A/N: Greetings, dear readers! I'd like to start with saying thanks to all those of you who took their time to review, to further encourage me and/or provide words of advice or some constructive criticism. I want you to know that you've been very helpful and that I remain extremely grateful! Following that, I guess I should apologize for the lack of updates recently... the reason is simple. I was kept busy by moving, dealing with formalities concerning the start of my studies at university, the start of my studies at university and pretty much everything else that is connected to it. I'll have precious little time to write in the following weeks so I ask you to be patient and understanding. Another thing is that I grew somewhat frustrated with my writting style... something just seems off. Every advice you provide will be greatly appreciated. I was actually about to delete this chapter and start it anew, but it was almost-finished for so long I just couldn't bring myself to it, especially given the lack of time now... I'll start working on the style issue with the next update. And considering that the frequency of my updates is inevitably going to slow down, I might as well try to compensate for it by putting more effort to polish each of the following updates (at least) a little more.

Well, enough with the boring talk. Here goes the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda

And The Dam Breaks

His heavy breaths cut through the monotone sound of the falling water, the rain unrelenting in its wet, cold assault. His back impacted with the trunk of a large tree as he sat down unceremoniously, getting himself even more drenched as he caused the branches to shake, all the water carried by the leaves hitting him without mercy. The leopardess that accompanied him let out a sound of disapproval at how he managed to ruin their attempt at getting themselves dry so. He did not seem to be bothered by this, though. Nor did he probably hear her as the continuous sounds of rain and the feline's own exhaustion made her groans barely audible. The bear just sat there, rubbing his aching legs and grimacing at the pain he managed to ignore up until now.

„How much further?" the panda asked, his eyes remaining closed.

„Not much now... w-we should be there before the dawn comes," she mumbled silently, sitting under the same tree as him but keeping a respectable distance. They barely spoke the whole way, stopping just for the second time since leaving the Valley of Peace. She could hear Bai's questions echoing in her mind, bringing doubts that stung. Violently shaking her head to shake such thoughts off, she turned to accept the food the panda was offering her.

The fact that he wasn't even really looking at her while doing so did not go unnoticed.

The meal tasted plainly on her tongue as the grim feelings continued to gain on strenght, weighting heavily on her shoulders. She knew she owed him; he showed nothing but kindness while she betrayed his trust. She knew she lived a life she could be proud of now thanks to him. And most importantly, she knew that the current situation was hurting him, too. But didn't she suffer as well?

Was it bad to hope?

Rather than ignoring her so on purpose, however, the bear was just trying to stem the tide of exhaustion threatening to extinguish the will to go on inside him. He silently munched at the cold bean buns, rubbing absent-mindedly his large belly, noticing that the fur there remained dry due to the rain coming from behind them for most of the journey. They were otherwise soaked, though, the cloaks doing little to protect them from the weather at this point, dripping water as they were.

The bewilderement at how he managed to realize the exertion the race had put him under only after stopping was not leaving him. Of course he blamed it on the stress in the end. He found himself thinking about Tigress then, as he wondered if that was how she always remained seemingly unfazed by everything, no matter how trying the tasks seemed to be.

Tigress, the name struck in his mind like lightning, the thunder following in the form of a pang of guilt. I wonder what she's doing right now... probably beating the life outta the swinging clubs, imagining it's my face.

A chuckle made its way to his mouth, bet it never came out as the guilt returned tenfold, causing him to frown instead. And she'd have every right to do so, you idiot! You're having them worried! He sighed, trying to reason with his conscience to keep the inner struggle from escalating further. You're doing the right thing. You owe it to the pandas; they're where they are 'cause of you and that stupid prophecy! You won't let them down! You're doing the right thing! She said it herself! A groan escaped him as he glanced at the night sky, obscured from view by the heavy clouds. You're still gonna get it when you get back, that's for sure... she'll make sure of it.

„P-Po, are y-you alright?"

His head whipped in her direction as she brought him out of his thoughts. She was just sitting down after hanging her completely soaked cloak on one of the branches in a hopeful attempt to get it at least a little dry.

„Yeah, don't worry, Song. I-" he stopped when the realization of her stuttering finally hit. The way how her body was shivering just confirmed it; she was freezing. Guilt was not leaving him that day. He managed to go against his master's orders, worry his friends and dad, endanger another friend and her fellows and now probably cause her to catch cold, at best. Real cool, Po, you're the perfect image of a Dragon Warrior. Start stealing from children, too, why don't cha?

