Author's note: Hi everybody! Thanks for the feedback, I really appreciate it. Here's the next chapter, I hope you like it.
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Deep in the snowy Northern Mountains, a group of crocodiles were busy digging into the icy ground.
"We've been digging for hours! Are you sure this is the right place?" The smallest one asked his boss skeptically from the bottom of the pit.
"It says so right here!" The leader waved the parchment in his companion's face. "The treasure should be buried here!"
"I still think you're stupid for believing that crazy old goat," the biggest one muttered under his breath.
"What was that?" The lead croc demanded, stamping a foot.
"Nothing sir."
After a few more minutes of digging, the smallest croc had had enough.
"I give up!" He screamed in frustration. "There's nothing here!"
Angrily, he stabbed the ground beneath his feet with the pick axe he'd been using to chip away at the rock, burying it in the icy ground.
Suddenly, an ominous tremor shook the mountain.
"Uh, what was that?" The croc boss asked.
As a second tremor shook the mountain, cracks began to appear below the crocs' feet, emanating from the point where the pick axe was buried.
Stumbling, the crocs attempted to climb up the sides of the pit they'd dug, trying to escape, but the sides were too steep, forcing them to simply cling to the rock in terror.
Eventually, the tremors calmed down, and, carefully, the smallest one edged to where he planted his pickaxe.
"See guys?" He called over his shoulder. "It's okay. It's over."
As he pulled out his axe, however, a sickening crunch was heard beneath them.
"You're fired." The croc boss stated before the very ground disappeared beneath them and they fell into an empty cavern.
"AAAAaaaaaahhhh!"
The three crocs, along with a ton of rock and ice fell through the darkness to land on a smooth, hard floor.
Nursing his head, the croc boss sat up slowly, frowning at the bruises and cuts covering his claws and arms.
"Who's not dead?" he called out. "Sound off."
Two moans of pain could be heard echoing through the chamber.
Looking around, the crocodiles found themselves in what appeared to be some kind of underground building. The hole they had made let cool light in to the space for what appeared to be the first time in centuries. Snow fluttered down to land on the smooth floor.
"What did I tell you guys?" The croc boss crowed. "I told you there'd be something here!"
The smallest croc winced as he rolled onto his side. As he got to his feet, he noticed something strange about the floor.
"Hey," he gestured to his companions. "Look at this, guys. It's not stone."
"What do you mean, it's not stone?" The croc boss asked in frustration. He wanted to find this hidden treasure the goat merchant told him about.
"I mean, look at this place," the smallest croc gestured around them. It's made of metal."
It was true, in some areas, the walls, floor and ceiling were made of metal, keeping the rock at bay, however in some areas, it had begun to rust, becoming brittle, which was probably how the ceiling collapsed in the first place.
"Why would someone build a metal room underground?" The biggest croc wondered.
"Who cares?" The croc boss exclaimed, moving forward, and searching the room in the dim light. "I want to find my treasure!"
Moving forward, the crocs found an alcove containing a great terracotta statue of a large dragon.
"What's this?" The croc boss asked.
"I think it's a dragon, boss." The biggest croc supplied, and was promptly wacked with the boss's tail.
"I can see that!" The croc boss snapped. "But where's my treasure!"
"Maybe this is it?" The smallest croc suggested. "Do you know how much a museum would pay for something like this?"
"Riiiight." The croc boss moved forward to examine the statue, to find it locked onto a pedestal which was chained to the floor.
"How are we gonna move this thing out of here?" The croc boss wondered, aloud.
The big croc reached forward to touch the statue, his still bleeding claws gently brushed the clay, smearing a few drops of blood on the terracotta.
The blood appeared to shine in the dim light, before being absorbed into the statue.
"What the…" was all the croc boss had time to say before he and his companions were blasted backward into the rubble within the cavern as the statue exploded with a blast of energy.
Shaking his head, the smallest croc got to his feet and cautiously approached the statue, where only the mummified remains of some kind of reptile lay in amongst the broken pottery.
"Well that's gross," he commented. "What do you think that was, boss?"
Turning, his mouth dropped open in shock.
His boss was backed up in fear, staring wide-eyed at the biggest croc, who was hovering in the air, surrounded by a swirling light that was slowly entering his large, scaly body.
Slowly, the light faded and the big croc landed gently on his feet on the ground.
"Hey," the croc boss ventured carefully. "You okay?"
The big croc's eyes opened, and they were shocked to see that his eyes had turned completely black.
