Author's note: Please, please, please do not use any of my original characters without my permission; I will come after you. That said, Kung fu Panda and all its affiliates belong to Dreamworks Animation Studios, meaning I do not own any of the characters present from the movie or SotFF. Thank you.

Chapter 8: The Claws Come Out

Master Viper was bored. And when Master Viper was bored, that was never a good thing. Despite her rather girlish reputation, all that tumbling and ribbon dancing in her childhood was merely indicative of an underlying condition that troubled her parents to no end. Grand Master Viper was fond of saying he never needed a son; his daughter "had enough energy for twenty sons". So when Viper's father noticed her skill with ribbon dancing, he knew that she would take to kung fu better than he had. And the truth was…he was absolutely right. To that extent, Master Viper of the Furious Five would be forever grateful to her father for not treating her as a "traditional" daughter.

However, the master of snake style was beginning to wonder if her father's patronage and Shifu's tutoring had an unintended consequence: she hated to be bored. It was one of the things she and Master Tigress had in common; both females were very active people. Whereas Crane and Monkey were both perfectly laid-back, both females needed to be in the action. Viper, however, knew when to turn off; Tigress never did.

So when she knocked her tail tip on the door of the Long and Feng's kitchen the night after the Double Ninth festival, she was surprised to find Tigress answering the door dressed in her nightclothes and house-robe.

"Jeez, girl, you look exhausted," the serpent said with concern.

Tigress winced and sighed heavily. "Yeah…you can thank the two men in my life for that."

Dalang called from the pantry: "You weren't complaining earlier, admit it!"

Viper suppressed a laugh in her coils while Tigress sent her husband a dirty look over her shoulder. "I can guess what Dalang did to, um, 'wear you out'… So what did little Shang do?" Viper asked.

Tigress opened the door further to let her friend inside. "He was a six-month-old cub, of course. I finally put him down to bed, so we'll have to be quiet."

"Damn," the serpent winked. "And I was looking for a little excitement. I kid!" she said when the striped feline sent her an annoyed look. "I'm kidding…let's face it, with Crane off doing 'man-stuff' with Mantis and Monkey tonight, I need to do something girly with my best friend, right?"

"As much as I'd love to go somewhere," Tigress said, "I'm absolutely exhausted. What with training and keeping up with my son—and my husband—"

"I heard that!" the tiger in question called from the pantry.

"—the thought of going out so late…"

"So let's just stay here!" Viper offered. "There's tea, there's food…"

"There's baijiu."

"There is baijiu," the serpent grinned. "A relaxing glass of wine between friends, what do you say?"

Tigress hesitated. "I'd better check with my husb—" but before she could finish the statement, Dalang popped his head out of the pantry, where he was taking an inventory, and handed her a bottle. "Honey, enjoy your company, or you will be punished."

"I will be punished?" she smirked coyly. "Are you forgetting our respective situations earlier?"

Viper pursed her lips to keep from laughing as Dalang's face turned a bright shade of red. "Tigress!" he hissed, "Not in front of Viper!"

Tigress assured him, "Oh don't worry—she knows all the dirty details anyway." This time both women laughed as the chef's blush deepened, and he quickly retreated into the pantry to avoid any further mortification.

"I used to think he was shameless," Viper said as they took a seat at the kitchen table. "But embarrassing your man never gets old."

"As long as he knows it's light-hearted," Tigress said, pouring some wine for her friend. "So…Crane's off with Monkey and Mantis on a guys'-night-out? I'm surprised Sonam didn't go with them."

"Yeah, I am too. I guess Mantis and Monkey are still sore he moved out temporarily." Viper wrapped her tail around the wine glass and took a sip, humming appreciatively at the flavor. "Mm, really good wine…"

Tigress smiled. "Thanks, it was a gift from Aunt Wu, so you'll have to ask her where she got it."

"I plan to! But you know, I guess I can understand where Monkey and Mantis are coming from. What with you moving down here, and me and Crane staying up in the Palace full-time, I guess they must be irritated by all the 'lovey-dovey crap' going on around them."

"Aren't these the 'Die-hard Bachelors' we're talking about? Thanks, sweetie," Tigress grinned when Dalang left out a plate of cookies. He leaned down and kissed her forehead before tossing the inventory list onto a shelf and left to go upstairs, thus giving them some privacy. Viper took an offered cookie and cocked her head in the chef's direction. "He's awfully quiet…more than usual, I mean."

Tigress groaned and held her head in her hands. "Tell me about it. I got him talking about his other brothers once—"

"Then you got mad at him for holding back, and he closed himself off again. What?" Viper asked when the feline glared at her. "You do that! Look, I understand it bothers you, but let's face it, any childhood with Jiao Shen as a father could not have been a good one."

"I know—I know he doesn't want to remember…but Viper, if I told him all the things about my life, including my crushes and all the embarrassing things I did when I was a teenager…why can't he open up? I get the feeling he's hiding something…something big."

