Memories

Junjie grunted as he hit the wall after being literally thrown into his cell. He growled at Siren and Chao as the rhino guard slammed the door shut.

"Perhaps you'll learn something here." Chao said solemnly. He turned and walked off. Siren turned to Junjie and gave him a look of genuine sympathy.

"I'll bring some good food for you sometime." She whispered.

"Siren, come along!" Chao called.

"Coming!" Siren called back. She ran off. Junjie smiled a little. She'll never change. She's always been such a kind young girl, just like her mother. Junjie stood and rubbed his sore arm.

"Evening."

Junjie jumped in the air and landed on the top bunk of the bunk bed. He peeked over the edge and found he wasn't alone. Also in the cell was a strange, golden colored, owl shaped cage. Junjie raised an eyebrow and slowly climbed down, walking towards the cage. He almost touched it when the cage spoke again.

"Don't touch me." It said.

Junjie jumped again. Then, he narrowed his eyes at the opening at the top. A pair of purple eyes looked back at him. "Fenghuang?"

"Of course." Fenghuang snapped. "How many other owls do you know that are trapped in an owl-shaped cage?"

"Oh shut up." Junjie grumbled. "How'd you get in here?"

"I tried to kill Shifu and take over the palace." Fenghuang said. "The panda Po tricked me. What about you?"

"Tried to destroy Shifu and take over the palace." Junjie said. "Po somehow defeated me in battle."

"Wow." Fenghuang's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Aren't we amazing?"

Junjie sighed. He walked to the doors of his cell and stared out. Fenghuang raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong?" she asked.

"It was her." Junjie muttered.

"The girl?" Fenghuang asked. "What about her?"

"Didn't you recognize her?" Junjie asked incredulously. "It's Siren!"

Fenghuang's eyes widened. "The Siren? Are we sure we're talking about the same girl?"

"Yes." Junjie nodded. "How many Siren's do you know?"

Fenghuang shrugged. "Only one and it's that girl." She sighed. "I can't believe she's back. And she's with Chao?"

"She's Chao's daughter." Junjie said. "I can't believe it!"

"Chao's daughter?" Fenghuang cried. "How on earth-"

"That's not important!" Junjie snapped. "Well, yes it is, but we have more important things to worry about."

"We?"

"Yes, 'we'. Now that we know Siren is here, we know that the prophecy is coming true."

"Prophecy?" Fenghuang repeated. "You mean the one you got from that old lynx?"

"Yes." Junjie nodded. "I knew it wasn't a fake." He started pacing and pondering. "I have to get back to the Jade Palace. Everything I need will be there."

"Yeah, good luck." Fenghuang scoffed.

"You're forgetting who I am." Junjie said. "No prison will hold me. Besides, if I'm correct, then both of us will be benefitted."

"Really?" Fenghuang asked, not convinced.

"Trust me." Junjie nodded. "I know what I'm doing."

Fenghuang sighed. "I hope you're wrong, for once. I've got a bad feeling about all this."

Junjie looked out through the bars of his cell. "So do I."

Junjie stayed in jail for another five days before breaking out with his leopard students. Two days later, Fenghuang heard her cell door open.

"Package for you." The guard said.

"Put it on the bed." Fenghuang ordered. "I'm dying to open it."

"How can you open it in there?" the guard taunted. He laughed as he tossed the package on the bed and walked out, slamming the cell door shut. Fenghuang looked over at the package. From what she could see, it was a medium-sized item covered in paper and tied with a string. Fenghuang could only guess it came from Junjie. Another five days passed before said fox was returned to jail.

"How'd the plan work this time?" Fenghuang teased.

Junjie stood and brushed himself off. "I got closer this time. Maybe my third try will be my winning try. Three times's a charm. You get a package?"

Fenghuang motioned to the bed from inside her cage. "You sent it?"

Junjie nodded as he ran to the bed. He ripped open the package to reveal a bag. He opened the bag and pulled out a large book. He set it on the wooden bed and started flipping through it. He reached the last page and stared at the picture. He reached into the bag again and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He read its contents about three times before setting it down on the book. He paced for a moment, his thoughts racing. He looked down at his right arm and stared hard, as though he were searching for something. He walked back to the book and flipped to the front again. He scanned the first ten pages or so, reading carefully. Fenghuang watched him with interest.