Taking a deep breath, the big croc rolled his shoulders, stretching his large muscles.
"Oh, I am more than okay," he whispered, and his voice had changed, becoming deeper, softer and far more chilling.
"In fact," the big croc continued with a smile. "I'm feeling better than I have for the past three hundred years."
"Th-three hundred years?" The croc boss began to back away, realizing that something had gone very wrong.
The big croc drew himself up to his full height. "I am the Dragon, Long," he proclaimed. "And for centuries, I have been trapped in this prison because of Oogway. And while I could send my mind beyond my prison to observe the world as it changed, my spirit remained trapped in that cursed statue, and I was unable to gain the energy I needed to escape. But living blood…" Long whispered, flexing the claws of his new body. "You have no idea just how much life force there is in a few drops of blood. Just what I needed to free my spirit." He bowed slightly. "I suppose I should thank you."
"Y-you're welcome." The croc boss stammered.
"Now," Long breathed, relishing the sensation. He hadn't breathed air in a very long time. "Let's see…" Reaching out a crocodile claw, the fallen rock in the cavern began to tremble, and then move along the floor, surrounding the two remaining crocodiles.
"What's happening?" The small crocodile began to panic.
"How is he doing that?" The croc boss asked fearfully.
"Oh, this is a skill I learned many years ago," Long informed them as the rocks pushed the two crocs into the alcove.
"I'm glad to see that time has not weakened my power. And while I am thankful for my release," he continued as the rocks began to build a wall, trapping the two crocodiles inside the alcove, "I can't very well allow the two of you to escape and let my release be known. I want my presence to be known exactly when I want it to… when it's too late."
With a final flick of his wrist the alcove was completely sealed. Only weak, dull thumps could be heard as the two crocs tried to escape the very prison Long had been forced to reside in for so many years.
Smiling, Long turned calmly and used his power to manipulate the metal in the room, constructing a staircase to allow him to exit the cavern.
As he stood on the snow covered rock of the mountain, Long closed his eyes taking a moment to feel the icy breeze and allow the cool light of the sun to alight on his face. It had been centuries since he had actually felt anything. For while he had been able to project his mind from his prison, his body had decayed, and his sprit had been trapped within that statue.
But now, with his new body, Long was free.
He opened his eyes and smiled.
'Now to rebuild my army,' he thought, 'and to reclaim what was stolen from me."
~..~..~..~..
Po raced up the hill towards the Shrine that Xi-Wong had pointed him to earlier.
Panting heavily, he finally reached the top.
"Dragon Warrior!" Xi-Wong stepped forward eagerly with relief. "You came!"
"Of course I did," Po grinned as he caught his breath. "But I have to ask: couldn't we have met somewhere…lower to the ground?"
Chuckling, Xi-Wong gestured his long-lost son forward.
"I felt we would want privacy, and this is one of the most isolated spots in the village."Xi-Wong explained, and Po was interested to find a second panda standing hesitantly behind the Mystic. She was about the same age as he was, though of a slightly smaller build.
"Ah, yes," Xi-Wong smiled, seeing who had caught the attention of his guest. "Son, I'd like you to meet your cousin, my brother's daughter: Jia."
"It's wonderful to finally meet you, Cousin," Jia bowed.
"It's great to meet you too, Jia. My name's Po."
"Po," Xi-Wong repeated slowly before nodding. "It's a good name."
"What…what did you call me? As a baby?"" Po asked hesitantly as he took a seat at a table that Xi-Wong had set up near the shrine entrance, where tea had been set.
"Actually, your mother and I hadn't named you yet," Xi-Wong answered. "It's tradition, for us, to never give your child a name until they are ten months old." The panda mystic sighed sadly. "You were nine and a half months, when Shen attacked."
Po lowered his eyes.
"My mother saved my life," he whispered.
"Yes," Xi-Wong granted softly. "Her name was Lixue."
"Lixue," Po whispered, wanting to commit his mother's name to memory.
"It means 'Pretty Snow'," Xi-Wong smiled.
Po took a deep breath.
"Wow," he stated, looking at his father and cousin. His panda father and cousin. "I have so many questions for you, I don't know where to begin."
"I feel the same way…Po." Xi-Wong simply stared contently at his son, glad that he was finally here.
"I have an idea," Jia put forward. "How about each of us take turns asking a question, like a game?"
"Alright," Xi-Wong thought for a moment. "How did you grow up, Po? Tell me about your family."