With a sigh of defeat, he stood up and walked toward the leopardess, the self-loathing completely silencing any awkwardness or shyness in him.

„P-Po?" she stammered, seeming nervous by the way he was approaching her.

„Just... stay as you are," he mumbled as he positioned himself behind her. If that was supposed to calm her down somehow, it severely failed. Defensive instincs began to raise within her, but the state the weather put her into slowed her down. Just as she was about to speak, to question his intentions, he sat down behind her, embracing her with his large arms and bringing her closer to him. She reacted by stiffening, her fur standing on ends, but allowed herself to relax slightly when the wave of warmth hit her; his large, furry stomach working almost like a huge pillow as she rested her back against it.

They stayed silent, none of them finding the right words, or the courage to say anything. After a while it was her who broke the silence, although her voice was barely above a whisper. „T-thank you."

This time, the stutter was not caused by the coldness.

„Can't have my friend freeze to death, now, can I?" he replied with a small smile, all the while completely oblivious to his friend's quickened heart rate and the blush barely covered by her fur.

You're doing the right thing... you're doing the right thing...

Her sigh carried through the great hall, resounding with melancholy between the tall walls as the feline added yet another scroll to the pile lying beside her on the floor. Tigress walked into the Hall of Heroes with confidence, her spirits raised thanks to her mother, but it soon started to wither away as each scroll, despite being read through up to three times, brought nothing but more questions instead of the sought answers.

She rubbed her temples in frustration, growing less and less able to quell the rising fury as her thoughts raged. Why didn't he just tell us? Why didn't he tell me? she kepton asking herself, her tail curling in anger. Doesn't he realize that I understand?! Or does he think me unable to now that I have found my family? Were all those words about trust and friendship just lies?!

She only realized how much she was fuming when another question came up, causing her blood to boil and her cheeks to redden under her fur. And why does he tell HER?! HER of all people, when she decieved him! Used his trust and desire to help those in need against him! A thief! And yet he tells her and not us? Why, I ought to-

She had to stop herself from growling, taking a deep breath to calm herself. After she was sure she would not lash out in anger at the tiniest of sounds, Tigress focused her gaze on the pile of scrolls again, reconsidering her next course of action. Of all the scrolls in the hall that she could find, the little pile was what she believed held the answers. Yet, she found none. She had a good idea why he left now, although she remained unable to fathom why he would leave in the way he did. If he wanted to not get them worried, he couldn't fail more.

The more important of the remaining questions was where he went. Some sort of enlightenment would be more than welcome at that moment.

Her ears suddenly perked up as she registered a voice of nearing footsteps. Turning around, she found herself rather unsurprised; it was Shifu, of course. She immediately stood up to bow in respect to her master, the old habit still present in full force despite recent changes.

He would have none of it, however. At least not then and there.

„No need," he waved his hand dismissively just when she was about to speak, no doubt it was going to be the usual formal greeting. „I'm not really surprised that you're still up, although I would have expected to find you in the training hall rather than here among the scrolls."

Tigress allowed herself to relax in her posture, even if just slightly. She turned her head to a side for a moment, glancing briefly at the scrolls at her feet. „I was searching for something to give us a clue, actually."

„I see," the red panda nodded. „Did you find anything productive?" he asked hopefully, but it did not reach his eyes. He knew what the answer would be, judging by her expression.

She shook her head, confirming his assumptions. „Nothing satisfyingly specific, at least. We are left mostly with just guesses... I...," she glanced at the scrolls again, deciding to take the offered chance. The panda had left, there was no longer a need to keep silent. „I was searching through some history scrolls, specifially those that mention the War at the Stone Edge Mountains, but I couldn't find anything that I wouldn't remember from my studies... you're... you have better knowledge of history than I do, Master. Is there anything worthy of mentioning that isn't in these scrolls?"

Shifu's ear twitched at the title she used, but he did not allow it to show any more than that. Despite what he hoped for, he would not let it to hinder his composure. There was another thing that stopped him from answering her question right away, though.

„Why the war? Is there a reason to believe that event to be somehow related to our current situation?" he paused, pondering it for just a second. „Do you think... the gorillas...?"

The feline replied by shaking her head again. „No, I do not think so... although it could very well be one of the reasons why he left without telling us... since we're not to leave the palace except to respond to an attack until the threat is resolved... or until Zeng finally returns."