"Tigress, please," the serpent pleaded. "It's not like he killed anyone."

"Well..." Tigress hesitated, fingering her wine glass. "Only in self-defense. But I agree with you on that—I don't see him being violent, which makes him an anomaly amongst his brothers."

"But Shang wasn't so bad, either. I mean, sure, the Dragon Rage didn't help, but he was otherwise merciful…even if it took different forms than we're used to." Now that two years had passed, Viper regretted the things she had said about the Amur tiger at the time she had met him. All she knew was that, one, he was a Jiao—which automatically made him bad news in anyone's book—and two, he had come between two people so very much in love, and had potentially ruined, perhaps forever, the happiness of a dearly beloved friend. In hindsight—which, true to the adage, was the clearest sight of all—Shang never intended any harm. He was an honorable man battling demons both real and imagined in the form of his family, and in his own degenerative disorder. The Dragon Rage…no one knew if it was a disease, contagious like typhus or plague, leaving any warrior susceptible to develop it…or if it was something one was born with. Either way, in the end it little mattered; fortunately for such a tortured man, he died as peacefully as he ever could have hoped. Having heard more stories about him from Dalang, and from other warriors who had known and fought him, Jiao Shang was definitely an anomaly as far as the Jiao family went.

"I wonder so much about what happened," Tigress confessed, running her finger along the glass's rim. "Sometimes I catch myself wondering if Dalang and I hadn't worked out, and if he'd lived, if I'd be with Shang instead."

"With Shang," Viper asked with a scandalized look, "Who probably had more mistresses and children running around than the Emperor himself? You would've hated that."

Tigress smirked, taking a sip of wine. "I know—that's usually what snapped me out of it. That, and realizing that Dalang was a better man than I ever could have imagined."

Viper giggled. "I'll say. Who knows how fate works? If life carried on the way we expected it to, I would be with Suresh instead."

"And you would have hated that."

"Oh definitely. There's a very good reason I never introduced him to Daddy. You know," the serpent tittered. "After Daddy met you all the first time, he asked me about Crane…and Mantis."

"No! Mantis?" Tigress laughed loudly. "Oh yeah, there is a match made in heaven!"

"I know!" Viper giggled. "But he also told me that Crane would be a, quote, 'suitable alternative', unquote."

"Imagine that," Tigress teased, grinning as her friend blushed. "But I'm glad it worked out for you two. I knew Crane had a soft spot for you, but I didn't know he loved you."

"Who knew?" Viper sighed with a shrug of her coils. "There I was, looking for love all over the place, and it was right in front of me all along. I don't think a better romance could have been written."

Tigress made a sour look. "Judging by the books you used to read, I can say that much with confidence."

"Oh hush! Some of them were actually pretty good." Viper took another sip of the wine and leaned back in her chair. "Still, I'm glad my parents like him so much. It really made it so much easier. I was worried what they would think…turns out the one I really needed to worry about was his mother."

Tigress stayed judiciously silent, opting to take a large mouthful of wine to cover what would have been a very caustic remark.

Viper scowled. "Honestly, she's not that bad!"

"Viper," the striped feline said with a no-nonsense look, "that old harpy hates snakes—and you, by extension. I don't see what her problem is. Anyone who's ever met you has loved you immediately. You're a sweetheart, and even our enemies think that!"

Viper stared at the wine still in her glass. "I don't think it matters, does it? I have a love match with a wonderful man, a man most girls only dream of, so what more do I need?"

"I'll tell you what you need, young lady," Tigress said, raising her voice to a wheedling, high-pitched tone…in perfect imitation of Mrs. He's condescending vernacular.

Viper blushed, and pleaded, "Oh no, Tigress, don't…"

"What you need," the feline continued, with full pantomime in complete mockery of Master Crane's mother, "Is sons, and lots of them! Oh, but you can't give me grandchildren, can you? No, I suppose if you did, they'd be scaly, winged little freaks!" Tigress quickly dropped the mockery and took another sip of wine, muttering an unfortunate and unforgivable name under her breath.

"Fine," Viper sighed. "I suppose she can be a bit…difficult. But all we need is some time, and I'm sure we'll become good friends."

Tigress snorted. "Sorry, but as much as Dalang loved his mother, I'm actually kind of glad I don't have to deal with a mother-in-law like yours."

Viper scolded her, "Tigress, I'm sure Ming Hua was a lovely woman!"

"I'm not saying she wasn't!" Tigress said, pouring more wine for her friend. "But I think both my husband and I are glad we didn't have to deal with in-laws when we got married."

"But my mother-in-law does have a point…"

"No, no, she doesn't. Don't listen to what that woman says—she's just bitter Crane didn't marry—"

"That he didn't marry Mei Ling?"