Po smiled. "Well," he began, "I was adopted by a goose by the name of Mr. Ping. He runs a noodle shop in the Valley of Peace, where I grew up. While I was trying to defeat Shen, a Soothsayer helped me find out how I became adopted." He took a breath. "My mom hid me in a radish basket and distracted Shen and his wolves. The radishes were then delivered to my dad's restaurant, and he decided to take me in."
"Mr. Ping," Xi-Wong repeated, placing a hand over his heart. "I owe a great deal of gratitude to him."
"Your turn Po," Jia prompted gently. "What do you want to know?"
"Uh," Po sorted through the myriad of questions swirling through his brain until he found the most pressing one he had at the moment.
"When Master Bunny told you about me, how did you know I was your son?" He asked Xi-Wong. "Why did you send a letter instead of coming to the Jade Palace yourself?"
His father lowered his eyes as he took a careful sip of his cooled tea.
"I knew you were my son," he began slowly, "because after Shen's attack, every panda was accounted for, whether alive or dead, except for you. We buried them all, and built a memorial for them here in our village. We can take you there, if you like?"
Po swallowed, nodding.
"And the reason I didn't come to the Jade Palace to meet you myself was because…I was afraid." Xi-Wong finished. "We have been in hiding for so long, the fear of Shen still hovers over our village, even though the threat is now passed. And also…I was afraid that you wouldn't want to meet me."
Po's eyes widened. "Why wouldn't I want to meet you?"
"Because I was afraid that…you would think badly of us, Lixue and I." X-Wong replied slowly, his eyes on his tea. "I was afraid that you would accuse me of abandoning you, that you thought we'd never loved you. And I couldn't bear the thought of hearing those words." Xi-Wong raised his eyes to gaze at his lost son.
"We loved you so much, son," Xi-Wong told him sincerely. "And you have grown up so well," cautiously Xi-Wong placed a paw on Po's shoulder. "You have done so much good in your life, and you even brought Shen to justice. For what it's worth, I'm proud of you."
Po could feel tears welling behind his eyes.
"Thanks…dad."
~..~..~..~..
Once Yue-Yan had shown the six warriors to their rooms, they were free to explore the village. And while Po ran off to talk with his birth father, Yue-Yan offered the assistance of her apprentice, Nuan, to give the Furious Five a tour of their village.
Nuan was yet another panda, who appeared shy at first, but came to show a quiet confidence as she took the five around the village. The pandas in the village would see them and wave, calling out greetings to Nuan, and offers of food and wares to their guests.
"Oh, these pandas are so friendly!" Viper smiled as some young pandas left after giving her a hug for saving their kite from a tree.
"Why do they keep staring at us though?" Mantis wondered aloud.
"Our village is quite isolated, you understand," Nuan told the group. "We don't get visitors often. So when we do, it's pretty big news. We're actually going to have a welcoming party tonight, see?" She pointed to a clearing up ahead, where more pandas were busy piling wood up high, ready for a bonfire, and setting out tables.
"A party?" Tigress repeated.
"Oh, yes," their guide nodded enthusiastically. There'll be lots of food, music, dancing, and a tai-chi demonstration!"
"Would you like us to do a demonstration too?" Tigress asked.
"Oh, you're the guests, you're not expected to." Nuan assured them. "But you will be expected to join in the dancing."
"Sounds like fun!" Viper cheered.
"I'd rather do a demonstration," Tigress muttered.
Nuan glanced at Tigress.
"If you don't know how to dance," she put forward gently, "you can ask Yue-Yan."
"It's not that-" Tigress tried to back track.
"Or Lian, Li's third-born," Nuan continued. "She's won the dance completion three times. Yue-Yan taught her."
"I've never danced," Tigress folded her arms stubbornly, and she wasn't about to start now.
"Oh, come on, Tigress," Monkey nudged his friend. "You're so hard-core all the time. loosen up."
"Maybe Li can convince you to dance," Viper added.
Tigress frowned. She didn't like the way Viper had said that.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, he was kind of staring at you," Crane commented lightly.
Tigress could feel her shoulders tensing up.
"Nuan, what can you tell us about Li?" Viper asked their guide as they walked.