Shifu just nodded, expecting her to continue. Tigress kept her expression unreadable, but she still glanced at the ground for a moment as she reconsidered her next words. „He... Po mentioned the war at a certain occasion, apparently using it as a cover for the real reason why he left. We... Crane and I believe that after the discussion about the matter, he decided that we were not supposed to be told... that it would somehow interfere with... duty."

„What about the person we believe he left with?" Shifu asked, studying his daughter while trying to put the pieces together in his mind.

Tigress failed to stop her brow from furrowing. „Given some... aspects of her character and her past actions... I'm afraid it just adds to our reasons to be worried."

The red panda kept his gaze on the feline for a while longer before closing his eyes with a sigh. The puzzle he kept trying to put together in his mind was creating a picture he did not find comforting. The Dragon Warrior was gone when they were to be on emergency, a clash with an army of well trained gorillas threatening to come. And to make things even more grim, he left without leaving any clear clue as to where he went and was accompanied by a person of a dubious nature. Shifu really wished he could seek the advice of his old master... but he was asked a question himself, wasn't he?

„I'm not sure how much there is to tell besides what you already know...," he spoke silently, gazing at nothing in particular as his eyes kept darting from one side to another, almost as if he was reading through some invisible text placed in front of him. „Perhaps I could offer a bit of... perspective."

„Perspective?"

„Yes," the aging master affirmed, assuming his teacher posture. „There is always more to things that what the words imply at first glance. And if you believe that there may be something about the war that could give a hint...," he paused, seemingly taking another moment to recollect his thoughts. Then, with his hands behind his back, holding his late master's staff horizontally, he continued. „You know the general story; despite perhaps some details the basics are true as they are written in the scrolls. Or as Po told them on the day you returned. There are facets the people forget, or don't care, to mention, however. Mostly due to spite."

Tigress just stood unmoving, paying attention to every word.

„Mentions of the war start just at the end of that time emperor's reign... he'd ruled over this land for a long time before that, though. Some called it the 'Era of Blackbuck', due to his species. That is but one of the things people fail to mention nowadays."

His tone was almost authoritative, he sounded like a teacher giving a lecture more than anything else, despite that he seemed somewhat uncomfortable with the subject.

„Naming an emperor is no trivial matter; as someone so widely known and respected for his devotion to the well-being of this world and its people, Master Oogway himself was included in these affairs. He was also a great judge of character... but it would seem that even he could not see the darkness hidden in the man's heart... or perhaps it simply wasn't there at that time."

The feline tilted hear to a side, confusion and curiosity rising.

„Dark ruler is what they call him now. But if that was all there was to him, he would never be allowed to ascend the throne. He brought great misfortune to this land... but it was also his time during which China has most prospered. Warring clans were united, culture and art grew and blossomed, cities were built... needy were helped... it remains unknown when the change occured. When he, instead of prosperity and well-being, started to seek... greatness."

The red panda's features turned grim as he focused his eyes on those of the feline, his tone quiet.

„He's remembered for doing despicable things... despicable means used to reach great results."

„Great results?" Tigress interrupted, sounding skeptical.

„Yes," Shifu nodded. „Take the difference in maps of China before and after his rule. China's citizens' standards were significantly higher thanks to his actions. He was a great politician, marvelous tactician... and to fool Oogway..."

The red panda's tone was a mixture of awe and sorrow, turning into a loud whisper at the last words. He cast his gaze downwards, forcing his thoughts to focus back on the tale.

„His greatest achievement, his greatest tool... the tiger army... was also the start of his demise. It became so strong and feared that the emperor soon started to make use of intimidation. This was when Oogway started to move against him, but was faced with little success. Those that were also revolted by the blackbuck's actions were often too afraid of the great army to take any kind of action... and while Oogway struggled to gain support, things were slowly turning worse and worse... the army was growing more and more aware of its power... and arrogant. And rather than stopping it, the emperor directed it so it would serve his purpose."

Tigress's brow furrowed as she found herself interrupting her master again. „But was it him who was responsible... or was it the army itself in its arrogance?"

Master Shifu just shook his head, his eyes seeming sadder with each second. „While the army's strenght was vast indeed... and its commander was known for his ambition... the emperor did not let it grow over him. I'm not trying to defend him in any way; he was responsible for the crimes he was accused of. I'm merely trying to be objective here; to tell you of both sides of the coin. He remained in power... and it was him who ordered the army to make sure there was no resistance... that everyone who'd consider standing up to him knew what he'd have to face... it was him who ordered magnificent structures to be built at horrendous cost..."