Tigress bit her lip and covered another comment with another awkward sip of wine. But Viper only smiled and shook her head. "Don't worry about it; I can understand why Mrs. He felt that way. Mei Ling is such a nice person, and was very sweet at the wedding. I don't know why Crane didn't initially want to invite her…"

"The same reason Dalang didn't invite his ex-girlfriends to our nuptials. Crane probably didn't want you mad at him."

"For what? He was marrying me, not her, right? Besides, I saw her eyeing that old schoolmate of theirs…she's definitely moved on by now. Still, she's a very, very sweet woman. I'm sure whoever she marries will know he's a lucky man."

The pair fell silent for a long moment. Viper looked up after taking another cookie; Tigress was staring through the open doorway at the family altar, and probably at the ancestor tablet…

"I wonder what my parents would have thought of Dalang," she spoke up at last. "I don't remember my father; I don't know if he died when I was a baby, or if he was a laborer who went to the city looking for work, and just…never came back. All I remember was me and my mother." She smiled and suddenly laughed. "Like, I remember she had a hard time getting me to wear dresses! And pink, and lavender—she loved those colors and couldn't imagine a little girl who didn't. She'd get so mad when I'd come home covered in mud or scrapes from running around…"

She sighed and rested her chin in her palm. "I remember she read me stories, and hugged me all the time…so I know she loved me. She also loved to dance, used to be a court dancer, I think, but I'm not sure. She told me she married for love…and that she hoped I would marry for love, too. We could've had a lot of money, and security, but she must have loved my father very, very much, to choose him over a rich man."

"Then I'm sure she would have approved of Dalang," Viper said with a warm, supportive smile. "If I was your mother, I would!"

"I know…" the striped feline smirked. "As I recall, you were the one arranging the match from day one."

"Judge, jury, and executioner," the serpent wryly joked, making Tigress laugh. The smile quickly faded as she looked back at the altar.

"That's all I remember about her. I was really young when I went to the orphanage. I don't even know how she died…I just remember one day she was there, and the next, she was gone, and I was in Bao Gu. She's buried somewhere on the other side of the valley," she said, pointing out the door, "But no one can remember exactly where. And no one knows what happened to my father."

"Maybe he's still out there."

"Maybe," she answered, without expressly agreeing. She drained her glass and set it aside then let out a deep sigh. "I'm really glad you came to visit."

"Why, is something wrong? Oh!" she gasped excitedly. "Are you pregnant again?!"

"No, Viper, gods no!" Tigress laughed. "I'd like for Shang to be at least a year old before trying again! It's just been a bit…hairy around here, lately."

"You mean Sonam? I thought you two got along?"

"Oh, we do…but it's him, plus a very pregnant snow leopard, and a very sad panda…"

"Ohh…" Viper nodded. "I see…and with the baby, you must be so drained. No wonder you're training so much…just a way to get out of the house for a while…"

Tigress rubbed her tired eyes. "It's a lot of things. Doesn't do me any good that Po and Tai Lung are both gone and if you tell anyone that I'm actually missing Tai Lung…"

"Your secret is safe with me." She didn't understand why it had to be a secret. She didn't understand why Tigress still harbored resentment towards the snow leopard. Did it have something to do with the battle at the Thread of Hope? Or was it lingering resentment towards Shifu that got misdirected at Tai Lung? Either way, for whatever reason, Tigress still did not like him…at all. She respected him, sure, but she wasn't about to hug him and proclaim them 'best friends forever'. Or…maybe it was a front? Maybe Tigress actually did care…

Viper noticed it was getting late and decided to excuse herself. "I'd probably better get home before it gets too late. I don't want Crane to worry."

"He will, anyway."

"I know," Viper fondly smiled. "Give my love to Dalang and Shang."

"You bet." Tigress stood and escorted her friend to the door. "And say hi to the boys for me."

When Viper slithered out the door, she looked back to see Tigress gazing up the slope of the Jade Mountain, her fiery red eyes trained on the palace at its peak. Viper knew that look, that soulful, longing gaze that told her so many things. Most importantly, that although Tigress was happier than she had ever been, there was still the lingering sense of something missing…an odd nostalgia for the days when it was still all about training and victory and glory. And as much as Viper hated to admit it, she missed those days too, somewhat.

She made her way home, thinking about the night—however short—she had spent with her best friend. They didn't do that nearly as often as they used to. But that was part of growing older and moving on with life…and had Viper known how much she missed those glory days before her marriage, before Jiao Shen, before Po…she would have appreciated those days more.

Mei Xing had just settled into bed when Sonam knocked and poked his head in the door. "It's been two hours, love."

Mei Xing tried her best to hide her frustration. Her father-in-law was in one of his overprotective moods again. Since her low-blood-sugar incident before the Moon Festival, the old snow leopard had made it a personal crusade to make sure it never happened again…which meant she ate something every two hours, whether she was hungry or not. She understood she was eating for two, but this was overkill.

"I'm not hungry."

