A/N: I'd like to thank people who provided feedback. At least I know I'm in the right zone =). I feel like I'm still in a Halloween hangover =D. Anyway, here's a new update. Stay loyal and enjoy =P.

Chapter 2

The bunny shopkeeper awoke from his slumber. Someone had been knocking on his door. "Who could possibly be up at this time of night?" He asked himself as he slowly climbed his way down the stairs. He could hear another round of knocking. "Hold on! Hold on! I'm coming." He slowly made his way to the door. Opening the door, he saw a familiar customer who was in his shop earlier the day. "Ah, Master Mantis. What brings you here on this hour?"

The shopkeeper turned prepared some tea and poured it to his cup. He offered one for the master, but he refused. "Suite yourself." The shopkeeper took a sip from the cup. "I see you have something for me." Mantis brought with him a bag and opened it, revealing its contents. The shopkeeper inspected the contents. It was the dreamcatcher they had bought earlier. "Master Mantis, you do realize that a refund only works when you return your purchase to me in one piece."

"No, I'm not returning it. Something happened to my friend. It broke and now he-"

"Can't wake up?"

"Yeah. How did you-"

"Perhaps you did not listen to my story, my friend. Destroying a dreamcatcher is the worst thing you can possibly do." He sat down and put the cup on top of the coffee table. "Before I transferred ownership to your friend, I have to perform a spell that tranfers it from me to him. After which, the dreamcatcher is linked its owner."

"And… your point?"

"A dreamcatcher is said to release unknown quantities of spiritual energy when broken. It creates a leak inside the link that drains the spirit out of the mind. It is said that such burst of energy allows you to temporarily see the spirit." He took another sip from his cup before continuing. "Sometimes, if the spirit is trained, the spirit will not leak. However, most spirits are not trained. Once all the energy is spent, the link is said to collapse and the spirit will no longer be able to return to its body."

"What!" Mantis said, shocked by what he has just heard. "You're kidding right?"

"Is everything that I have told you so far, a joke? I kid you not, my master."

"Then how can we bring Crane back if the link is destroyed?"

"Let me see your dreamcatcher. Perhaps, it can still be salvaged."

Mantis then handed over the damaged item to the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper carefully inspected the item. He observed it intently. Mantis, on the other hand, was sweating. He was thinking this through. If only he had not opened that window. If only it was not windy. If only they never bought such a cursed item. If only…

"It appears the link is still intact, but it is no longer capable of channelling the spirit of your friend. There is still energy within this but not enough to channel his spirit. The dreamcatcher is too badly damaged, but no worries. I will transfer the link to another dreamcatcher that I keep in the storeroom."

"Wait, so that's it?"

"Yes. And since you have purchased this item to me not long ago, you can consider this as part of the warranty."

"Thank you, shopkeeper."

The shopkeeper walked to the nearby storeroom. "Ignorance is the curse of our generations." He opened the door and retrieved a brand new dreamcatcher. "A shame that even our masters are not exempt from it. But with mistakes come new found appreciation to things we've always taken for granted."

"Yes, I'm quite surprised you know so much about this stuff."

The shopkeeper halted his actions, as if trying to recall something, his mood lowered a bit upon recalling the memory. "The teachings, Master, were passed to me from my ancestors, who were taught by none other than the mysterious elk from far away."

"Wait, the elk? Then that must mean…"

"Unfortunately, yes." He sighed. "My parents told me they ran away and were still young when their parents were slain."

"I'm- I'm sorry."

The shopkeeper was saddened, but he soon shrugged it. "It's ok. It was a long time ago. It's something I look back to once in a while, but it's something I don't sorrow myself. Now, before I re-establish a link, I must first cut the link of the old one."

"Why?"

"As a precaution… and because of this." The shopkeeper went for a cabinet and returned to Mantis with a small bag of magical dust. She then opened the bag and threw the dust around the room. "It will take a while, but be prepared for what you are about to see."

It took quite some time, but as promised, something did happen. Mantis was surprised. And he was surprised because right in front of him were two ghosts. He noticed how they were focused on one thing and it did not take long he realized that they were trying to enter the damaged dreamcatcher.

"What are they?" Mantis asked.

"Wandering spirits. They have been my companions for quite some time now."

"But what are they doing?"

The shopkeeper replied simply. "They are trying to possess your friend, Mantis."

Mantis' eyes suddenly bugged out. "What! But why?"

"A spirit can stay detached from its body for so long." The shopkeeper replied calmly. Mantis on the other hand was shocked beyond belief. The shopkeeper could see his reaction. "Relax. They won't be able to possess your friend no matter how much they try. As you can see, his mind is rejecting the spirits because the spirit of your friend currently claims ownership to his own mind. Mutually, his mind still recognizes the spirit of your friend. Unfortunately, this bond is not unbreakable as it slowly deteriorates over time. His mind will continue to recognize his spirit, but only up to a certain point. If your friend does not return, it is a forfeiture of his mind and body. His mind will soon forget how to recognize its own spirit and there will come a point that his mind will no longer reject unwanted spirit that attempt to enter the dreamcatcher. When that happens, any unwanted spirit that enters the dreamcatcher will automatically claim possession of his mind. The mind will recognize that spirit and that spirit will not only gain his body, but also his mind. This is why we need such precautionary measures. After all, we do not want your friend to fall under the possession of an unwanted spirit, do we?"

"Uh. No."

"Keep in mind, Master Mantis. Once I perform the spell, the link between Crane's spirit and his mind will be severed completely. It means that his mind will no longer reject any unwanted spirit that reaches the new dreamcatcher first. It is important that you bring his spirit back as soon as possible."

It was a tall order, but there was no choice. His friend's life was on the line. He simply nodded.

"Good. It would be a shame. Your friend seems like a nice guy." He said as he handed something to Mantis. "Take this. It's a potion that temporarily allows you to sense spirits. Find your friend and hope that he is not half-way across the world by now. I will catch up with you, but first, I must unlink this dreamcatcher." He said as he started his performing the spell.

"Wait, but how do I-?"

"Convince him. Try."

On top of one of the rooftops on the Valley, Mantis stood looking at the horizon. Only a few hours was remaining until sun rise. There was a lot of pressure he was experiencing. If he doesn't return Crane to his old self by sunrise, this siation would escalate. He could be blamed for this.

No. I can't let that happen.

He looked at the potion handed to him. "Oh well. Here goes nothing." Soon after, he drank the liquid to up to the last drop. "Hmm… fruity."

It did not take long before he started to feel funny once more. Soon, reality changed before his eyes. He did not realize that there was quite a number of spirits lingering in and around the Valley of Peace. There were not a lot, but there was quite a number.

It did not take long though to find Crane's spirit. Perhaps it was because he was the only spirit flying around as if in some sort of sugar rush. There was just one problem. Crane was way up there and he was way down here. How was he supposed reach him? "Well, I better go follow him." He then started to hop on roof after roof, hoping that he would immediately catch up with them.

After long hours of spending some time meditating, Master Shifu allowed him to leave. Perhaps it is time to leave, he recalled him saying. He wondered if Master Shifu sensed his growling stomach. He could not help it. "If I've achieved inner peace, then why do my innards disagree with me?"

He went his way to the kitchen, looking for something to eat. "I wonder if we still have those dumplings earlier." But before he could even get to the kitchen, he heard something inside it.

Po's instincts quickly took over. He hid just behind the walls. Perhaps now was the time to practice his stealth mode. He bungled up before, but Master Shifu did say that one must learn from his mistakes. He peeked, just so he could see who could be up this time of night. But in doing so, he was caught in surprise.

"Tigress?" He whispered to himself. "What could she be doing here?"