A/N: Sup everyone? Now I know what you may be thinking. You may be thinking, 'Wra1thRid3r... WTH! You left us! You wrote your last chapter, a one-shot, and then left us for four months. What's your deal?" I know and I'm really sorry about that, I really was thinking about posting a lot. However, I made many big decisions these past months and have had to adjust accordingly. I meant to finish my next chapter sooner but procrastination, music, school decisions, PewDiePie, and Tobuscus have been a major deterrent to that goal. And for that you have my most sincere apologies.

However, the amount of support and praise you all still give my work is still amazing. Especially, since some readers and writers tend to change what fiction they follow according to what is most current. I do not judge for that, but I wish to emphasize how awesome it is to have loyal readers who legitimately enjoy my work. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

I am really glad you guys took to my One-Shot like you did, also. I'm not sure if I'll do a continuation or write more One-Shots since my main focus is with this story. However, if you have a request for me story wise feel free to PM me and let me know. Yeah, that's right I take requests!

Thanks to many people over the past months for their continued support:

Cuaroc (You know what you do!)

The Green-Eyed Wolf (look forward to your next update, man!)

M4dG4rl (You're awesome)

A113 Cowgirl (read her stuff, she's good!)

onethingillread (yup... you rock!)

Br00klynb0y96

travelg

(And also to all new readers and supporters not named)

All right, without further ado, on to Chapter 8! (Also, tell me what you think about my new transition symbol :P)

Disclaimer: All things KFP related are owned by Dreamworks, all OC's used are mine.

Chapter 8: Golden Doubts, Illuminating Mystery

"Dude, there is no way that is even freaking possible."

"What? Of course it is, and it only makes sense."

"Monkey," Mantis was perched atop the simian master's left shoulder, his claws were crossed over his chest as he shook his head skeptically, "there is nothing that makes sense about a clan of langur being descended from a fox spirit." After having rested the night before, the pair of Kung Fu masters had been casually making their way to the farming village of Xiang* which lay to the south east of Lirun. Over the past few hours they had gotten bored of the journey and decided that the best way to pass the time was regaling with outlandish tales of each others' past.

Monkey had just finished proudly filling Mantis in on an old family story, and he was not pleased with the insect's expressed disbelief towards the tale. "Mantis, you know that every male who has ever been born from our blood line has been prone to mischief and thievery."

The green bug gasped with fake realization, "Oh gods! And all fish swim in water, too. What a freakin' revelation."

Monkey rolled his eyes, his gold shoulders bobbing up and down as he continued down the trade road. The insect's sarcasm may have won many vocal battles in the past, but Monkey wasn't any of the other Furious Five. "Mantis, you know that spirits can interact with anything they will, either living or inanimate."

The bug, looking uninterested, had begun scratching the underside of one of his wings. "Sure, if you belief in that spiritualistic mumbo jumbo."

The primate groaned inwardly, he had forgotten that Mantis was anything but religious. "Even so, you can't deny that strange things happen inexplicably." The bug paused in his current task to relay a shrug before continuing. Monkey to hold of the momentum and pressed his argument forward. "Before my yeye was even conceived his grandfather, Zéi, was a disgraced military soldier. During a fierce battle between two warring nobles he abandoned his post out of cowardice. After, the battle was over he returned to the site and looted the bodies of fallen adversaries and comrades."

Mantis's attention moved from his wing back to his companion as the story peeked his interest. "Wow, your yeye's grandad sure had some class."

Monkey nodded solemnly, "Indeed, it was a most dishonorable act. One which nearly cost him his life." One of Mantis's antennae flicked and he brought up a claw tend to the annoyance as Monkey continued with the story.

*
/|\

Zéi returned to his home village with innumerable amounts of wealth, which he soon squandered on undeserving celebrations with fellow louts and miscreants. He thought his life to be free from danger and ill repute, and soon his ill gotten gains poisoned his mind as well as his spirit. Hiding behind his riches, Zéi trampled and trodden on the names of many dangerous people. Even though he was a skilled warrior and was more than capable of defending himself he flaunted his power; buying the services of many powerful mercenaries in the province. For years he believed himself to be invincible, but his wrong doings soon caught up with him.