Finally, Junjie sighed. "I knew it."

"What is it?" Fenghuang asked worriedly.

Junjie turned to her. "The prophecy foretold of a Tri-Dragon of Death returning to fight a great evil. Based on what I've found, I believe the prophecy will be coming true very soon."

"The Tri-Dragon of Death?" Fenghuang repeated. "That's just a myth."

Junjie frowned and grabbed the book. He flipped to the back and showed it to Fenghuang. "Is that a myth?"

Fenghuang squawked in surprise. "That's us and Shifu!"

"Yes." Junjie tucked the book under his arm. "We are the next Tri-Dragon of Death. And I have a feeling I know who this great evil is. An old enemy of Oogway's named Chang had a son named Jiao-long. Jiao-long is making plans to take China for himself."

"And you know this because?"

"I sent my leopards to find out." Junjie said. "If we don't stop Jiao-long, we'll all be killed or imprisoned."

"Can't Shifu handle it?" Fenghuang pointed out. "I'm sure once he realizes the threat, he'll form an army to fight it."

"Fenghuang, you need to trust me." Junjie pleaded. "Shifu won't be that cooperative. The three of us must battle Jiao-long and stop him when the time comes."

Fenghuang sighed. "I learned a long time ago that you can't fight a prophecy. And if I really am a part of this Tri-Dragon of Death thing, then I'm in. What's the plan?"

"I'll explain tonight." Junjie promised. He packed the book and the prophecy back into his bag and pulled out a scroll. "I have a list of everyone that would be willing to be in our little army. It should be plenty."

Fenghuang nodded. But her eyes showed worry. "Junjie, exactly how big of a deal is this? I've never seen you so serious about something."

Junjie put the scroll away. "Very serious. As in lives will be at stake besides our own." He pulled a hairpin out from his sleeve. "We're busting out of here. Us, and our army members locked up here. We need to start planning now so we're ready." Junjie walked up to Fenghuang's owl-shaped cage and bent the hairpin to pick the lock. It took about ten minutes before a series of clicks rang out. Junjie jumped back as Fenghuang tossed the cage off of her. She stretched her stiff wings.

"That's better." She sighed. "Let's get going before the guards come." Junjie nodded, slung the bag over his back, and started picking the lock to the door. The lock clicked open in a few seconds and Junjie quietly opened the door. Fenghuang followed him and he shut the door. Junjie moved on to a couple cells down and found Scorpion, Su, and Tong Fo in it. In the cell next to theirs was Hundun. He explained the plan to them. When he finished, the three of them had concerned looks on their faces, but weren't entirely convinced.

"How do we know we can trust you?" Tong Fo demanded.

"Yeah, and even if we did believe you, why should we help?" Su added. "What's in it for us?"

"Join my army." Junjie said. "And you can go free."

That sparked their interest. Scorpion walked to the door. "So all we have to do is join your army?"

"And do everything I say." Junjie added. "Fenghuang and I are your masters until we release you. Failure to comply with the conditions mentioned will result in us personally throwing you back in jail." The four prisoners exchanged looks before agreeing. Junjie opened the doors to their cells and freed his leopard students. The group headed for the exit when Junjie stopped them. He looked up at the rhino guards that patrolled the bridges. He motioned for everyone to follow him silently. He led them down to the bridge above them. They hid in various places while Junjie took out a stick of dynamite.

"Where did you get that?" Fenghuang asked.

"Jade Palace." Junjie whispered. "Make some sparks." Fenghuang scraped her talons against the rock until the dynamite lit. Junjie threw it below and braced himself. The dynamite exploded near the cells, causing a fire. The guards started shouting.

"Fire!"

"Near the cells on level five!"

"Every guard to level five!"

The group waited until the guards had passed them when Junjie led them all up to the doors. They slipped out the doors and into the snow.

And so Junjie continued with his plan. He led his Rebel Army to a remote piece of land where they could set up a temporary camp. Junjie also visited Taotie and invited him to join. The warthog happily joined when he found out his machinery skills would finally be put to use. Junjie sent his leopards to spy on Jiao-long to report his progress. Taotie had to build a new machine for battles. Junjie and Fenghuang worked with the rest of the army to create battle plans.

One day, Fenghuang came to Junjie while he was reading the Tri-Dragon of Death book.

