Chapter Twenty- Winter Feast

FIVE MONTHS LATER

"Happy feast guys!" Po called as he came in.

"The feast isn't until tomorrow." Tigress reminded him.

"Aw come on, it's still the holiday!" Po protested. "There's no law that states you can't say 'Happy feast' a couple days early."

"As long as it doesn't get annoying." Monkey said.

Po rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He sat down with his friends to eat.

Shifu came in a few minutes later. "Good news everyone."

"No training?" Po asked hopefully. Everyone gave him a look. Po shrugged. "Just asking."

"No." Shifu droned. "I received a letter. Chao and Siren are coming to the Valley of Peace for the Winter Feast."

"Really?" Tigress asked. "That's great!"

"I kinda missed Siren." Mantis said. "She was pretty cool."

"When will they be here?" Crane asked.

"Now."

The Five and Po jumped as Chao and Siren appeared in the doorway. Siren wasn't wearing her cloak, but instead wore a heavy wool coat, a colorful hat, and a striped scarf. Chao also had a snowflake pattern scarf around his neck.

"H-hey guys." Siren's teeth were chattering slightly.

Po and the Five gave Shifu a look now.

"Well I didn't say when the letter came." Shifu noted.

"We just arrived last night." Chao added.

Tigress was the first to rise and bow. "It is an honor to have you here."

The rest of the Five and Po copied her. "Glad you could make the trip in the snow." Viper said.

"Don't mention it." Siren shivered slightly. "But the boots I had to wear on the way here were so uncomfortable."

"It was either those or your feet freezing off." Chao reminded her.

Siren huffed. "Yeah, yeah, I get it."

Shifu chuckled to himself. "Well, I was about to head down with Po to see his father. We're having the feast down there. Care to join us?"

Chao was a little confused. "Why there?"

"All the other masters and spending the Winter Feast with their families." Tigress explained. "It seemed a little silly to have this elaborate feast for just the nine of us. Po's father invited us down to his shop for the holiday."

"Ah, yes." Chao remembered he had read that in the letter Shifu sent. "If I may, I'd like to join you."

"Of course." Po nodded. "We should get down there. I told Dad I'd meet him at the shop after breakfast."

"And we've got cleaning to do." Monkey groaned.

"I'll help." Siren offered.

"You don't have to do that." Viper assured as she and the Five walked out. "It's a tradition we've been carrying out for years."

"After all the traditions a certain panda has ignored, this is one we can't." Monkey teased. Po groaned.

"It's not a problem." Siren assured as she ran to catch up. "Dad makes me clean the house while he and the masters prepare for the feast."

Chao rolled his eyes. "It sounds like she's complaining, but I swear she enjoys the cleaning before the feast."

Po smirked. "Come on. Dad's waiting." Shifu and Chao followed Po down the stairs of the mountain and to the Noodle Shop. Many of the village kids were in a full-out snowball fight and the three of them had to duck to avoid flying frozen projectiles. Thankfully, the kids noticed the kung fu masters and tried to not hit them as they passed. When the three of them arrived at the Noodle Shop, Chao was a little confused by how small the place seemed.

"How can two pandas fit in this tiny shop?" Chao whispered to Shifu.

"Uh, Chao, I think I should've warned you about this." Shifu whispered back. "Po lived with his father for a while. And his father, well, he's not-"

"Po!"

"Hey Dad!"

Chao watched as Po ran up and hugged a goose, obviously the owner of the shop.

"Who's that?" Chao whispered.

"Po's father." Shifu answered.

Chao's eyes widened in surprise. "But he's a goose."

"I know." Shifu nodded. "Don't bring it up."

Po was leading Mr. Ping to the two masters, who straightened up.

"Dad, you know Master Shifu." Po introduced. "This is Master Chao. He's-"

"The Hierarch of the Sacred Onyx Council." Mr. Ping sounded like he was reciting a play. "One of the strongest warriors in China and totally awesome in all aspects."

There was an awkward silence.

"Um….." Chao raised an eyebrow.

Mr. Ping waved a wing. "Believe me, I know who you are. Po is constantly talking about all the great kung fu masters."