One night, as he slept, a treacherous friend snuck into his home and stole everything valuable he had come to own When he awoke he found his home ransacked and his guards no longer at their posts. Soon all his enemies descended upon him in force, destroying his home and beating him within an inch of his life. He was left in the streets to die, his betrayals having finally come to roost. As he lay in the dark alleys of the town, broken and helpless, his fading vision was blinded by a brilliant light.

When he awoke, he found himself in the home of a kind golden vixen. She had come upon him during the night and seeing his wounded body she took him in and tended to his injuries. Over the weeks Zéi did all he could to help the female fox in her home as a token of thanks, but she never acknowledged his aid. He soon became smitten by the beautiful creature and her generous nature, something he had never seen before in any other person.

Eventually, when he was healed enough to run errands on his own, he came across many poor individuals who were afflicted by ailment or were impoverished to near starvation. This was the first time in his life he had seen such suffering or even taken note of it. It angered him as a wealthy passerby simply traipsed through the streets without so much as a second glance. He realized that he too had once ignored the suffering; his mind poisoned by greed. He then understood what he must do.

Using his skills in combat and acrobatics, the disgraced warrior Zéi became a soldier for the down trodden. Over the next few months he spent nights raiding the homes of corrupt politicians and vicious military men whom regularly harassed the poor. After each raid he would pawn off the stolen items and use the funds to buy food and medicine for those less fortunate. Without excepting thanks or reward he would run off into the night, swift and silent.

This did not last, however, as the lords and soldiers that he stole from became infuriated at the constant attacks on their livelihood. Eventually, they caught a lead that led them to the home of a golden vixen. Breaking into her home they took the fox captive and demanded she tell them the location of the thief. When she didn't speak they threatened to have her killed, but still she wouldn't utter a word.

Zéi had discovered the attack on the way back to her home from the market. He remained in an alleyway plotting his escape, sure they would have pried his identity from her. But when she didn't utter his name, even under threat of death, he knew he could not leave her. Springing forth from the shadows he leapt at the posse, fists and feet flying in full force. He needed to protect her.

He fought bravely, but in the end he was overtaken and subdued. However, before the final blow was struck a familiar light illuminated the street, engulfing the scuffle. In a fit of terror, the pursuers fled the scene leaving their quarry behind. When Zéi looked up he saw the vixen floating in the air, her fur a brilliant gold and her eyes a soft sky blue. She smiled and came down to the stunned thief. Taking up his hand in hers she lifted him to his feet. With a kind smile she said, "You a once sinful mortal have acted out of charity and benevolence for your fellow people, and even went so far as to put yourself in danger to save another." Placing her other paw over his hand she asked, "What is it you most desire?"

Without thinking twice, the once corrupt Zéi vowed that the only desire he had in the entire world was to remain by her side and protect her until the day he died. Hearing the truth in his words feeling the pure love in his heart, the fox spirit relinquished her immortal form to the heavens and spent the rest of her days with the noble thief. Together, they soon bore a son. Though he soon grew to be just as mischievous and cunning as his father, his heart remained pure and just as the fox spirit.

*
/|\

Monkey sighed with content at the conclusion of the tale, "And that is the redemption of Zéi, and the origin of my clan."

Mantis starred at the simian blankly for several seconds before dryly stating, "Dude, that was bogus."

Monkey's eyes shot defensively towards Mantis, "It is not 'bogus', it's actual family history. That story represents the foundations of my clan." He would have been lying if he said the accusation didn't strike a nerve.

Mantis shrugged once more, which was common place whenever anyone interacted with the small master. "Come on, Monkey. Did you even listen to what you just said?"

Monkey, now agitated, nodded his head sternly. "Yes. I have heard that story many times in my life. It has been passed down for generations."

Mantis sighed, scratching the back of his head as he figured out his next words. "Monkey, I'm not trying to rub you the wrong way or anything. I know how much your family means to you. Especially after that whole incident with your older brother." Monkey was keeping his eyes straight ahead, clearly trying to block out the green bug on his shoulder. Mantis kept pressing on. "But even if your family was started from your ancestor marrying a 'normal' fox, there is still no way she could have given birth to a monkey."

