Chapter Two- Ren; Ages: 11-13 years old

"Ready for this?" Shifu called.

"I've been ready." Chao retorted. "I'm gonna kick your fluffy tail to the next dynasty!"

"My money's on Chao." Junjie announced.

Shifu rolled his eyes and charged. He aimed a flying kick towards Chao's chest, but his opponent only dived underneath him. Chao swung his tail around to knock Shifu off his feet. It worked, but Shifu landed on his hands and pushed off the ground, taking a firm stance a few feet away. Chao moved in with a punch, only to have it blocked. Shifu tried an uppercut to Chao's jaw, but his fist was caught and the red panda was thrown aside. Shifu moved in again. He and Chao matched each other blow for blow before Oogway called for them to stop. The two boys stood straight and bowed to each other.

"Well done." Oogway said. "You're progressing quite quickly."

"Thank you Master Oogway." Shifu and Chao said simultaneously.

"What's next?" Junjie asked.

"Next, we go see a friend." Oogway said. "The Hierarch of the Sacred Onyx Council is coming to see me today."

"What for?" Shifu asked.

"To talk about some things." Oogway answered. "Very boring adult things."

"So what are we supposed to do?" Chao asked.

"You'll be training." Oogway said simply. "Master Zhan Shi is also bringing his daughter along."

The boys' jaws dropped.

"A girl?" Shifu asked. "There's going to be a girl here?"

"Well yes." Oogway nodded. He turned to walk away. "Master Zhan Shi doesn't want to leave her alone while he travels."

The boys followed their master. "But Oogway, it's a girl." Junjie explained. "She'll interfere with our training."

"On the contrary." Oogway said. "She will help with your training. Master Zhan Shi's daughter is learning kung fu as well."

"Girls don't do kung fu." Chao said. "My father always said a girl belongs in the house; taking care of the family."

"Your father is a very traditional man." Oogway nodded. "But often takes traditions too far. Anyone can do kung fu if they have the heart for it."

"Even girls?" Chao asked.

"Chao, ignore your dad's craziness for a minute." Shifu said. "And think about it: do you think girls can do kung fu?"

Chao thought for a moment, trying to keep his father's cynical words from his head. "I don't know. I've never seen one do it."

"You will now." Oogway said. The four of them reached the doors of the palace, where a wolf stood. "One thing you need to know: Zhan Shi's daughter is adopted and not from here."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Shifu asked.

"You'll see."

They approached the wolf and bowed respectfully. The wolf returned the bow. He had reddish-brown fur and golden eyes. He wore dark blue pants and Shaolin leg wraps around his bare feet. He also had on a long sleeved white shirt with a blood red vest.

"It is an honor to be here." Zhan Shi said.

"Thank you for coming." Oogway said. "Shifu, Junjie, this is Master Zhan Shi of the Sacred Onyx Shaolin. Chao, you already know him, of course."

"It's nice to see you again." Chao greeted.

Zhan Shi smiled. "It's very nice to see you too, Chao. You're looking wonderful. Building up your self-esteem, as we discussed?"

Chao smiled and nodded. Being with the Jade Palace all this time really helped his emotional strength. Then, Chao noticed a being hiding behind Zhan Shi. He craned his neck to see, but the creature slid farther behind the wolf.

Zhan Shi smiled. "This is my daughter, Ren. Come say hello, sweetie."

Ren slowly stepped out from behind her adoptive father. Chao, Shifu, and Junjie stared when they saw her.

Ren had pale, hairless skin. She wore long-sleeved robes the color of grass in the spring with a forest green trim and sash. The slits along the sides showed skin-tight black pants and she was barefoot. Her hair was black like a starless night sky and pulled into a bun on her head. Her eyes were green and bright like lightning.

Ren was a human.

Shifu was the first to snap out of it. He bowed to Ren. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ren."

Ren bowed in return. "It's an honor to meet Master Oogway's students and Master Bang's son." She said in a voice like a songbird's.

Chao was dumbstruck. He had never seen a human except in books of mythology. Moreover, he was stricken by how beautiful the young girl was.

Oogway's voice jolted Chao back to reality. "Why don't you three show Miss Ren the Training Hall, hm? Zhan Shi and I have to talk."

"Sure thing!" Junjie said. "Come on, Ren." Ren shyly followed the boys. She walked alongside Chao and gave him a small smile. Chao felt his cheeks burn and looked away. When they arrived at the hall, Shifu gave the introduction.

"So this is where we train." He explained. "Master Oogway has us practice on the Jade Tortoise Bowl or the Gauntlet of Wooden Warriors. But now we're learning how to master the Fiery Field of Death!" Shifu pointed out each course. "It's pretty fun once you get the hang of it."

"It sounds like you're progressing fast." Ren said. "We have our own obstacle course at the Council's main house, but Dad tries to keep me away from the advanced stuff. But I'm dying to advance. I want to become a master as soon as possible."

"So do we." Junjie said.

"Oogway says if we keep up the pace we're at now, we'll be masters by the time of our manhood ceremonies." Chao said.

"That's what I want." Ren nodded. "I'd like to be a master before my coming-of-age. Not that I expect to get married. Dad's intent on letting me marry someone I love, rather than arranging a marriage. He's so cool like that."

