Beneath a flowering tree outside the Jade Palace, Master Shifu was howling. His howl rose and fell in a symphony of colorful notes. It started with a joy that wrapped itself around him and ended in a sad undertone of pain and betrayal. The meaning of his song was crystal clear to The Furious Five who watched him, but was hidden to all other ears. A small white wolf with light brown patches, he closed his surprisingly icy blue eyes and sang.
Behind the shrubbery, Tigress, a fiery brindle wolf with piercing orange eyes motioned to Monkey, a tan wolf with dark patches and green eyes, to move quickly. There was a short rustle of leaves in their movement and Master Shifu's song fell to a close as he realized his students were there.
Viper, a thin gray and tan wolf with blue eyes, leapt from behind a temple's support pole as Tigress and Monkey dived from the rooftop. Crane bounded over the building with a flight-like jump, blurring his pelt of white with dark gray patches, his clever green eyes narrowed in thought. Mantis, a small gray wolf with yellow eyes, jumped nimbly from an overhang, and together, The Furious Five attacked.
Opening his eyes, Master Shifu's pupils dilated as he immediately began to fight. Blocking Viper's attack with his front paws, he dived under Tigress's kick, leaped up, and kicked her away with a hind paw. Flying over Crane, he slammed a paw into his head while landing and dodging Monkey. Deflecting Mantis with a forepaw, he defended himself from Crane and Monkey, immediately stopping Tigress's fist with a firm paw. Doing an intricate flip, he avoided her kick and flipped her, finishing with a final frontal block from Mantis. Standing still in a ready fighting stance, he glanced quickly around before relaxing his muscles. His students all stood readily in a circle around him.
"Well done students," he began as they all bowed respectfully before him, "If you were trying to disappoint me, Tigress, you need more ferocity; Monkey, greater speed; Crane, height; Viper, subtlty; Mantis-."
"Master Shifu," Zeng, a small black palace guardian wolf with amber eyes nervously interrupted.
"What?" Master Shifu snapped. He did not like being interrupted in training session.
"Agh! It-it's Master Oogway. He wants to see you," Zeng stammered, causing Master Shifu to blink in surprise. Master Oogway hardly ever summoned him, especially when he was directing his students. With no time for further instruction, he left as fast as he could. Anything could be happening and he did not want to be late.
Two door-openers opened the doors for him as he raced on all fours through the doors to the Moon Pool. As the doors shut, he sighed and calmed himself.
Bowing, he said, "Master Oogway, you summoned me. Is something wrong?"
Uncurling himself from a tai chi position, Master Oogway, a silver wolf with green eyes, took up his staff and asked slowly, "Why must something be wrong for me to want to see my old friend?"
"So, nothing's wrong?" Master Shifu asked in confusion.
"Well, I didn't say that," Master Oogway admitted. Slowly, he began blowing out the candles of his customary lighted circle, and Master Shifu barely suppressed his temper as Master Oogway reached the fourth candle, looked at him as if about to speak, and blew out another candle.
Eye twitching, Master Shifu simply thrust outwards with his forepaws and the force blew out all the candles. "You were saying?" he asked.
"I have had a vision. Tai Lung will return," Master Oogway motioned to him and he stiffened as he saw the vision too.
Standing amongst massive destruction, Tai Lung bounded through his sight, slashing his huge claws and roaring with uncontained fury.
Breathing heavily in fear, Master Shifu gasped, "That is impossible. He is in prison."
"Nothing is impossible," Master Oogway sighed and Master SHifu flattened his ears wearily. If Master Oogway truly believed Tai Lung would return, he unfortunately trusted him.
"Zeng, fly to Chor Ghom Prison and tell them to double the guards, double the weapons, double everything! Tai Lung does not leave that prison!" he snarled.
"Yes, Master Shifu!" Zeng exclaimed, yelping in pain as he ran into a pole in his confusion.
"One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it," Master Oogway murmured, turning and padding away.
"We have to do something. We can't just let him march down the valley and take his revenge. He'll-he'll," Master Shifu couldn't finish his frantic worrying before Master Oogway spoke again.
"Your mind is like this water, my friend. When it is agitated, it becomes difficult to see, but if you allow it to settle, the answer becomes clear," Master Oogway told him, touching a paw lightly to dab at the water, clearing the rippling of the peach blossoms.
Together, they looked up at the roof, where a jade dragon held the legendary Dragon Scroll. "The Dragon Scroll," Master Shifu murmured.
"It is time," Master Oogway affirmed.
"But who? Who is worth to be entrusted with the secret to limitless power? To become the Dragon Warrior?" Master Shifu gasped.
"I don't know," Master Oogway admitted and Master Shifu stared at him in bewilderment. How could he not know?
Meanwhile, Po was also having a difficult time. Squeezing his bulky body through the tables at his father's restaurant.
"Excuse me. Pardon me. Sorry," he apologized as he served the customers.
"Watch it Po," a peach colored wolf warned him.
"Sorry. Suck it up. Oops. Sorry. A thousand pardons," he muttered. Then, he looked up at the sounding of a gong. Two black wolves had posted a sign in their restaurant. "What? Master Oogway's choosing the Dragon Warrior? Today! Everyone, everyone, go to the Jade Palace. One of the five is going to get the Dragon Scroll. We've been waiting a thousand years for this. Just take the bowl. This is the greatest day in kung fu history. Don't worry about it. Just go!" he exclaimed, impatiently helping the customers out. As he was just about to leave, his father called him back.
"Po! Where are you going?" he asked.
"To the Jade Palace?" he trotted anxiously towards the exit.
"But you're forgetting your noodle cart. The whole valley will be there and you'll send noodles to all of them," Mr. Ping told him happily, pulling the cart over in his jaws.
"Selling noodles?" Po unenthusiastically asked. His dad nodded unaware that his son wanted more. "But dad, you know, I was kind of thinking maybe I," he bagan.
"Yeah," Mr. Ping nodded.
"I was kind of thinking Maybe I," he continued.
"Uh-huh," he nodded.
"Could also sell the bean buns. They're-they're about to go bad," Po sighed.
"That's my boy. I told you that dream was a sign," Mr. Ping enthusiastically left to get them.
"Yeah. Ha ha, glad I had it," he sighed again.
While this was happening, dragon fireworks were going off and confetti was in the air. It was a day of celebration.
"Yippee, I'm a kung fu warrior," a puppy bounced about laughing.
"Me too," another one yelped. But while the whole valley was joyous, Po gaped from the bottom of the stairs, staring up the neverending staircase to the Jade Palace. How could he bring his noodle cart up there?
He yanked and pulled and tugged it every which way, but as the sun began to rise, he realized it was too late. He was still barely up the stairs and collapsed in exhaustion.
"Come on. Come on. Almost there," he looked down the few stairs. "Wha? Oh no! Oh no!" he wailed.
"Sorry Po," a peach colored wolf sympathized.
"We'll bring you back a souvenir," his friend added before they both raced up the stairs.
"No, I'll bring me back a souvenir," Po decided, removing his apron and hat, and hurrying up the stairs.
Up at the Jade Palace, watching the servants moving equipment, Master Shifu was both proud and worried.
"It is an historic day. Isn't it Master Oogway?" he asked.
"Yes, and one I feared I would not live to see. Are your students ready?" he returned.
"Yes, Master Oogway," he answered.
"Now, notice old friend. Whomever I choose will not only bring peace to the valley but also to you," he told him wisely.
Master Shifu stared after him in surprise. How would the death of his traitor son bring him peace?