"Well," Nuan began thoughtfully. "He's been the guardian of our village for as long as I can remember. His parents guarded us before him, but they were killed during Shen's attack. When we found our new home Li left, returning years later with his wife. They raised their cubs here, practicing Kung Fu and Tai chi while Li worked as the town blacksmith. His wife, Mei, died last winter, along with many others in our village. It was the harshest winter we'd seen, and Mei had been sick throughout the autumn. Winter was too much for her." The panda sighed. "She was strong. Apparently all first born tigers are the strongest, but even the strongest warriors aren't invincible."
As Nuan was taking the five through the market place, Tigress heard a voice calling her name.
Turning, she spotted Da-Xia weaving her way through the groups of plushy pandas to stand before the five masters.
"Master Tigress," Da-Xia bowed formally. "My father and I would like to invite you and the five to come train with my family this afternoon."
Tigress bowed. "We would be honoured, Da-Xia," she told the young tiger. "Thank you." Training, after all, was something she was happy to spend the day doing.
"Actually," Viper excused herself, "I think I'll go practice dancing for the party tonight."
"Oh, yeah," Monkey added at Viper's glance. "Mantis and I were thinking of helping set things up."
"And, uh," Crane stammered, "Nuan said that she'd show me how to make this special tea to help clear congestion."
"But you go ahead and have fun, Tigress," Viper told her friend, and soon, the five and Nuan had scattered.
'What was that all about?' Tigress wondered in confusion.
"I apologise for my companions, Da-Xia," Tigress told the young tigress.
"It's all right," Da-Xia smiled. "You're our guests here, you're free to do what you like." Turning, she gestured excitedly for Tigress to follow her. "This way!"
Tigress followed Da-Xia through the market stalls until they reached a building made of stone. The sound of metal pounding on metal could be heard from inside.
"In here."
Tigress followed Da-Xia through the doorway, where the temperature rose sharply and Tigress felt her breath catch with the sudden heat. The walls of the room were made of stone, and were lined with everything from pitchforks and simple nails to swords and sythes. Li was standing at a large forge, shaping a glowing piece of metal with steady, precise blows from a large hammer. With practiced ease, he transferred the glowing red metal into a barrel of cool water. The metal hissed and steam filled the air.
As the steam dissipated, Li brought out the metal to reveal a sword blade. Studying the shape of the metal carefully, the tiger nodded in satisfaction.
"Nearly there," he said to himself.
"Hello father," Da-Xia greeted as she stepped forward.
"Da-Xia," Li smiled before catching sight of Tigress. "Master Tigress," he held up the blade he had been shaping. "You must have seen many weapons in your time," he commented, "what's your opinion on my latest project?"
Tigress stepped closer to examine the blade. Though yet to be finished, the blade was smooth and strong. Li balanced the blade carefully on one finger, unconcerned about the still warm metal. Seeing Li close up, Tigress realized that he was only about ten years older than her, yet he was much taller, and clearly stronger, physically, due to his work.
Turning her eyes back to the sword and observing the steady balance of the blade, even when not yet completed, Tigress nodded.
"It will be a fine weapon," she granted.
"Thank you," Li said, proud of his craft. "This will be a gift, so I want it to be perfect."
"Who for?" Da-Xia asked quickly.
"Not telling," Li smiled, placing the nearly finished blade to one side, before washing the soot and ash off his hands.
"Master Tigress agreed to train with us, Father," Da-Xia reported happily, trying to keep a straight face, but not quite succeeding in holding back an excited smile.
"I'm glad to hear it," Li commented. "Though, as it's Tai Chi, I'm sure it will be different to what you are used to, Master Tigress."
"Different is good," Tigress granted evenly. "It gives you the chance to adapt your skills and adopt new ones."
Li nodded, smiling slightly before turning to his daughter.
"Where are the others?"
"In the training area," Da-Xia answered quickly. "We're just waiting for you."
"Well then, I'd better not keep them waiting." Li closed and locked the furnace with one hand before leading the way outside and through the streets.
Soon the three tigers arrived at a clearing where one young tiger cub was teaching another a new move in their tai-chi form. A third cub was jumping along large tree stumps that were planted in the ground nearby, and a fourth one was sparring an imaginary opponent, using a spiked fan as their weapon.
"That's my eldest son, Wei, teaching Cheng, my youngest," Li pointed to the two practicing form. "Over there is Lian, practicing with the fan- her favourite weapon. And Maylin, my youngest daughter, is the one practicing her precision jumps on the stumps over there."
Da-Xia cupped her mouth.
"Line up!"
In moments, the four cubs had lined up in front of their father and the visiting Master.