"Dad….." Po whined.

"Well you do!" Mr. Ping insisted. He bowed in respect to Chao. "It is an honor to have you in my humble shop."

Realizing Mr. Ping's kindness, Chao bowed back. "It is a pleasure. The Dragon Warrior tells me that the Jade Palace will be celebrating the Winter Feast here."

"Oh yes." Mr. Ping nodded as he walked into the shop. The three warriors followed him. "There's always room for one more at Mr. Ping's. Besides, a lot of the neighbors are planning this party right in front of the shop. It should be quite fun."

"Anything you need help with?" Po offered.

"Not now." Mr. Ping said. "I still need you to help me cook tomorrow night, but I should be good."

"Coolness!" Po cheered. "Then I'd better head back to the palace. Bye!"

"Hold it, young man!" Mr. Ping called. "Doesn't a certain panda I know have to clean his room for the Winter Feast?"

Po stopped and groaned. "But Dad, I've still gotta clean my room at the palace?"

"I thought you did that yesterday?" Shifu said.

Po shut his mouth, a guilty look on his face. "Uh, I did…"

Shifu raised an eyebrow. "You did it right after I told you to?"

Po rocked on his heels. "Well, you know….."

Shifu groaned. "You can clean it before you go to bed tonight. And you won't go to bed until it's done."

"Aw man!" Po groaned.

"First you clean your room here!" Mr. Ping called from the kitchen. "Chop chop!"

Po groaned again and trudged off to his room.

Chao shook his head as he and Shifu walked off. "I remember when Siren was that bad. Now she's neat as a pin." The two masters laughed.

When they returned to the Jade Palace, they found the Five and Siren training together. Shifu and Chao personally inspected the rooms and found each one perfect. Most of the credit, according to the Five, had to be given to Siren, who had the eye of a perfectionist and noticed even the tiniest details. Siren could only smile proudly. The rest of the day went by smoothly. Po was up late that night cleaning his room. Apparently, he had gotten distracted in his room at the shop and it took longer than normal. So the next day, he slept in longer than anyone else. He left later that afternoon to help his father. Everyone else dressed themselves for the feast.

The Five disappeared into their rooms and came out in their formal Winter Feast attire. Both Tigress and Shifu opted out for wearing their elaborate hats, admitting that they were clumsy and annoying to wear.

"Everyone ready?" Shifu asked. He readjusted the clasp that held his silver wrap around him.

"Almost." Monkey said.

"Waiting on Chao and Siren." Crane informed.

"Actually, only waiting on Siren." Chao said as he came around the corner. He wore red pants and a silver robe with dragons on it. The cuffs and trim of his robes were also red.

"Where is Siren?" Tigress asked.

"Still getting ready." Chao said. "Said something about putting her hair up." The seven of them journeyed to the human's room and Shifu knocked on the door.

"You ready yet?" he called.

"Just a sec!" Siren's voice sounded weird.

"Is something wrong?"

"No." Siren called. "I just got pins in my mouth." Some sounds came from inside the room, followed by an "Ouch!" from Siren. Then, she stepped out of the room to show everyone. Crane, Mantis, and Monkey's jaws dropped.

Siren was in a beautiful silver robe with a golden sash. The robe was dotted with snowflakes. The sash had a white dragon stitched into it. On her feet were beautiful white shoes with a Shaolin leg wrap. The cloth for the wraps was pure white. Her obsidian hair was pulled up in a perfect bun on her head. Her comb with the peach blossom, the one Chao gave her from her mother, was stuck inside the bun. Instead of her Bo staff in her hands, she had a black fan with silver flowers all over it.

Monkey was the first to speak. "Wow."

"You look pretty." Mantis was almost drooling. One look from Chao was enough for the three boys to take a step back.

Siren laughed a little. "It's kind of new. Especially the comb."

"You look perfect." Shifu assured. "Let's get down to the village." They walked off. Chao stayed by Siren's side, particularly to keep a certain three boys away. They all arrived at the Noodle Shop and found a large group of people in front. Weaving through the crowd, Shifu was the first to notice Lily and Ling dancing with their battle fans to the musician's music. The panther twins were dressed in matching gold and red outfits that gleamed in the light.