Monkey glanced at the insect, "Is that right?"

Mantis threw his claws into the air. "Yeah! Despite what myths and legends may say, it's physically impossible for different species couples to conceive children together. They have to adopt, it's not a choice for them." Mantis stared at the langur with his widened yellow orbs; they dared as well as encouraged the simian to respond. "Or do you think modern day healing and medicine are wrong?"

Monkey paused his defiant march. He sighed, letting his weight shift from his arms to his legs as he hopped off the ground. A foot before his body reconnected with the beaten path, his tail extended beneath him pushing the simian back into the air. Monkey bobbed briefly above the road as he crossed his legs and rested his hairless black chin on his fist pensively. He knew how this argument was turning out, and he didn't like it.

After a miniscule lapse in time Monkey regained his confidence. He removed his right hand from his chin, gesturing outwards of his body, confident in his rebuttal. "The Emperor."

Mantis raised a curious eyebrow. "What about that royal fur ball?"

Monkey rolled his blue eyes and smirked at his companion's complete disregard for imperial court etiquette. His mind slipped into a humorous memory of an incident in which the insect master almost got them all beheaded. Apparently, nobles do not take too kindly to Kung Fu masters (especially mouthy ones) who hit on their wife's hand maidens during court. However, as usual, the bug was set in his ways for better or for worse. It was just one big part of his overall "charm."

Once he was finished reminiscing, Monkey turned his head to meet the confused gaze of his sex-pedal friend. "Everyone knows that each imperial line, when chosen by the heavens, receives a sacred blessing as a token of the gods' favor. The emperor represents the unifying body for all people of China; In body and in spirit. It's common knowledge that every new emperor of the imperial line has been born from separate species forebears."

Mantis eyed Monkey doubtingly, "Hold on a second there, Confucius." He hopped up on top of the langur's head and placed a claw behind his back in a sagely manner. "It is also common knowledge that the emperor's sister is adopted into the family." The statement was delivered mockingly in a dialect much similar to the simian's.

Monkey sighed heavily and looked up at the bug who was leaning over his brow to make eye contact. "Yes, Princess Zu Chunhua is not born of the royal bloodline." He smiled and raised a finger for emphasis. "But the emperor and his brother are, and isn't it considered 'physically impossible' for a panther and a wolf to be born from the same mother?" Monkey allowed a smug smile appear on his face. The ball was on Mantis's side now.

The green insect leapt from Monkey's head to a low hanging branch, a snide chuckle made his whole body bounce as he leaned forward on the hanging limb. He crossed his claws, still chortling, and creased his brows questioningly. "Wait. So, you're comparing your family to the Emperor's?!"

Monkey's sly smile fell away, his tail slowly lowered him to the ground allowing him to stand once more. "So what if I am?"

Mantis snorted, "Well, first off he may be a punk of a fur ball but the emperor is still considered the 'Son of Heaven'. You, on the other hand, are the son of a chimp." Monkey frowned at the cheap remark, but allowed the bug to continue. Mantis jumped down from the branch and placed himself directly in front of his friend facing him. "And second, this is the imperial family we're talking about here. I'm sure they have some sort of sorcery or magic that makes that kinda stuff possible for them."

The golden langur couldn't help but snort when Mantis finished his statement. Mantis narrowed his eyes and hopped onto his companions shoulder. "What's so funny?"

Monkey shook his head, laughter colored his words. "You say that spirits and gods are an impossibility, but when you can't explain something you jump to the possibility of magic and sorcery?" Mantis stared at him blankly, letting the primate let it all out of his system. "The kind of stuff mothers tell their children so they won't go outside at night; that is how you would explain such a phenomenon?"

Mantis crossed his arm and shrugged indifferently. "The way I see it Monkey, magic is a heckuva lot closer to science than any demon, spirit or god I have ever heard about."

"What about the Mongolian Fist Demon that kicked Po's tail that one Spring?"

