterns in the hall. Striding forward she gripped the clawed hand of the familiar dragon statue, whom she saw as something of a friend after her many visits over the past few months. A harsh tug down and there was the tale-tale click and then the smooth grinding of gears as the alter slid to the side to make a clear opening. She passed through, pressing a hand to the frame of the entry and the stone slid home behind her.

Forward into the darkness she walked undaunted by the dim setting, her eyes adjusting easily. The small tunnel soon opened up and Ting Hui reached into the folds of her robe to pull forth a match. With practiced ease she struck it against the stone wall and a tiny flame burst forth. Carefully, she brought the fire to the candle barely illuminated next to the entrance and lit the wick. Gently the flame caught and a warm light spread into the room. Slowly, she went through the room, lighting more candles as she moved through what came to illuminate as a small space.

Her work room was complete with a much used desk stacked high with parchments, scrolls, ink and quills. A well-used reading candle illuminated the scrolls showing how very old they were and that the parchment was filled with new writings done in her elegant hand. With ease the princess pulled out the stool and took a seat. Wrapping her tail up around her waist and getting comfortable, Ting pulled a piece of rolled parchment from her pouch at her hip. Laying it out with the rest of the papers one could see that the new piece followed in the same theme as the others. Many contained markings of two perfect circles with one side of the yin and yang to either side of the shapes.

"If they think I'm going to let this pass, then they are sorely mistaken." she said softly and gathered all her work from the past few months, organizing it from start to finish. She spent the next few hours arranging everything to her research's specification. It all needed to be perfect and she wasn't even sure if then it would work…but she had to try. Finally she placed the last piece of incense in its designated holder and walked to the center of what she had created.

Surrounded on all sides by the soft light of candles and the soothing smell of incense she quieted her mind, drawing her hands up high and then bringing them down together to the center of her chest in a smooth motion.

She had practiced this motion a number of times, but still she felt the slightest tremble in her hands. This was not a rehearsal before her mirror with no consequences if things were to go wrong. No, this was her preforming a ritual that she was not entirely sure she was capable of and only ninety percent sure it would not end badly, perhaps even fatally. But at this point, she reasoned, that she simply had nothing left to lose. Though that really wasn't quite true…

There was still her sister. Her younger, much more naive sister. What would the younger princess do if something happened to her? Ting couldn't bare to think about the fallout that her sibling would face if she did in fact perish during this endeavor. The youngest princess, Ai Hee, was very different from her much more resilient and headstrong older sibling. The younger panther was a romantic at heart, sweet and gentle, with a new little one just a few months old to watch after and an absent husband who spent more time with the courtesans of the palace than he did with his actual wife.

It still made Ting bristle every time she thought about her sister's response when the subject was broached by her sibling about her husband's shenanigans. Ai would merely wave it off, claiming it was her husband's prerogative and none of her business what he did with his evenings no matter what nasty false rumors spread through the palace. A good wife trusts her husband and keeps him happy. It made Ting want to gag to hear it but really her sister could not help it. She had been fed these lines over and over throughout their upbringing and while Ting had balked at the implication that she was put on this earth just to serve her husband's every whim, the younger princess had absorbed the teachings like a sponge and practiced them daily. Ai's husband certainly was happy as was Ai.

Dishi was not like that. They were always honest with each other. Though Ting supposed that her husband was a special case. Or...he had been a special case.

She had been doing that less lately. Thinking of Dishi as still being in the present. But it inevitably happened on occasion and each time her heart would give the lurching tug. She breathed through it refocusing her thoughts after the distraction her worry for Ai brought on. She could not afford to fall into reverie at this time. She needed to concentrate.

She breathed in and began to chant steadily. The candles in the room ever so slightly dimmed and then burst forth to full brightness before snuffing out completely, their energy spent on the quick ignition. Darkness closed around her. Nothing to panic about just yet. She had expected this part.

What she had not been expecting was the glow that began to emanate from before her. She cracked an eyelid and gave a slight start as she realized it was coming from her palms. Her voice stuttered slightly but she continued. There were only a few more verses. Just a few more lines and she would see if her research was a success or a complete failure.