"Evening ladies." Shifu greeted.

"Good evening, Grandmaster." Ling said as she landed in a split position in front of him. "Still don't want to join us?"

"Didn't we go over this five months ago?" Shifu reminded her. Ling only laughed as she twirled away to dance with her sister. Shifu rolled his eyes and laughed as he followed the Five, Chao, and Siren into the Noodle Shop. It was busy as ever. Po was serving soup to some customers when he noticed his friends.

"Hey guys!" he greeted. "Dad reserved a table for ya back here!"

"You didn't have to do that." Shifu assured.

"Don't worry about it." Po insisted, leading the group to a table near the kitchen. "We're all family here." He bowed in respect to Chao. "Glad you and Siren could make it."

"It's our pleasure." Chao bowed back. Siren did the same. When Po saw her attire, his jaw dropped.

"Wow." He said. "You look-" One look from Chao made the panda rethink his words. "….uh, very nice, Siren."

Siren giggled. "Thanks Po." She sat down next to her father. "So I hear you can cook pretty well."

"Oh yeah!" Po nodded. "Let me get you guys some soup!" He rushed back into the kitchen. The warriors at the table watched in amazement as Po moved about the kitchen, slicing and chopping vegetables at rapid speeds. In a few minutes, he had bowls of soup on a tray he held in each hand. He bounced the bowls up. Each bowl slid to one of the warriors at the table without spilling a drop.

"Impressive." Chao noted. He tried the soup. "And very good. You're lucky you can cook and fight as well. Both are useful talents."

"I remember the first time you tried to cook something." Shifu added. "You almost burned down the kitchen."

Chao frowned. "Oh, you're going to bring that up again?"

Everyone laughed. But only Po noticed that Siren wasn't laughing at all; or smiling for that matter. She was staring at her food. Her chopsticks were wet on the end, so she must've tried it.

Po slid into the chair next to her. "How do you like it?" Siren didn't answer. "If there's something about it you don't like, I can change something." Siren didn't even look towards him. Instead, she stood up from her chair and ran from the table.

"Siren?" Chao called. Po stood up and ran after Siren. Chao was about to follow when Tigress held up her hand.

"Don't." she said. Chao was confused, but he slowly sat down.

Siren stood down the road from the shop. She knelt beneath a tree, the spot bare from snow. She let her tears stream down her face. However, she didn't know that Po was behind her, and she was very surprised when he pulled her into a hug.

"Did I do something wrong?" Po asked after he set her down.

Siren wiped her eyes. "No. I just….." She looked away. "I was thinking about my mom. She loved to cook, and she always knew how to make something simple into something amazing. She made soup just like yours for dinner all the time." Siren sniffled. "I remembered it so vividly. And then I remembered how she's not around anymore."

Po looked down. He never thought he would inadvertently hurt someone. Well, actually, he does that a lot. But this was different; this was a true, emotional pain. Po hugged Siren again.

"I know it must hurt." Po said. "There's no way I could imagine it though. I never knew my mom."

Siren pulled away. "Really?"

Po smiled. "I grew up with only my dad to take care of me. My dad's a goose. But he cares about me like I was his own son. I grew up without a mother at all. So you're lucky; you know your mom. And she'll never really go away. I'm sure she's watching you, right now."

Siren remembered the talk she had with her mother when she was unconscious. She smiled when she realized Po was right. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw her father, smiling down at her.

"We should get back." He advised. "There are some people worried about you."

Siren smiled and nodded. She, Chao, and Po walked back to the shop to continue enjoying the party. Siren was able to eat her soup and not feel sad. The warriors continued talking and laughing. After a while, Tigress and Viper broke away from the group to watch Lily and Ling dance. The boys, minus Shifu and Chao, followed them. Ling was constantly sending smiles and winks towards the boys, making them drool and make dreamy eyes.

Shifu shook his head. "Even though she's an ally to the Jade Palace, Ling is always going to be like that."

"Well, she's good at it." Chao noted.