Sonam ignored the complaint, coming in with a full tray and two bowls of Ping's noodles. "I don't care if you're not hungry—a woman's body can trick her into thinking she is or isn't feeling something. Nima thought she had a bad flu when we found out she was—" and right at that moment, he stopped short, immediately cutting himself off. With stony silence, he set the tray down on a nightstand and took a chair opposite the bed.

Crap, she thought. Should I say something?

He wasn't offering anything, so she took up a large bowl of noodles and started to gingerly sip the broth. Even if she wasn't hungry, she at least had to make a show…for his sake. She glanced up at him over the bowl's rim. Though only in his mid-sixties, Sonam looked quite old, no doubt a result of the hard life he'd lived (not to mention the scars the Jiao had given him). Lately, though, he looked even more drawn and weary, and tired more easily than she did. She couldn't help but wonder what exactly was bothering him. She knew he wasn't sick—perhaps he was slowing down just because of his age?

But Mei Xing knew it had to be more than that. Sonam was not the kind of man to slow down unless he was physically incapable of any movement. He clearly didn't believe in retirement. He took to the Jade Palace's forge with a determination and energy more suited for a man forty years his junior. It was the same energy and drive Mei Xing loved about her husband; consequently, both Tai Lung and Sonam were about as stubborn…though Sonam swore up and down that his son got it from his mother.

Maybe that was it: maybe it was both… He was worried his son was gone on some dangerous journey, and ran the risk of losing him again…and he was also worried about something happening to Mei Xing, just as something had happened to Nima. So she decided to make the plunge and ask. "She thought her morning sickness was the flu?"

His ear was the only part of his body that moved as it ticked up to listen. He stared down at the floor, sitting backwards in the chair with his arms folded on the backrest. Mei Xing decided to try again. "I thought I had eaten something bad…wasn't until I put everything else together that I realized what was wrong…or, well, right." She hesitated. "I thought I couldn't get pregnant, you know. I thought with the abuse I suffered, I'd become infertile…or that maybe I was never fertile at all."

"Seeing how soon you were expecting after you got married," he finally said, "I doubt that. I've more doubts about your first husband's prowess than yours."

"I'd thought of that," she said. "We only ever had girls—"

"Which he blamed on you, of course," he snorted.

When they fell into silence again, Mei Xing tried eating some of the noodles, but was still full from dinner. She knew if she kept eating, she would make herself sick, but didn't stop because he was watching her very carefully. She did pause, however, to get her second wind…but also to follow on the instinct she had:

"I hope that asshole is still childless. I hope his family line ends with him. I hope he's doomed to be a ghost for eternity. Maybe those thoughts will put my baby at risk—ow!—or maybe not," she winced, pressing her hand against the spot where the baby had kicked. "But I don't wish any good for him."

"Who would?" Sonam asked rhetorically. "Who'd ask for good for anyone who did harm to us? Some folk are just mean-spirited from the get-go; no fault of their own, maybe, but there's no point saving anyone who doesn't want to be saved."

The oppressive silence told her that he wanted to ask, but felt it was none of his business, that she wasn't ready to talk about it. And the part of her that was still affected by her first marriage knew better than to talk without being spoken to first. But this was Sonam! Sonam, of all people, would not chastise her or hit her for speaking up—hell, if the stories about Nima were true, that meant he loved women who weren't afraid to speak their minds. Well, this wasn't exactly speaking her mind…more like getting something off her chest.

She stared down at the bowl in her hands, which she put back on the tray, feeling sick again, but not from overeating. "The first time I miscarried was the first time he hit me. I had done everything I could to keep from having another stillborn, but I lost the baby anyway. No one comforted me; they all told me it was my fault, that I was cursed, and that if I couldn't have a son I was worth less than a slave."

She couldn't identify the look on Sonam's scarred face, but it made her uncomfortable. She had started, and like a levee breaking up, there was no way to stop her even if she tried. "One night I made this really complicated dinner to try and cheer him up…I don't even remember what I made, just that it took me all day to make it, just for him. He hated it; he took one bite and dragged me from the room…" she hugged herself, feeling even more nauseous. "He took me to the refuse pile and forced me to eat rotting vegetables, and chew sand. 'This is how your cooking tastes', he told me, 'Do you think I like eating this slop?'. I was sick for days after that, and my teeth hurt so much I couldn't eat."

Sonam's hands clenched into fists and his jaw was firmly set, but Mei Xing saw a familiar look in his eye—cold, murderous fury. She promptly shut her mouth, a reflex from her first marriage. "I'm sorry…if anything I cooked was bad, if you didn't like—"

"Stop," he snapped. "Girl, don't you dare apologize."

She lowered her gaze, staring at her large stomach. She ran her hand over it, trying to calm herself as well as the baby, who had started kicking again. "…I've never told anyone about that. I don't think Auntie even knows about it. I almost told Tai Lung, once, but I'd also said a bunch of other things my ex had done or said and…he just looked so angry, I didn't want to say anything else."