"Not a demon, A mutant gecko! We already talked about this." The green master sighed in utter discontent. "Monkey... all I'm saying is that, in the long run, magic makes far more sense than any supernatural being. I'm just saying."

The simian master rolled his blue eyes and resumed their trek towards Xiang. "You, my friend, are impossible."

Mantis shrugged cooly and eyed his comrade. "Hey! You know as well as I do that we wouldn't be nearly as appealing to the ladies if I wasn't."

Monkey smirked, "Ain't it the truth." Both warriors chuckled heartily as they continued further and further into the peaceful forest.

It was another twenty or so minutes of quiet traveling when something which had been itching at the back of his mind made Mantis break the silence. "Monkey?"

The familiar voice broke Monkey from his trance and he stared at the insect curiously. However, he saw that the small yellow eyes lacked their usual light hearted glint. Instead they seemed steely and troubled. "What's the matter?"

Mantis's bright eyes searched the path ahead cautiously. "Going back to the subject of impossibilities; we are traveling down a routine trade route, right?"

Monkey nodded slowly, his eyes slowly adopting the pattern of his fellow master. "Yes? Why?"

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Mantis flick his antennae and tense his body.

"Why have we been on this road for over three hours and not seen one single trader?"

The question carried more weight than Monkey would care to admit. He could not believe he had not noticed it himself. This road they were using was a part of an extremely popular and well guarded trade system. Normally, it was not uncommon to share the path with more than thirty some odd travelers at a time. Even if there weren't that many, armed guards would still be posted at set intervals along the route to protect potential travelers.

For the past several miles the two masters had been the only souls present on that road.

Their current situation was disconcerting to say the least as the two warriors kept moving down the path. Their bodies tensed involuntarily as they did when danger became apparent to them. With their years of long arduous training, their senses sharpened to the point that even the faintest breeze through Monkey's fur would seem to echo off the tree-line walls that cradled the masters.

But the air gave no such comfort, and an eerie silence clung to the air like a thick night fog.

For what seemed like an hour the two warriors remained motionless in the middle of the road. Silently, the simian and the insect stood patiently; they needed a sign to let them know what they were facing.

When the moment came it boomed like lightning.

Without a moments hesitation Monkey rolled forward and grasped a stone which lay loose in the ground. Upon exiting this maneuver, the simian turned and round and threw the stone above his head. Mantis, who had abandoned his post on the primate's shoulder moments before, rocketed into the air, utilizing his famed strength and speed to deliver a powerful kick to the rock. The stone pierced the canopy above them leaving a small hole which the light of the noonday sun gladly filled.

As the two warriors landed in ready position a small ruckus could be heard high above them. They made out the sound of a pair of voices; the sound of which was very familiar to them.

"CAW!"

"Holy Gods! Are you alright?!"

"What the heck was that?!"

"I don't know, but it came from below the tree tops. Someone might be in danger!"

"Yeah, someone! Try me! A few seconds later and whatever that was could have cost me more than just a hat."

"Oh will you stop whining and fly down there? We have to know what's been going on around here."

"Easy for you to say. I'm going to start malting a season early if crap like that keeps happening."

Mantis and Monkey looked to each other curiously, unsure of what just transpired. Soon after, the flapping of wings could be heard drawing closer to their neck of the woods. As the sounds came closer and grew clearer, the two grounded masters realized that they might be in trouble. Their fears were recognized as multiple white and blue feathers drifted down from the hole they made in their leaf filled sky.

*
/|\

Crane looked down mournfully at the straw hat he held in his talon. Its perfect craftsmanship and carefully tailored design been ruined mere moments ago when a high velocity projectile was sent hurdling through the tree line towards his and Viper's flight path. Viper had tried to convince him that it could be mended or (gods forbid) replaced, but that wasn't the point. This had been his favorite hat for more than twenty years. At this point it was more than just head wear. In his years fighting with the Furious Five it had become synonymous with his name. Whenever you thought about Master Crane, the Kung Fu warrior of the skies, it was only natural for his wide brimmed straw hat to be ever present on his brow. It was more to him than just a trademark that fans bought duplicates of in stores around China, though. It was a part of his very spirit, and right now his spirit had a very wide sizzling hole punched through it.