Siren was watching Lily and Ling with amazement, entranced by their dancing. "Hey Dad, can I go dance with the twins?"

"I don't know, can you?" Chao asked. Siren groaned and hit her head against the table. Chao smirked. He missed being able to do that.

Siren lifted her head. "May I go dance with the twins? Please?" She gave him her best pout.

Chao waved her off. "Yes, have fun."

"Thanks Dad!" Siren stood up in a hurry and ran off. In her excitement, she had slammed her hands on the table. One hand got the edge of her soup bowl and sent its contents flying into Chao's face. The lizard stared straight ahead, noodles across his face and broth dripping from his jaw.

"Um, Chao." Shifu said. "You have a little-"

"Not one word out of you." Chao droned. Shifu chuckled. After Chao had gotten cleaned up, he and Shifu wandered over to the group of people who watched the twins dance. Only this time, Siren had joined. She opened her fan and danced with the panther twins. She twirled and leaped around, doing flips and pirouettes. Chao and Shifu watched in amazement. Lily and Ling had stepped aside and let the human take the spotlight. Siren hardly noticed. To her, everything was a blur of color and lights. She swiped her foot across the ground and sent snow flying. Lily and Ling shared a look and nodded. They ran in to finish the dance. Ling spun and did a few moves before landing in a strong stance on one foot. Lily crouched down. Siren jumped off her back. Lily ran to her sister, jumped and did a flip before landing on Ling's outstretched hand. Lily held her feet up as Siren landed on them, finishing the dance. Everyone clapped and cheered. The girls got to their feet and bowed.

STAR STAR STAR STAR STAR

Shifu meditated in front of the Moon Pool the next morning. The entire valley was still covered in snow. His breaths came out in icy clouds. Every time he breathed in, he felt like ice was lining the inside of his lungs. His ears flicked towards the door as he heard it open and then close.

"Hey Shifu."

Shifu opened his eyes and turned. He smiled. "Hey Junjie."

The fox smiled as he walked up to Shifu. "Happy feast."

"A little late, aren't we?" Shifu joked.

Junjie shook his head. "Better late than never. How is everything?"

"Fine." Shifu stood to face Junjie. "Siren's looking better than ever."

"She's strong, that one." Junjie agreed. "Just like her parents."

Shifu nodded. He looked into his reflection in the Moon Pool. He noticed Junjie's reflection. It looked so old, so tired.

"Are you doing alright?" Shifu asked sincerely. "I haven't seen you since the battle."

"I'm fine." Junjie assured. "Trying to find someplace to stay rather than out in the forest."

"My offer to stay in the palace is still up." Shifu reminded him. "I still trust you."

Junjie nodded. "But you're forgetting about your students. They won't trust me for a long time, if ever." He sighed. "Things were so much simpler when we were kids. I was blinded by hatred, and I hate myself for letting it get out of hand. If I could turn back the clock and change everything, I would. But I can't."

"Who knows?" Shifu shrugged. "Ren obviously wasn't born here; humans don't exist in our world. She came here and then left through unnatural means. Siren's powers aren't natural either. Maybe there's a force out there that can change time."

Junjie smiled. "You think Siren can travel through time?"

"If she could, we may never find out." Shifu said sadly. "Siren's powers are gone." Junjie stared at him. "Siren told me about it. A few days after she returned home, she tried to use her powers, but they wouldn't work. She may have overused them in her battle."

Junjie stared into the Moon Pool's waters. "So, she's just a normal human?"

"She's still a great kung fu warrior." Shifu reminded him.

Junjie nodded. Suddenly, his ears flicked to the doors. "I'd better go. I think someone's coming."

Shifu nodded. "Take care of yourself. Don't get your brainless tail into trouble."

Junjie smirked. "Whatever." He darted to the columns and scaled them to the roof. No doubt he would jump off and run away. Shifu turned to the doors as Chao and Siren came in.

"Can I help you?" Shifu asked.

"Siren has a surprise for us." Chao said. He looked just as confused as Shifu.