"That's my job, Da-Xia," Li glanced aside at his daughter, who grinned guiltily.
"Sorry, dad," she apologised quickly before getting in line herself.
"Wow, is Master Tigress training with us today?" Cheng asked excitedly from the end.
"Yes," Li answered to excited gasps from his children. "Master Tigress is honouring us with her presence here for training this afternoon."
"Yes!" The kids cheered, Lian even clapped with excitement. Li cleared his throat, and immediately, all five young tigers stood at attention.
"All right," Li bowed, and the rest of the group followed. "Let's get started."
The class was certainly different than what Tigress was used to. It was a Tai-Chi class, so it was slower, focusing on control, discipline and perfect technique. Whereas her Kung Fu training usually gave Tigress leave to unleash her power, Tai-Chi was about using no force of your own. Instead you are to use your opponent's force against them.
And while Tigress could do the tai-chi forms, when it came her turn to spar Li, Tigress began to realize just how much she relied on her power in a battle when she attacked Li, only to find herself flying through the air. She hadn't even felt him touch her. Recovering quickly, she attacked again, this time trying harder to control her momentum. She ended up flat on her back.
After the third time it happened, Tigress began to get frustrated.
"What am I doing wrong?" She asked Li, her Master for the moment.
"You are very powerful, Tigress," Li granted, "as tigers naturally are. But you need to think of your power, your energy, like fire. When it's out of control, it can be deadly to anything close to it, indiscriminately. When it's controlled, it's more beneficial, but it still can't do very much on its own." The large tiger came forward. "It's only when you combine it with its opposite element, water, that it can truly create amazing things, both varied and useful."
"Like your forge," Tigress stated.
"Exactly," Li nodded. "I believe that true peace, true balance, lies somewhere between rage and serenity. You cannot make a sword blade with only fire or only water. You need both fire and water to create the perfect sword blade. As such, you both need power and gentleness to truly master your opponent in a battle."
"Power and gentleness," Tigress repeated slowly, a little unsure, but committed.
"What is it?" Li asked, seeing the expression on the Kung Fu Master's face.
"People don't exactly expect gentleness from me," Tigress admitted.
"Yeah, we've heard," Cheng piped up, before being nudged into silence by Maylin.
Li smiled in understanding.
"What people expect from you, and who you actually are can often be two different things," he told her.
"Yeah, like Cheng," Maylin supplied. "He's expected to do what he's told, but he never does."
"Hey!" Cheng objected, pushing his sister.
"I suppose you could argue that we now expect him to be disobedient," Wei commented drily.
"Hey!" Cheng objected again.
"All right, that's enough," Li told his children firmly. "Lian, I want you and Cheng to work on your forms, Maylin and Wei, you two are going to be sparring, Da-Xia, you'll be with me and Tigress."
"Why does Da-Xia get to go with Tigress!" Cheng objected.
"Because dad said so," Da-Xia said firmly, pointing across the clearing. "Now go with Lian and practice."
Lian ran off obediently, while Cheng followed, muttering the whole time.
Li stood before Da-Xia and Tigress.
"Let's try Kung Fu for a while," he suggested. "You both are going to practice your forms, but I want you to do them slowly, as if you were doing Tai-Chi. And while you're doing your form," Li continued, looking pointedly at Tigress, "I want you to keep your mind as calm and blank as possible. Your body already knows the movements, so you shouldn't need to think about it."
Nodding in understanding, both Tigress and Da-Xia got in line to begin.
'Calm my mind,' Tigress focused herself, taking a deep breath before beginning.
As she went through the familiar movements of her Kung Fu form, Tigress actually found herself struggling to keep her mind calm, while her body kept wanting to put power into her technique, rather than to make slow and relaxed movements.
"Relax your muscles, Tigress," Li told her in a calm voice. "Focus on breathing."
Inhaling deeply, Tigress consciously made her muscles relax, and as she moved, she eventually found herself settling into an almost meditative state.
As she relaxed further, a memory surfaced, of Shifu teaching her a similar form game at the Bao Gu Orphanage. The first time, she had punched a hole in the wall, but as she practiced, she became more controlled.
Finishing the last move of the form, Tigress bowed, feeling much calmer than she had earlier.
"I can see that you touched water, during that exercise," Li smiled.
Tigress nodded.
"I think I did," she answered, and was surprised to realize she was shaking slightly. Clenching her fists, Tigress rolled her shoulders, regaining control.