"He wasn't angry at you," the old snow leopard said. "And I'm not angry at you, either. Now, where's this ex-husband of yours live?"

"The largest village in central Yunnan. Why?" she asked, suddenly suspicious.

"No reason," he shrugged. "Its been awhile since I was last in Yunnan—maybe I'll take a holiday there, come spring…maybe stop in and give the old boy a visit…"

"Sonam, I don't want you killing him."

He gave her an innocent look—which, naturally, she didn't believe. "Never said I'd kill him—just a visit."

"Uh-huh," she said, unconvinced.

"Look, Mei," he sighed. "I know it's tough to talk about it—much of my past I don't like talking about either. Anything you don't want to tell me, don't tell it. I won't pressure you. I will however take up my old disguise and personally dispatch that son of a whore for you—but only if you want it."

"No."

"Are you sure? I'm very good at making things look like accidents."

"If he suddenly ends up dead, I'll be immediately suspected."

"Over my dead body, you will be."

"That's exactly what I'm worried about." She looked back at the bowl of soup on the tray and pressed her fingers to her lips. "I feel sick."

"You want me to get you some tea then, love?"

"No. I just want to go to sleep." She sighed and slowly lowered herself into the pillows, laying partially on her side. Mei Xing stared up at the ceiling, seeing Sonam moving out of the corner of her eye. He had picked up the tray of food and wordlessly left the room. She sighed again and closed her eyes, willing herself to think of something other than her past. Instead, she focused on her current marriage, on the wonderful man she felt blessed to call her husband. Tai Lung truly loved her, and would lay down his life for her, as she would do for him.

But thinking of him only made his absence that much more pronounced. She looked over to his side of the bed, noting just how empty it looked. She ran her fingers across the bedding, ghosting over his pillow. Mei Xing hesitated, then took his pillow from its place and held it against her cheek. Gods, it still smelled like him. She didn't even notice that tears were streaming down her face while she hugged his pillow against her body as she fell asleep.

Su Lin was the first one awake that morning, as had become her habit lately. Since moving into the Long and Feng's private apartments, she had gotten used to sleeping in a little. But now with Po and Tai Lung gone, and Mei Xing under doctor's orders to have frequent bed rest, she took on more responsibilities around the restaurant than usual. Despite protests from both Dalang and Mr. Ping, Su Lin still woke at the crack of dawn to start the fires in the kitchen, and to chop vegetables and other ingredients for the chefs to use once the restaurant opened.

Once she got the fires crackling and the ingredients for the breakfast dumplings prepared, she pulled out a pan from the cupboard to make her own breakfast. She then proceeded to unlock the door to the courtyard on her way to the stove. Unfortunately, as soon as she opened the door, the female panda saw a huge, hulking figure casting a long shadow over her.

She reacted as anyone else in her situation would have. She screamed…and promptly slammed the pan into the offender's face. It hit him with such force that he toppled backwards immediately, and felt a firm imprint of his face in her once-pristine pan. Su Lin stared at the imprint the gorilla's face made in her cookware, then gasped when she saw the gorilla wasn't the only one waiting for her.

Again reacting out of instinct, she grabbed for a drawer and drew out one of Dalang's prized chef's knives, holding it out in front of her. "Stay back!" she yelled.

One of the would-be assailants, a bay horse with dark mane and tail, held up his hands and soothed, "Easy, ma'am, we're not bandits."

"You're dressed like bandits! Now get out or I'll…I'll…I'll do something not very nice!" She inwardly groaned; of all the things she could have said, it had to be that?

Someone darkly chuckled and stepped to the front, completely stepping over his dazed primate comrade. Su Lin drew back at the height and breadth of the black warhorse, feeling an uneasiness she had never before experienced. "L-Leave now," she said as firmly as she could. "Leave now, or there will be trouble."

The black horse smiled thinly. "Oh believe me, little girl," he said smugly, "You do not want to cause trouble with—"

"What the hell is going on?" someone demanded. "Who the hell are you?"

Su Lin turned to the stairwell and saw Mei Xing standing on the last step, one hand on the small of her back and the other holding onto the doorjamb. The pregnant snow leopard was staring right at the black horse, whose eyes had widened with interest as soon as he saw her. Mei Xing, however, gave him a hard look as she descended the last step and walked over to them.

"Looks like you're not welcome here," she said, fists on her hips.

"And it would appear you are a lucky woman," he said, his eyes trained on her round belly. "Am I right in assuming this is the home of Tai Lung?"

"Where I come from," the snow leopardess said harshly, "You're supposed to answer the questions people give you before asking any of your own. It's generally considered good manners."

"And where I come from," the black horse snorted. "Women know their place."

"Well I got news for you, honey," Mei Xing snapped, "You're not in your territory anymore—different rules apply here. Now tell me who the hell you are or I'm calling the brute squad."

Behind the black horse, a huge elephant snorted, "I'm on the brute squad."