Though the room was almost completely sealed off, save for the vent that allowed for air flow, a slight wind began to pick up.

"Inner peace. Inner peace...Inner peace."

She breathed out. The glow steadily brightened till her palm shone a warm golden light. Just as she had practiced she pushed her right hand forward and began to draw a circle in front of her, moving with an even steady pace. The golden glow seemed to stick to the air and after a few more passes a perfect circle hung suspended in the space before her. Drawing back her right hand, she then used her left to tap the very center of the circle.

It made a soft ping, almost as if she had tapped her claw on metal. That had to be a good sign. Surely this was working for her. And nothing had gone wrong...yet. The glow spread from the center until it was less of a circle and more of what one might think of as a portal. Her palms' own glow began to dissipate.

Ting had no way of knowing what would happen once she stepped through her creation. Nothing…Anything. It was all possible. But it did no good to stall. She was unsure how long the portal would actually last. One final fortifying breath and she cautiously walked into the inviting glow.

Oogway felt a sense of anticipation overtake his calm meditation. Someone was coming. They were not bad, he knew. But determined. Yes, very very determined. This guest, he had been expecting for quite some time and the wise old turtle was glad it was finally that time.

He had been spending quite some while meditating at his favorite peach tree in the spirit world, though really there was no way to tell really how long it had been. If he had to take a guess he would say it had been a few mortal years since Bunni had joined him, his old friend visiting him quite often and they would spend time together basking in the glow of enlightenment. Though, Bunni seemed to prefer to take up residence on the top of one of the many high mountains floating though their world. He was calmer there, probably owed to the many years he spent in the mountains after the fallout of the original four constellations. But now with his mind at peace and his successful second chance relieving his mind crushing guilt, the mountain now represented inner peace rather than a place to hide away from bad memories.

It was so nice to see that so many of his disciples and friends had found inner peace in the spirit world, everything falling into balance as it should. Though he knew there was still much to be done to right all the wrongs of the past. And such a long past he had. His guest would be an immeasurable help in correcting something he saw as one of biggest failures. Even for an enlightened Kung Fu master, not everything was clear to him when he had been in the world of mortals. He made his own mistakes and though he knew that there was a reason for everything that happened as it did he still felt the pain in the world and had to suffer for them.

And others suffered because of him as well. Pain was a part of life and was unavoidable. But if one can learn from that pain and choose to continue to the path of good rather than evil, they could have more strength than they even imagined. Po, the Dragon Warrior and one of Oogway's fondest students, was an excellent example of this philosophy. But on the opposite side of Po, another student, exemplified the yin to Po's yang. A student who he hoped to guide back into the light along with the help of his very determined guest.

Above the plateau of the peach tree, suspended in the ethereal space of the void of the spirit world, a golden circle of light began to take shape. It hung there, unmoving, for some moments. Then a dark shape passed through, upright at first as if walking into the void, before pitching sharply forward. They fell tumbling over themselves obviously unconscious from the ragdoll looseness of the limbs and lack of sound.

Oogway was unsurprised. Most who entered the spirit world while still living tended to come out on the other side unconscious at first. The figure fell closer to his plateau and the old turtle slowly disengaged himself from where he was balanced atop his staff. Raising his hand he cast out his chi to envelope and slow the descent of his guest and rested them gently down on the soft grass of his small meadow.

Oogway could tell many things about his mysterious guest just from his first good look at her. She was, in fact, a she. A panther, young or at least much younger than him. She had elegant features and rich, well-kept clothing. She was a bit on the thin side and upon looking closer Oogway saw deep lines beneath her eyes. It was obvious she had been having a bit of a time of it lately. She was breathing deeply in the grip of unconsciousness.

The wise old turtle settled himself back atop his staff in a pose of meditation. It was always best to let those who crossed over wake up in their own time. And they would have plenty of time to chat once she awoke. He did always enjoy the shocked expression when they caught their first glimpse of the spirit world. It was the little things to break up the continuous peace of the afterlife. The master chuckled to himself.

I personally love Oogway and though I've seen some things going around that are really bashing on him I like that he's not perfect and has made mistakes in the past. And don't worry our boy will be along soon :). No Flames, my old heart can't take it. Cheers.