"You're lucky." Chao said. "I remember most of the Council members talking about marriage when their kids weren't even born yet!"

Ren laughed, covering her mouth. Chao was once again mesmerized by the sparkle in the young girl's eyes.

Junjie noticed this and raised an eyebrow. "So, you want to try some of the course?" He asked Ren.

Ren looked towards said course. "Well, I guess I could try."

Ren stood at the edge of the course, across from the Jade Bowl. She took a breath. Then, the girl jumped into the air, did a flip, and landed on the bowl's edge, balancing on it perfectly. Shifu jumped after her. He shot out a few punches and a kick, all of which Ren was able to block. She jumped up and aimed a kick for Shifu's head. The red panda caught her foot. Ren smirked and drove her other foot into Shifu's chest. Put off balance, the red panda began to stumble and fell into the bowl. But he still had a firm grip on Ren's foot, and he dragged her down with him. Chao and Junjie ran to the bowl as the two kids inside slid all over the place. Chao and Junjie managed to pull down the edge to make Shifu and Ren tumble out. The four of them laughed.

"That was awesome!" Ren laughed.

Chao caught sight of Ren's smile again. Her mouth was open as she laughed and her brilliant white teeth were showing. Her eyes were like bright green emeralds that glittered. Her happy aura seemed to brighten up the room. Chao couldn't take his eyes off her. He had so much focus on her that Shifu had to punch the monitor's arm to snap him out of it.

Chao rubbed his arm. "So, what should we do now? More training?"

"No way." Junjie shook his head. "Why don't we show Ren the Sacred Hall of Warriors?"

"I would love that!" Ren nearly squealed.

"Then come on!" Shifu urged. The four of them laughed as they ran off to the Hall of Warriors. Once Ren had gotten inside, her eye widened and she turned around and around in circles, trying to absorb everything at once. Chao could see the light in her eyes grow brighter. The more time he spent near the human girl, the more he wished she would stay by his side.

"This is amazing." Ren breathed.

"It's our favorite place in the entire palace." Junjie said. "Chao's especially."

"You would not believe how much time he spends in here!" Shifu added.

Chao laughed nervously. "Shut up, guys."

Ren laughed. "I would be the same way, trust me." She wandered over to the Moon Pool and looked up at the golden dragon that held the Dragon Scroll. "Who do you think will be the Dragon Warrior?"

"Who knows?" Junjie shrugged as he and the boys came to stand next to Ren. "Maybe it'll be you."

Ren scoffed. "Yeah right." She gazed down at the Moon Pool. She cocked her head and leaned forward. Something drew her to the pool; like a lost memory.

Suddenly, Ren slipped and went headfirst into the water. As she thrashed around in the bubbles, that lost memory surfaced.

FLASHBACK

She could feel her mother's hot breath on her face. Her mother couldn't run for much longer. There was someone behind them; they were shouting. Ren cried and cried. She didn't want to be here; she was scared. Even the blanket wrapped around her gave no comfort.

Suddenly, she was in water. Just as fast, Ren's mother burst to the surface. Ren could see raging rapids all around her. The dark water churned into white foam as Ren and her mother were tossed back and forth.

Ren felt her mother kiss her forehead, and then had the sensation of falling. She went underwater once again. She was desperate for air and her vision was cloudy. For what seemed like years, she searched for any source of light. Ren no longer felt her mother's arms around her, but she sensed her presence. Then, she noticed a light. Her mother swam as fast as she could towards the light. The two of them burst through the surface. Her mother gasped. A clawed hand grabbed her arm and a furry paw took the other. She was pulled onto the ground. Ren rubbed her eyes and stared up at the strange creatures looming over her. One was green, another was reddish-brown, and Ren could see a golden creature high above her.

FLASHBACK END

Chao dived into the water and swam deeper and deeper until he reached Ren. He took her in his arms and pulled her back up, hauling the girl onto solid ground. Junjie and Shifu were close, but gave the two some air. Ren coughed and looked up at Chao. Her bright green orbs met with his blue, yellow, and orange-red ones. Ren sighed and hugged Chao.

Unknown to the kids, Oogway and Zhan Shi were right outside the door.

"You're right, Zhan Shi." Oogway said as they walked off. "Chao would be perfect to rule the council."

"And Shifu is the perfect choice for Grandmaster." Zhan Shi nodded.

The next morning, Zhan Shi and Ren left for Ziben.

"I'm sure we'll be back to visit." Zhan Shi assured.

"We'd love to spar with Ren." Shifu said.

Ren smiled. "Can't wait to kick your tail." Everyone laughed. Ren turned to Chao. She smiled and her eyes sparkled. "Thank you for saving me."

Chao almost had to slap himself to stop staring. "It was an honor."

Zhan Shi seemed to be analyzing a battle strategy, the way he looked at Ren and Chao. He smiled and bowed to Oogway. Ren followed suit before following her adoptive father down the steps.

Chao stared after them. "Wow."

Junjie snickered. "Chao's got a girlfriend." He sang.

Chao turned and growled. Junjie laughed nervously. "Please don't kill me."

"Five second head start." Chao warned. Junjie took off, Chao right behind him.