"You are the brute squad," Mei Xing said, mildly impressed with the elephant's sheer size.

"Madam," the warhorse at the door said, "I don't know—nor care—where you came from, but you would do well to learn to hold your tongue in a man's presence."

"Show me a real man and maybe I'll hold my tongue," she snapped.

"Mei," Su Lin hissed, taking her elbow. "I can take it from here…"

"Are you sure?" the feline asked.

"Yes, I'm sure." And she was; seeing her friend standing up to the rather intimidating horse was enough of a confidence boost that Su Lin could use to get rid of these strange men. She knew, logically, that they weren't there to hurt them. Bandits and murderers would not have exchanged insults and threats like this; they would have robbed and killed them by now. And seeing the way this horse was behaving ignited something primordial in the female panda, a certain hot-blooded anger that she didn't know was dormant inside her very species. So now the panda drew herself up to her full height, still clutching the knife she'd used to defend herself, and turned back to the horse.

"Introduce yourselves, now." She hesitated. "Please."

"Much better," the horse said, and Su Lin felt her cheeks grow hot…but not from embarrassment. The black horse straightened and said, "I am Captain Zang Deshi of the Imperial Army Investigations Division. My associates and I are here on an exploratory venture. Now, if I may introduce," he moved aside and pointed at each man. "Corporal Liu Yong, First Lieutenant Gao Ming, Cadet Hu Quon, and Sergeant Kong Li. We are investigating Tai Lung—"

"He hasn't committed a single crime in three years," Su Lin said sharply, and hotly. "You have no reason to be here. Ask anyone in this village, in this valley, and they'll all tell you he's a good—"

"Perhaps you're from the same place as your expectant friend," Zang interrupted. "I will not stand here and let a woman talk to me like—"

"And like she said, you're not in your territory anymore!" Su Lin snapped, raising her voice. She pointed at herself, "You're in my territory, sweetie. And if you keep talking to me like that, I'll teach you the respect your mama never did!"

Mei Xing's jaw dropped, and she wasn't the only one. Zang was so awestruck by the rotund female's scathing reply that he was rendered completely speechless. Su Lin crossed her arms carefully, the chef's knife still in her fist. "Yes, Tai Lung lives here. And he's not the only one who lives here. And he won't be the only one unhappy hearing how you talked to us. So get your act together and treat us the way you want us to treat you."

Zang reined in his temper and took great care in controlling his tone. "Very well, Miss…"

"Yu Su Lin," she answered, "of the Chengdu Yu clan. You might've heard of my mother, Yu Na."

"I…have heard of her, actually," he said, genuinely and visibly impressed. "And now it explains so much."

Su Lin beamed with pride. Mei Xing smiled a little at her friend while swiveling her ears forward so as not to miss a single word the horse said.

"But as I stated," he continued, "My associates and I are here on an investigative mission concerning Tai Lung's rehabilitation. If he meets all the criteria, he may be eligible for an Imperial Pardon."

Mei Xing carefully sat down, shocked, and a little hopeful. Su Lin, however, looked dubious. "Uh-huh…well, I can tell you where to start."

"Not here?" he asked.

"We're not open yet. Come back in a couple hours. But go talk to the Chin family, down the way, by the laundress's home. Tai Lung helped them renovate their house last summer."

Captain Zang nodded once, then looked back over the female panda's shoulder to look directly at Mei Xing. "Are you Tian Mei Xing, Tai Lung's wife?" he asked her.

Mei Xing felt an unexplainable chill. "I am."

"And that is his child you are carrying?"

"Yes," she said, fighting down the growl. "Of course it is. What are you implying?"

"Oh, nothing," he replied flippantly. "Just that I've heard some things about you…such as that you are divorced."

"Yes, that's true…"

"And that your first husband is still alive."

Su Lin glared at him, knowing immediately what he was really saying. So did Mei Xing. "He is still alive," she growled. "And if you know anything about me, you know my reasons for leaving him."

"That excuses nothing," the captain said. "Women do not desert their husbands just because they beat them. A woman is beholden to her husband and he is lord over her, just as a slave is to his master, no matter how he is treated. She puts her life in his hands without question…or a real woman is supposed to, anyway."

Mei Xing paled at the insinuation and started to look a little faint.

Su Lin gripped the knife handle a little tighter.

"The only reason I ask, of course," Zang continued, "is more for Tai Lung's benefit than mine. Surely he knows what kind of woman he married, but it might help him knowing that child is really hi—"

The force of the punch sent him spinning and he hit the cobblestone courtyard face-first. Then someone grabbed a fistful of his mane and began dragging him to the front door. With a swift yank upwards, he came face-to-face with an enraged panda, whose normally sweet brown eyes were now darkened with rage.

"Go back to where you came from," she hissed in his face. "You are no longer welcome here. Now you and your men: Get. Out." With that, she shoved him out the door and sent him sprawling into the dusty street. When she turned to the startled soldiers, she pointed out the door with knife still in hand and barked, "OUT!"