"And now, you've shaken the water off," Li observed quietly.
"What do you mean?"
"Do you feel calm?" Li asked mildly.
Tigress considered. "I feel…normal," she answered.
"In other words: not calm," Li commented before turning to his daughter. "And you, Da-Xia?"
"I feel…jittery," the young tigress answered thoughtfully, rolling her shoulders. "Like my muscles are relaxed, but energized, it's a strange feeling."
Li nodded in understanding.
"When you truly relax your mind and body, often memories and emotions you didn't know you had can come to the surface," he explained. "When you try to control these emotions and memories by suppressing or rejecting them, that's when you become tense from the internal conflict. It's only by addressing and accepting all that you are, that you can find peace within yourself, and your chi can flow freely."
Suddenly, the sound of a loud gong reverberated throughout the valley.
"Someone's coming," Li informed the group, and immediately, Wei and Da-Xia gathered the younger cubs together, ready for instructions.
"Li!"
A panda came running up, his hat askew.
"There's a whole village's worth of people coming this way," he reported. "They look like refugees."
Immediately, Li changed from teacher to protector.
"Tell Yue-Yan and Nuan to get the infirmary up and running," he told the scout. "Tell everyone to prepare their homes for visitors. If it's a whole village of refugees, we'll be pushed for space. Where are the refugees coming from?"
The panda pointed.
Li nodded.
"Go get Xi-Wong and inform him," Li instructed. The panda nodded and ran off towards the shrine.
"Kids," he called to his children. "There are people coming who need our help, but we don't know if they're friendly. I'm going to have a look first. Wei, get the younger ones in the house, Da-Xia, come with me."
He turned to Tigress.
"I know you and the Five are our guests, Tigress, but-"
"We'll help you," Tigress promised.
Li smiled in gratitude, and the three tigers ran off to check the arrivals.
~..~..~..~..
The refugees arrived at the village with little more than the clothes on their backs, as they'd had to evacuate their homes quickly. The Five had tried to ask them what had happened, but they were all still too much shock to say anything. So, Xi-Wong, Li and Yue-Yan decided that the most important thing was to give their visitors a roof and a bed, and all the pandas in the village responded admirably. All the sick and injured, along with their family were put up into Yue-Yan's tea house, while every other family was welcomed into a panda's home.
The Five were made to move out of the Tea House to make room for the infirm, and were now boarding with Li's family, while Po was living with Xi-Wong and Jia.
Yue-Yan hurried between the tea house at the front of her home to the infirmary that took up the back, showing people to various rooms, tending to injuries, serving teas to calm and soothe and helping to make her guests and patients feel as comfortable as possible. Nuan rushed along behind her, carrying bandages and salves, distributing them to those in need. Between them, they carried trays of almond cookies and small toys, which they handed out to the children. Yue-Yan was a big believer in joy being a cure, and something as simple as eating a favourite treat, or playing with a toy can do wonders for the spirit, especially for a child.
However, as Yue-Yan rushed from patient to patient, it wasn't until her whole home was full that she was able to stop long enough to take a breath.
"Yue-Yan?"
Turning towards the voice, Yue-Yan actually dropped the basket she was carrying in shock.
"Wen?"
Balls of bandages went rolling in all directions, and Yue-Yan hastened to place them all back safely in the basket.
Looking up, she saw her former fiancé holding out the last bandage towards her.
"Thank you," she said, taking it from him, careful not to touch his hand.
"It's…good to see you Yue-Yan," Wen greeted, straightening the small spectacles he wore.
"And you," Yue-Yan breathed, trying not to faint. Her past had come back to haunt her. Looking around, Yue-Yan finally realized that she actually recognized several people.
"Wen…" she breathed. "Is this our village?"
"Yes," he answered sadly, gazing around the room. "What's left of it, at any rate."
"Are…" Yue-Yan gathered her courage. "Are my parents here?"
Wen shook his head slowly. "No. I'm sorry, Yue-Yan, but they died last winter."
Yue-Yan hung her head. Her parents may have disowned her, but they were still her parents. And now, she will never get the chance to even say goodbye.
She swallowed.
"And, um…" she stammered slightly, "What about you? What brings you to the infirmary?"
"My son," Wen gestured behind him to where a teenage red panda was lying, his leg heavily bandaged.
"Your son?" Yue-Yan repeated, a memory flicking through her mind. "Did I treat him earlier?"