"Junjie." Her voice was low. "Your leopard students have been captured by Jiao-long."

Junjie looked up tiredly from his book. "Are they alright?"

"They're a little beat up." Fenghuang said. "Scorpion just returned from talking to them. They've been sentenced to spend the rest of their lives in Jiao-long's dungeon."

"Good." Junjie nodded. "We can rescue them when we attack."

Fenghuang nodded. "You alright?"

"Fine." Junjie sighed. "I'm just worried it won't work."

"We can do this." Fenghuang said confidently. "We're supposed to be a part of a great trio of warriors. I can't believe I'm saying this, but with Shifu on our side, we'll be undefeatable." She flew up to her hammock. "Get some rest." She fell asleep.

Junjie stared at the picture of him, Shifu, and Fenghuang in the Tri-Dragon of Death book. They looked so powerful, so strong. Junjie couldn't help but think about why he thought this was a good idea. What were the odds Shifu actually joined them? And when he knew it was Junjie who arranged it all, what would he think?

Junjie looked down his nose at his glasses as a memory flooded his vision.

FLASHBACK

Junjie ran about the snow-covered courtyard, searching for a certain red panda cub. Suddenly, a snow ball hit the back of his head and someone laughed. The kit turned and saw Shifu laughing hysterically. Junjie grabbed a snowball and chucked it at Shifu, knocking him backwards into the snow. The fox tackled his red panda friend and the two wrestled in the snow. Suddenly, Junjie yelped.

"My glasses!" he frantically started digging. "I lost my glasses!"

"Ok, ok!" Shifu laughed. "Calm down. They're small and black; they'll stand out." He helped Junjie look for the fox's glasses. But no matter how much they dug, the little round frames couldn't be seen. Junjie sat on his haunches and started tugging at his ears nervously.

"What am I going to do?" he cried. "I need my glasses!"

"You aren't that blind." Shifu noted. He was still digging.

"Yeah, but I can't read anything without my glasses!" Junjie sniffled. "I don't want to go back to being called 'Squints' or 'Blind Boy' again."

"Then we'll keep looking!" Shifu said.

Junjie's shoulders fell. "They're gone." He sniffed. "I should've put them somewhere safe."

Then, Oogway called for the boys to come inside from the cold. Junjie was crying a little when he came to the old tortoise and explained the situation. Shifu laid a comforting paw on his friend's shoulder while Oogway spoke kind words. The three of them walked off to the kitchen for tea while Junjie explained how kids would call him mean names before he got his glasses. After that, it didn't get much better. Oogway listening carefully and nodded.

"I'm sure they'll turn up." Oogway assured. "If we don't find them tomorrow or the next day, the snow will melt in spring."

"Great." Junjie mumbled. "Plenty of time for the kids to tease me at the Winter Feast." He left the table, saying he was going to bed. Shifu stared after his friend. He thought for a moment before he also got down from his seat.

"Where are you going, Shifu?" Oogway asked.

"Outside." Shifu answered simply. He walked away, not noticing Oogway's smile.

Shifu ran out to where he and Junjie were playing and started digging again. The snow was only four or five inches deep, but Shifu wasn't having much luck. The snow froze his fingers to the point where he couldn't feel them, but he kept digging. Then, it started snowing again. By then, it was dark, but Shifu didn't stop. He kept looking all around. He shifted his fingers through the powder and ice until something smooth brushed his fingers. He reached far under the snow and grabbed the smooth surface, pulling. He opened his fist and brushed the snow off Junjie's little glasses. He smiled and ran back to the barracks. He knocked excitedly on the door.

Junjie yawned as he opened the door. His eyes widened when he saw his friend covered in snow. "What are-" Shifu held up Junjie's glasses. The kit's eyes brightened. "You found them!" He took his specs, wiped them off, and put them back on his nose. He smiled at Shifu, whom he could now see clearly. He looked even funnier now that Junjie could clearly see the snow all over the cub. "Thanks, Shifu."

"No problem." Shifu smiled, shaking the snow from his head.

END FLASHBACK

Junjie smiled softly at the memory. Shifu got a terrible cold the next day and was forced to stay in his room for three days. It was memories like that that reminded Junjie of the better days.

He fell asleep on the Tri-Dragon of Death book, wishing to return to those days.