Knowing that discretion was the better part of valor, the three conscious soldiers carried their unconscious gorilla comrade through the moon gate, following their disgraced leader down the street.

Su Lin took a deep breath and let it out slowly, yet was slightly alarmed how hot her face was, how light her head felt, and how rapidly her heart was beating. But more alarming was her behavior: what in heaven's name had she done?

"Su Lin?"

The panda turned to find Wu Lien standing outside in the street, mouth slightly agape. The matron was completely dumbstruck, and so was her young ward. "Su-Su, dearest," Wu said gently. "Is everything alright?"

"I don't know," she answered honestly. "How much did you see?"

Wu looked down the street after the soldiers with wounded egos and remarked, "I heard the punch, then saw you drag that man by the hair and throw him into the street. Now, I mean this as kindly as possible, but what in Heaven's name happened?"

Su Lin stared down at her hands. Then she looked back at the red panda, a look of pure consternation on her sweet face. "I…I have no idea."

"Yup, you've got a pretty nice shiner there, sir."

Captain Zang winced as Liu gently applied a poultice to the injured eye. The quintet had abdicated to a silent bar where they could get a hot meal and something to treat their illustrious leader's black eye…and Kong's king-size headache. When they had taken their respective seats at the bar, Gao had asked for some rubbing alcohol for the scrapes caused by the female panda literally dragging the black warhorse out the Long and Feng Café's door, and Quon had made sure to order the captain's favorite meal; the tiger, of course, was always working in the best interest of the team, and the team's best interest was keeping their captain's temper under control. Kong kept his silence after a healthy dosage of painkillers and a cool wet towel to his bruised face.

Zang winced again as he pressed the poultice against his eye. "She's Yu Na's brat all right—ow—as I recall, Mrs. Yu had a decent right hook in her own right…"

"Is it true, what they say happened to her and her family?" Quon asked.

"Sadly, yes." Zang hissed as the medicine began to do its work. "I thought there had been no survivors, but it appears I was mistaken. Jiao Shen's influence ran far and wide. Shame, too; Mrs. Yu was a very gifted healer."

"Way I heard it," Gao said as their food arrived, "she could give out wounds almost as bad as the ones she treated."

"Yes, she was legendary," Zang said, almost bitterly. "Gifted in the healing arts, better than most men I've known…"

"But still a panda," Sergeant Kong said.

"What's wrong with pandas?" Quon asked as he accepted his stir fry dish from Gao.

"Nothing," Kong shrugged. "Just keep in mind that they might look cute and cuddly…but they're still bears."

"I remember one panda who became a really notorious bandit—he was in my training class, back in basic," Liu said. "A better warrior than the strongest tiger…and would rip your face off if you gave him a reason to—I'm serious, I saw him do it once! Kong's right; bears—especially pandas—are nothing to sneeze at when they're angry. And I hate to say it, sir," Liu said, frowning at the black horse, "but you crossed the line back there. Dunno about you, but my family never raised me to talk to a woman like that."

Zang snapped, "You'd do well to remember your place, Corporal…or should I say Sergeant?"

Under threat of demotion, Liu promptly shut his mouth.

"No, Liu's right," Gao said in his comrade's defense, struggling a little with the chopsticks in his large hands. "Besides, didn't you hire all of us because we aren't afraid to speak our minds?"

Zang glowered and picked at his meal, before giving in to his hunger and shoveling stir-fried vegetables into his mouth. As he ate, someone had walked into the bar—someone tall and lanky—and sat in the empty stool next to him. "Heya, Chen! One special!"

"One special comin' up," the proprietor called back. The chow-chow dog smirked at the newcomer. "Drinking on duty?"

"Nah, it's my day off—but don't tell the Mrs. I came 'round, right?"

"Sure, Dalang, my lips are sealed."

Zang choked in surprise and snapped his head up to look at his neighbor. Jiao Dalang settled into his seat and glanced back at the horse. The tiger's yellow-green eyes settled on the horse's swollen and bruised eye almost instantly. "Been in the valley one day and you already got a shiner? You're not good at making friends, are you?"

Zang still stared at him, then recovered and asked, "Forgive me for gawking, sir, but you're not Jiao Dalang, are you?"

"Depends who's asking," the tiger said evenly.

The horse smirked and he replied, "It is an honor and a privilege to finally make your acquaintance. I am Zang Deshi, Captain Zang Deshi."

Now it was Dalang's turn to be surprised. "Zang Deshi? The same Zang Deshi who secured my pardon?"

The horse nodded with a surprisingly warm smile. "The same."

"So we finally meet," the chef remarked after a long, pregnant pause. He accepted the drink that the bartender placed in front of him and took a few sips. Dalang didn't look back at the horse. "Couldn't be bothered to come by before? What, having second thoughts about that pardon? You're a little late for that; only the Emperor can revoke it, and I haven't done anything to warrant that. To my knowledge."