While the avian remained transfixed on his hat a green serpent was more than making up for his lack of vocality. As soon as Viper and Crane had made there way through the canopy above and saw the two gold and small green figures below, Viper's expression turned from determination to utter annoyance. Sure enough as soon as they made landfall the tree snake unwound herself from Crane's neck and slithered over towards the two animals who knew what was coming to them.

The minutes passed by as a torrent of angry and haranguing words were unleashed upon Masters Mantis and Monkey. While they were certainly content with being in the company of their fellow masters once more, the reunion wasn't quite what they had in mind. Both masters stood with their heads hung towards the earth as Viper's forked tongue shot out of her mouth vehemently. "Seriously! How irresponsible can you two be? What if that was a civilian flier in the air, and you just haplessly shot a stone their way?" Her azure eyes glowed with righteous fury as she talked down to her companions like two of her own misbehaving children. "If they were hurt in any way you'd be lucky if the Masters Counsel didn't immediately send you off for rehabilitation training at Hēixīn* Academy, and you know that place is basically Chorh-Gom Prison for Kung Fu masters. What were you thinking?"

Monkey braved to look up from the ground into the scrutinizing gaze of the serpent, though the intensity of her expression didn't do anything for what little confidence there was in his defense. "We have made no contact with any civilians for hours, it seemed more likely that we would be ambushed than come across any travelers any time soon."

Viper knew his answer was a fair enough response. She and Crane had thought of that idea themselves when they encountered the same situation earlier that day. However, she refused to give them any leeway in the current situation. She shook her head disdainfully, "Even so, that attack you launched was reckless. Killing is not a part of our creed, and that attack would have most certainly mortally wounded anyone it connected with."

Mantis dared to open his mouth, "Oh come on, we know that. Give me and the chimp some credit, Viper." He hopped on top of Monkey's right shoulder and patted him on the back of the head, forcing a smile onto both of their faces. "We knew exactly what we were doing. That's why I aimed ahead of the target, it was meant as a warning shot."

Monkey glanced sideways at the bug, his face slightly confused. "It was?" The insect responded with a swift jab to his jowl, his face still holding up a rigid smile. Monkey winced and looked forward to the fuming snake's unforgiving stare. He quickly resumed the stiff grin, nervous chuckles warily made there way from each masters' throats.

Viper let out an exasperated sigh as her anger melted away to slight annoyance. "What you did was brash, but at least no one was harmed." Crane's head twisted towards Viper, catching her eye. He grunted angrily and shook his damaged sedge hat at the serpent, he was not willingly to let such a "crime" go unnoticed. She acknowledged the avian's objection with a roll of her azure eyes before turning back to the other two masters, leaving the bird decidedly more disgruntled. "In all honesty, I'm just glad we were able to find you both unharmed."

Monkey and Mantis had relaxed finally, seeing as their lecture was over. Mantis hopped off of Monkey's shoulder and fell onto his back, lackadaisically staring up in the sky through the hole he made in the canopy moments ago. Meanwhile, Monkey was much more concerned with why his comrades had showed up at all before their intended rendezvous.

"Viper, why are you and Crane here anyway? I thought the plan was to meet up outside Lirun?"

Viper glanced worriedly towards the ground before speaking. "Yes it was, but Crane and I discovered something when we reached Púsù*."

"Rather a lack of something." Crane had, with discontent, placed his damaged hat back on his head and joined the others as he interjected.

Viper nodded grimly in reply. Monkey still didn't quite understand. "What do you mean?"

Viper concentrated on a point on the ground as she searched the mental images for an appropriate response. "When we arrived, the entire village was just... empty. Houses, shops, restaurants, inns-"

"Everything was abandoned." Crane continued when Viper began to trail off from thought. "Even the farms located on the edges of town were deserted."

Mantis finally chimed in, as the details grew too suspicious for him to ignore. "Do you think there was a raid?"

Crane shook his head. "No. There were no signs of battle, or even a hint of a scuffle in the entire town, for that matter."