"Yes," Wen smiled slightly. "I was standing right beside the bed. You were so focused on your work, you didn't even notice me."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Yue-Yan apologized, but Wen shook his head.
"You had a lot to do, and I was just glad that my son was getting treated for his leg." Wen assured his hostess. "We splinted it as best as we could, but it was a nasty break."
"Well, I can assure you, your son is in good care," Yue-Yan assured the worried father.
"Oh, I know that," Wen bowed. "Thank you Yue-Yan."
Yue-Yan glanced over to where the boy lay sleeping.
"So, you did end up getting married?" She asked Wen.
Her former fiancé smiled. "Yes, I did. She died three years ago, unfortunately. I loved her very much."
"I'm sorry to hear that she died," Yue-Yan told him sincerely, "but I'm glad you finally found love.
"Thank you, Yue-Yan," Wen said softly. "And what about you? Did you find Shifu?"
"Shifu?" Yue-Yan clutched the basket of bandages closer to her. "Uh, no…he's still at the Jade Palace."
Wen kept his face calm, but Yue-yan could see something like pity flicker in his eyes.
"I've travelled," she added quickly. "I learned far more about healing than I ever could have done if I had stayed at the village."
"Lucky for us, it would seem," Wen bowed. "Thank you again for taking us in, Yue-Yan."
"Our pleasure," Yue-Yan answered, bowing back. "I'd better get back to work now. Is there anything you need?" Yue-Yan asked, falling back into the 'caring healer' role.
Wen shook his head, thanking her for her concern, and Yue-yan was finally able to hurry off.
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Author's note: What do you think?
Honestly, I'm not really happy with Long's release scene, as I don't think I made it clear enough. I was trying to go for something like 'The Mummy', where he was mistakenly released. As for Long himself: as Oogway was only young and trapped Long soon after developing Kung Fu, he had been trapped a loooong time in that statue, so while his body is dead, his power and anger was so strong that it sustained his trapped spirit within the statue, but the only thing he needed to escape was access to a living being- someone with the life force/chi to recharge his power, and a body to give him form. While his spirit was trapped within his prison, he could mentally project himself outside to view the world, but he had no power to influence it, as his spirit and his magic were still trapped. I made his 'statue' prison a terracotta statue, as I was trying to think of what, in ancient China, they could have used that was neither wood, earth, metal water or fire, and I thought 'pottery' was a halfway point: earth, changed by fire and water- as inspired by the famous Terracotta Army.
Does that make sense? If there are any holes, please tell me, and I can re write the scene.
Tigress doing Tai Chi was in no way trying to make Tigress look 'bad' or anything of the sort. I just wanted to reinforce what Shifu was saying at the begining of the story- about how important it is to learn a different perspective. Tigress is used to being strong and forceful in her Kung Fu- 'Hard core'. But tai Chi, while similar to Kung Fu, is very gentle, flowing and defensive- completely non-agressive. The reason I wanted this in the story, is because in KFP2, when Po and Tigress are talking on the boat, and Po calls Tigress 'so hard core you don't feel anything', Tigress appears quite affected by that comment. So, I think that the 'hard core' Tigress that we see isn't really who she is on the inside. And in this story, I want Tigress to try and find that 'balance' that Li told her about.
I'm a black belt in karate myself, and I have studied a bit of Tai chi, and I remember on my first day, being sent stumbling, almost into a wall, by my Tai Chi instructor when she demonstrated to me how Tai Chi redirects an opponent's force. Karate is very strong and powerful, and when I tried to use that energy on my instructor, she simply redirected it. it was a very enlightening moment for me. It's not that one style is better or worse than the other, it's just that each style has a different philosphy, and something new to teach you.
The 'Fire' and 'Water' metaphors are also something I use when describing the energies that I tap into when training. When I'm being stong and focused, such as practising my basics, I feel what I call 'fire energy' making me poweful, fast, and quick to recover. When I'm performing kata (the floor patterns we do that act out an imaginary battle- I don't know what they're called in tai Chi or Kung Fu, so I call them 'forms') my muscles and mind are relaxed, alowing smooth movement, and often you can finish a kata without remembering any of it- it's officially called 'mushin'- the mind of no minds, and it's what I call 'water energy'.
The Fire and Water metaphors are themes that I hope to carry through the story, and it's why I gave Li the job of a blacksmith, as I think it's a great physical example of how two opposing elements can create something incredible.
Hopefully that's cleared a few things up, but if you have any questions, please let me know.
Celino.