The student watched her master with growing concern as the red panda remained standing still, gazing in silence at nothing in particular after his voice trailed off. „But he was stopped," Tigress spoke, hoping to bring her foster father out of his thoughts.

For a moment, it seemed as if it didn't work; he did not move an inch. After a while, however, he replied. „Thanks to an oversight," he muttered, causing the feline's frown to deepen. „Or perhaps he tried to sway them, but failed."

„Sway whom?" Tigress asked, causing the red panda to finally look at her again.

„The gorillas," Shifu answered. „If there is something they are known for, then it's that they don't care for politics... or perhaps even the whole world around. What matters to them is their strenght... and that it has a purpose for which it is used."

„Is that why they are rampaging through China now? Or why they join people like Shen?"

„That is what I and the council believe, yes," Shifu confirmed sullenly. „The Wind Chaser and his father were able to keep their people in check... and the Legendary Brothers remained loyal to their teacher. If it weren't for their help... Master Oogway wouldn't have had the numbers needed to win the war."

The elder master hung his head down then, his voice losing its strenght. „After the final clash and the Wind Chaser's death... the gorillas returned back to their forest. Master Earth Shaking Gorilla hesitated to take up the mantle of leadership, as you said... yet another reason for such tragic consequences."

Tigress seemed confused by this, thinking he was referring to the recent gorilla attacks. Only until the red panda's next words, however...

„After their departure, Master Oogway and Lord Wen were left alone with their scarce numbers to bring China from its ill state. Remaining rulers were long fighting about who should lead in the fallen emperor's stead... his house was out of question; they were disgraced and stripped of all rights. And even when Lord Wen became the emperor, he was still unable to change people's hearts... to make them realize that the war was done, to make them forget and forgive-"

The feline's eyes widened in realization. She now understood why Shifu seemed so distressed about the subject. He wasn't referring to what happened to China or its people... he was talking about the consequences that eventually led to her fate.

„Trust me when I say that Master Oogway tried his best to help, but not even he could-" he kept talking on almost as if in a trance. He stopped only when he felt a paw on his shoulder. Lifting his gaze, he met his daughter's eyes, noticing the concern in them, as well as the small, but sincere smile on her lips.

„Father," she spoke urgently, and yet still gently. „It's in the past. I do not hold anything against Master Oogway... nor you. What matters is now."

The red panda stood unmoving, staring into the feline's fiery eyes. He wasn't even aware that he brought his hand to rest it upon the paw on his shoulder. After a while, he snapped out of it and brought his hand back down, but not before a sigh of relief escaped him. He nodded with gratitude radiating from his features, genuinely smiling.

Tigress responded with a nod of her own; words were not needed at that moment.

„Did... did any of it shed some light on where he could be?" he asked then, his composure back, although his voice remained somewhat quiet. His heart sank a little when she turned her head to a side and removed her paw, delaying her answer. It seemed they would not solve the issue that night.

„Did you and Po talk about how he achieved the Inner Peace?"

The question caught him unprepared. He looked at her with surprise written over his face, trying to understand why she would ask it in the first place.

„We did," he answered. „I asked him so I could better adjust his training. And given the fact that one must reach his peace on his own... and that the subject of how he achieved it was a of a rather touchy nature... we decided it would be better if he kept it to himself."

„But he told you," Tigress urged, all the remaining softness replaced by determination. Shifu just nodded wordlessly, seeming unwilling to tell her. „Father, I need to know," she insisted. „It had something to do with his family, didn't it? I believe that his family is part of the reason why he left... or why he left without telling m- us."

Shifu gazed at the floor, obviously reconsidering whether to tell her or not.

„Did he find them? Is that how he reached it?"

„No," Shifu stated sullenly. „That is not how he reached it. He did not find them... rather otherwise."

The tiger leaned back slightly, growing worried.

„He reached peace by learning... and accepting... that he is the last."

Her eyes widened slightly, taken aback. Part of her knew that this could be the case, although she did not expect it to be truly so. If there was no family to pursue, then where would he go? To their resting place? In search of closure?

„Last of his family?" she sought the confirmation, her mind not ceasing in thinking the options over and over. Her confusion only increased when Shifu shook his head.

„Last of his kind," he stated sorrowfully, deciding to share what he knew. „Long ago, it was prophesied that if Lord Shen remained treading the path of darkness, then he would end up defeated by a warrior of black and white."

Tigress just nodded to let her master know that she was listening. Her eyes were growing wider with each word.