"Just close your eyes." Siren insisted. The two masters exchanged looks, but obeyed. Siren took each of their hands in hers and led them out the doors. They didn't stop for a while, and when they did Siren had them each sit down on something cold and metal…and round.

"Uh, Siren?" Shifu called with his eyes still closed. "What are we doing?"

"Something you two used to do when you were kids." Siren said. She had a mischievous tone to her voice.

"Siren…." Chao warned.

"Open your eyes!" Siren called as she pushed them.

Shifu and Chao opened, just in time to see themselves sitting in woks at the top of the Jade Palace's steps.

"Siren!" Shifu shouted.

Too late.

Shifu and Chao went sliding down the stairs. All they could do was hold on and not get thrown from their makeshift sleds. Siren was right behind them, whooping and laughing. The three of them landed hard at the bottom. Shifu and Chao went flying from their sleds and landed in the snow. Siren laughed, holding her stomach.

"That was fun, huh?" she laughed.

"Not in the least!" Shifu shouted.

Siren only laughed harder. Chao suddenly picked up some snow and chucked it at her. Siren's laughs were muffled by the snow. She growled and threw a snowball right back. Chao ducked, and the snow hit Shifu right in the face. Siren busted out laughing again. Chao and Shifu shared a look, grinned, and each picked up some snow.

"Hey Chao." Shifu said loud enough for Siren to hear. "Remember that other thing we used to do as kids?"

"You mean our snowball fights with Junjie?" Chao answered.

Only then did Siren realize the danger. She laughed sheepishly. "Ten second head start?"

"Three seconds." Chao corrected.

Po and the Five were in the Training Hall when they heard the scream. They burst through the doors and found Siren being bombarded by snow. Shifu and Chao threw snow and blocked snowballs thrown back. Siren was a fierce snowball fighter. She could make a snowball in one second and then send it flying the next. Unfortunately, one of the snowballs she threw missed Chao's head (he had ducked) and hit Po right in the nose.

"Ah!" he shouted. "Cold!"

Siren laughed. "Sorry Po!"

"Oh, you're gonna get it now!" he threatened. The panda picked up some snow and threw it. Due to misfire, however, the snow hit Chao in the head. The lizard glared at Po. The panda looked ready to die, but Shifu threw a snowball that knocked him on his tail.

"Free-for-all!" Siren shouted, throwing snow at Tigress.

The Five and Po joined in the fight. Snow was thrown in every direction you could think of. Everyone got pelted with snow. Even Chao and Shifu, with all their training, were covered in white by the end of the game. Crane may have had the advantage of flight, but Siren quickly brought him down. By the time everyone had stopped, the courtyard was a mess and everyone was out of breath and white. They journeyed back inside the palace to get dry and have some tea to warm up.

"I still say Siren started it." Chao insisted. "She pushed us down the mountain."

"But you were the one who threw the snow first." Shifu protested.

"It was payback." Chao shrugged.

Everyone laughed. Outside the door, Siren smiled softly. She silently slipped away and outside. She breathed in the cold night air. She walked down the path, remembering every step as one she had taken when she was younger. She kept walking until she reached the Sacred Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom. She looked up at the bare branches. She wished she could see it bloom. Siren always loved being in the Jade Palace during the spring because the peach tree somehow sent the smell of blossoms all over the palace. Siren gently touched the bark of the tree. It felt so smooth and rough at the same time, like Master Oogway's shell. She could imagine the tortoise now, teaching her calming tai chi movements under this very tree, peach blossoms falling around them like rain.

Siren suddenly reached up and pulled something down from her head. At first, she thought it was snow. But when she opened her hand, there was a peach blossom in her hand. Siren looked up at the peach tree. The branches were bare and covered in snow. Siren placed her hand on the tree and concentrated.

The change began. The snow on the tree and around Siren melted. Peach blossoms bloomed all over the tree, making it bright pink. The grass turned bright green. The air smelled of peach blossoms. Siren looked around her. The area ten feet in diameter around her looked like spring while everything else was winter. Siren took her hand away from the tree bark. Instantly, the peach blossoms fell from the tree and blew away in the wind. It started snowing; no doubt it would cover her tracks by morning.

Siren stared at her hand.