"There was one thing, though." Viper finally collected her thoughts again and rejoined the conversation. "We noticed that the town's emergency food stores had nearly been emptied out. Also, while inspecting the homes we found almost all furnishings and items were left untouched." A puzzled look creased her brow. "There were even full meals left out on dining tables."

Mantis's usual restrained demeanor shifted as a deep frown curled his face, "Creepy."

Monkey turned and nodded to his partner in solemn agreement. He turned back to face his other comrades. "Then, I suppose you two came back this way to see if we encountered similar circumstances, right?"

Viper shook her head. "Not quite. We came out here because almost every other village from here to Lirun has been abandoned, including Xiang."

Mantis's eyes bulged with shock at the news, he quickly hopped off his perch and landed lightly on the simian's shoulder, joining his alarmed companion. The situation now had his full attention. "That can't be right! Xiang too? Are you positive, Viper?"

Viper was taken aback by Mantis's sudden outburst and froze. Crane stepped forward as if shielding the serpent from the harsh outburst. "Yes. We are absolutely sure on this, Master Mantis."

Mantis's yellow orbs quivered and he grew silent. Monkey looked up at Mantis empathetically. He knew that Xiang was once his home town, even though he rarely ever spoke of it. His ex-fiancee Hao still resided there with her new husband, Dosu. Even though he and Po had finally put that part of his life behind him, the insect still cared about her at least a little bit. Her safety still concerned him even after he refused her at the alter and she denounced him as a worthy suitor. That was one of the few redeeming qualities of the often insufferable bug: His unyielding loyalty to those he cared for.

Monkey returned his focus to his other friends with a rare resolute expression. "What about Heping, the village Po and Tigress were assigned to? Were you able to investigate that region yet?"

Viper regained her composure. "Not yet. We wanted to make sure you two were aware of the situation before we headed there."

Mantis shook off his distress and puffed up ready for action. "Well, what are we waiting for!? You found us so let's go already."

The team nodded in firm agreement, refreshed by their friend's new found determination. Viper slithered up Crane's legs and then around his neck. Coiling her body around him as she prepared for take off. "Crane and I will keep an eye out overhead. If we catch sight of anything unusual we will let you know."

Monkey grunted in response, "Same if we spot anything on the ground."

Viper nodded as Crane spread his wings for dust off. The avian glanced at his comrades pleadingly. "Try to avoid any unexpected air signals from now on, if you please." His voice was dry but the humor behind his words was present.

The golden langur smiled, "If we have to we'll use something softer next time."

Crane rolled his eyes and soared into the air past the tree line. As soon as the bird was aloft the ground team took off separately at a blistering pace. The moist air of the forest floor rushed through the fur and antennae of the masters as their bodies seemingly ricocheted from tree to tree in the dense woods.

As they journeyed ever forward to an uncertain objective; on a course towards an unknown foe, they couldn't help but smile. While they knew nothing about the situation made sense and the reason for a mass disappearance of villagers was still unclear to them, the masters were able to venture forward brightly. Their path was illuminated and they were no longer walking blindly in the dark.

A/N: There we go. Sorry again for making you all wait for so long. Welcome once more to all my new followers and readers, your support means everything to me. Seriously, these past few months have been crazy and seeing notifications and reviews on my work always helps to keep me going.

I am currently debating on how to begin the next chapter, so I leave it up to your suggestions. I have lots of ideas but I want to know what you guys want next. Some of you might have a hand in deciding how the plot unfolds! What an honor right? pffffffffft hehehe but seriously gimme suggestions. I know what I might do, but I want to know what you all want me to feature next.

Anywho, thanks again for the continued support. If you haven't already, Review/Follow/PM me plz! I love hearing from you all and I do answer back for any questions asked. Also, once more I do offer my services as a Beta-reader. I am pretty thorough and it helps me help you guys get better. Gotta support one another.

Great to be back again! Rock on my fellow fanfictionites!

-WR

Translations:

Xiang- town (I thought it was funny to have a town called "town")

Pusu- Plain, normal

yeye- grandad

Zei- traitor, thief

Hēixīn- Black heart