„Having learnt of this prophecy, young Shen decided he would change his destiny. He decided to make sure that there would be no warrior of black and white that could defeat him," Shifu sighed lenghtily, reminded of old words of an even older turtle. „But one often meets his destiny on the path he takes to avoid it."

Tigress's shock quickly gave away to anger, her hate for the peacock growing tenfold. This was even worse than the fate that met her people. They suffered for the hatred they brought upon themselves by following orders of a twisted ruler... there was no excuse for what Shen had done. She closed her eyes and steadied her breathing so she could regain her calm enough to focus on what this new information meant.

I'm a panda after all. Is that supposed to be an excuse to anything? I don't even know what being a panda means! Do you? Have you met any other pandas for reference?

The memory resurfaced so suddenly that she skipped a beat. All seemed so clear now...

Well, it seems that what I am makes for what a panda is, for I have not met any other panda either. Some picture I make for my species...

She hung her head in shame, ignoring the quizzical stare her master was giving her. He felt alone... he was alone. And she made it worse by all those insults, all those outbursts... all just because she was so confused by her feelings... unwilling to even consider accepting them... afraid...

„Tigress?"

„I believe I understand now," she answered, raising her gaze. Rather than to meet her master's eyes, however, she stared into the distance, slightly upwards. „But I still don't know... where," she finished with a pained frown.

Shifu's sigh was the only thing cutting through the silence that followed. The red panda, after a whole minute of just standing wordlessly, turned around and started walking toward the hall's gate slowly.

„Make sure you put all the scrolls... and everything else... back where you found them."

The hint was subtle, undirect, but she caught on instantly. „Yes, Master," she replied firmly, watching the red panda leave. If Crane had any objections, he could keep them to himself...

Being adept at stealth as she was, she had no trouble getting into the bear's room undetected. After silently crawling through the hallway on all fours and then carefully opening the door to his dorm, the feline immediately started to read through all the scrolls she could see.

There certainly was more than just a few of them.

And yet, with a whole dozen scrolls already read through, she was still no closer to the answer than at the start. Scrolls about history, about geography... China's hierarchy... scome scrolls about different species... felines... primates... bears...

That was where she stopped; she believed all the previous scrolls were there just for the Dragon Warrior's desire to become more cultured, educated... more suited for his role... but scrolls about the natural behaviour and characteristics of various species? There was more to that, she was sure.

And not a scroll later, she had her confirmation. In front of her laid the scroll she remembered from her studies at the palace. It was mostly only thanks to that scroll that Tigress knew what a panda even looked like before meeting Po. Few illustrations of the black-and-white bears and some basic information. That was all there was in the scroll. That was all he had...

Her head snapped to the door when her ears registered the sound of someone leaving their dorm. Quiet, yet still noticeable footsteps followed; judging by the way it sounded, it was some sort of avian.

Crane, Tigress figured, putting the scroll back down. He was headed her way; using the door was not an option. She decided she would not run, however. If anything, the bird's approach resulted in Po leaving.

When he opened the door with one of his legs, gazing at the feline that sat in front of him at the floor, he was met with a defiant glare. She was daring him to say something. To object.

He didn't.

He slowly turned his head from side to side as he scanned the room. Then his eyes locked on the panda's sleeping mat.

„Under the bed," the feathered master stated silently. „There's a loose board."

Tigress's features said surprise as she glanced at the floor Crane was looking at. Then, with a frown of confusion and accusation, she gazed back at the bird.

Crane raised his talon to readjust his hat. A sigh of amusement left his beak when he realized it was not there; that he left it in his room.

„I could hear him pull it out at night," he then said. „And I could feel the vibrations through my legs. Under the floor. Search there."

And with that, he closed the door and went back to his room.

Tigress wasted no second. She immediately reached out with her arm and felt the floor, searcing for the loose board. Once she found it, she pulled it out slowly as not to wake the others. A small wooden case and some more scrolls greeted the feline. She started with the crate; more scrolls was what she found.

The first few of them she recognized. They were from the Thousand Scrolls of Kung Fu, but something about them seemed off... they weren't the originals. They were copies. She figured that Po had to write these himself. What worried her was that these scrolls were of much more advanced level than she remembered Po being at.

Was he skipping again? she asked herself as she reached for another scroll. She found herself staring increduously when she unrolled it.

Scroll One Thousand One: The Dance of the Water Dragon, she read in her mind, trying desperately to recall the title. After searching through her memory for a whole minute and reading through the first few words of the scroll, she came to a conclusion: this was something Po came up with.

No... this was the something Po came up with.

The scrolls was full of notes the panda made.

If one is in tune with the universe, with its flow... does it mean he can bend it as well?

Reading the line, the feline frowned. The memory of seeing the Dragon Warrior command the winds in the palace gardens resurfaced immediately. Just what was it he was creating? What was he aiming for?

And just how is it that he can do things like these? Tigress wondered, still unable to understand how someone so often failing at basics could manage something so... breathtaking... advanced...

Water, waves, ripples...

Those were the words that kept on repeating in the technique's description. He used them as a referrence to the universe's flow. A smile crept to the tiger's face; only someone with Po's way of thinking could come up with something like this. Ignoring all the boundaries, aiming for the seemingly impossible... aiming for awesome.

It seemed so very Po-like... or, in some aspects, Oogway-like.

Her eyes widened when she reached the end of the scroll. There she found another, smaller scroll attached. Opening it, she found what had to be the panda's report from practicing the move.

Tigress wasn't kidding. Hard style isn't my thing. The paws hurt like crazy...

Tigress cursed mentally. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to tell him about her excessive training. But it was done; she had to focus on the now.

I went through the scrolls about chi and Chi Blasts... Shifu said he could break a boulder my size with it. This could be my thing...

Her brow kept on furrowing with each of the panda's word. Then, upon reaching certain point in the notes, her eyes grew wide with shock.

Day thirty two: the tree falls...

He couldn't mean... could he?

The scroll landed in her lap as it fell from her paws. She then brought them to rub her temples. It seemed to be even worse than she thought...

She picked up the scroll again, but then remembered the remaining scrolls under the floor. Reaching for them, she started to unroll one after another.

Paintings, Tigress thought when she scanned through the numerous illustrations the panda most likely made himself. A smile found its way back onto her lips when she found a picture capturing a day she remembered. On the scroll was painted a panda and a tiger, both of them carrying a large statue adorned with a large, glistening ruby. On the bottom there was a line written.

One day I'll figure what her favourite colour is.

This was the Po she remembered so fondly. Her smile was swept away with the next scroll, however. This time it was not a painting.

We are sorry to have to tell you that there are no scrolls regarding pandas in our archives. We are not certain why that is and we ensure you that we will do our best to remedy this lack of...

A sigh escaped her. Po really wanted to know of his people, it seemed. Not bothering to finish reading the message, she reached for another scroll.

Another painting. She believed she remembered seeing this one before: an azure dragon on green background. Tigress soon noticed the differences, though. This wasn't the painting they used as a model for the robe they gave him as a gift. For one, the eyes did not match. The dragon on the robe had red and yellow eyes... like the tiger had. Yet another nice, gentle touch from the panda. This dragon's eyes were green, however, like Po's. And there was something about the colour of the scales, too. They weren't simply blue... they seemed as if they were supposed to resemble... water.

Another scroll revealed the very same illustration, although more detailed. It kept going on that way with each following scroll. More details were added, some slight changes were made... the grassy background was replaced with raging fire...

Tigress was getting the nagging feeling that this was the nightmare that plagued the panda. It would explain why the paintings seemed to be made with such... obsession.

A watery dragon with green eyes... Tigress concluded that that had to symbolize Po. But what about the foe he was supposed to face?

Her answer came with the next and last scroll from the hiding place. Her eyes were wide with shock for the second time that day as she found herself staring at a picture of a dragon of water fighting against a feline of fire.

The feline in the picture looked nothing like Tai Lung.

It looked like her.

Deafening thunder echoed through the area, but he paid it no mind. Instead, he kept running forward, driven by strenght, by desire he would not believe to be so strong. Song kept watching him worriedly as she run beside him; the bear looked as if in a trance of some sort. Running, ignoring the exhaustion, the pain... her shouts of protests when he ran so carelessly ahead into lands he's never been to before. Perhaps telling him that they were almost there wasn't the best idea.

With a twitch of her ears, her worries increased further.

"Po! Wait! I think I hear-"

Rather than stopping, or even slowind down, the panda started to run even faster, reaching the top of the hill in front of them, the panda finally came to a stop... and froze.

Song came to his side, allowing herself a few moments to catch her breath. How did she, a leopard, become tired while trying to keep up with a giant panda was beyond her. The sight that greeted her when she finally lifted her gaze shocked her even more.

She instantly turned her head to Po. The usual green of his eyes was covered under the red of the fires' reflection.

"Not again... not again..."