Captain Zang merely smiled disarmingly and shook his head. "Not at all; you're golden in my book, as well as the Son of Heaven's. I'm here for a different investigation. This is one that I…would rather see to personally. More in depth—"

"More in depth than mine?" Dalang asked suspiciously, watching the horse over the rim of his glass, and glancing at the soldiers sitting next to him at the bar.

"You had plenty of people to vouch for you, people with influential names," Zang described. "People spoke highly of you, people whose reputations rendered their testimony without question to their integrity. I believe the lady Wu Lien was most instrumental…"

"Auntie tends to have a lot of influence," Dalang agreed. "Though not as much as my father-in-law."

Zang stared at him, then realized, "Ah, you must mean Master Shifu. Yes, now I remember…how is Master Tigress? Last I heard, she was expecting."

"Our son is six months old, now."

"Ah, wonderful, congratulations," the horse said with a smile, but he sounded less than enthusiastic. "Are you planning to have more?"

"Why don't you tell me what you're doing here? And why you get your jollies terrorizing my friends?" the tiger said with a chilly smile.

Zang regarded him much more carefully than he had previously. As much as he knew Dalang was not dangerous like the rest of his family…he was still a Jiao. "We did not mean to startle your…lady friends," he said carefully. "We are conducting an investigation for a certain Tai Lung."

"Yeah, I got that much. Is my word as good as Wu Lien's, and Shifu's?"

"Of course."

"Good. I would trust Tai Lung with my life. In fact, I have, many times, and I've never been disappointed."

"So I hear. Let me assure you, Mr. Jiao, to fully explain myself and my mission: it has come to the Emperor's attention that, since his escape from Chorh-Gom prison, Tai Lung has undergone many humanitarian operations for the benefit of the Valley of Peace, and the greater population of China…things that would not have happened otherwise if he were still imprisoned." Zang paused for emphasis. "Given that his record in the past three years is…startlingly consistent, the Emperor has considered pardoning his jailbreak."

The tiger took another sip of his drink, rolled his shoulders and flicked his ear a couple times. "And the crimes that led to his incarceration in the first place?"

"Twenty years was deemed a suitable length of time for his punishment, and His Excellency the Son of Heaven considers that debt paid," Zang said. "The only issue lies with his escape and the deaths of the Anvil of Heaven."

"Well that didn't take long," Dalang muttered with a sardonic chuckle. "Despite what you think, he's a good man, and you're right; if he was still in prison, my Old Man Shen would still be alive and still terrorizing the empire—and you owe that to Tai. I think of him as a brother; he was there for me when my brother died, and he helped me recover from my wounds…he's the brother I wish I'd had my whole life. In fact, everyone who lives under the roof of the Long and Feng Café, I consider my family…which brings me to why I'm here."

"You're not here for a drink?"

Further down the bar, the four other soldiers had stopped eating and were watching the tiger chef very closely, casting worried looks at their captain and praying he didn't lose his temper again.

"Could be I'm here for a drink," the tiger chef shrugged. "Could be I'm just enjoying my day off. 'Course, I could be here because someone," Dalang said with a strained tone and a fierce glare directed at Zang, "insulted and threatened two women I consider sisters. That restaurant is my home and my property, and I will not tolerate anyone treating my home and family like you did."

"I suppose you want an apology."

"I'm not the one you need to apologize to." He leaned in close and growled in the horse's ear. "Make no mistake—if I ever hear you talking like that to anyone in my house again, I will end you—pardon or no pardon."

"Are you threatening me?" the horse snapped.

"Just here for a drink," the tiger said nonchalantly. Dalang drained his glass and set it back onto the bar, paid his tab and stood to leave. He turned back to Zang and gave him the same winning smile that he gave to every cantankerous customer he dealt with…a smile that carried a hidden threat.

"It was nice meeting you," he said with an ironic smirk, then turned to leave. But he froze, staring down the bar, past Zang's head, his face suddenly pale. Zang looked over his shoulder to find what he could possibly be staring at, but all he saw were his own men. The warhorse turned back to Dalang and asked, "Are you all right, Mr. Jiao? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Dalang blinked and shook his head. "I'm fine; must be the drink. Like I said, it was nice meeting you. But don't bother coming 'round to my restaurant until you've learned some manners." With that, he sent a wave to the proprietor and walked out.

Liu finally broke the heavy silence that followed the tiger's exit. "He's a lot more…intimidating than I thought."

Gao snorted at the understatement.

"I thought he seemed nice," Quon said. "Well, as nice as he could be, under the circumstances."

"I didn't think tigers could get that big," Kong said, unable to hide the wariness in his voice.

Gao shuddered. "The scary thing is that Jiao Shen was bigger."

"And so was Jiao Shang," Zang said, staring at the door that Dalang had just walked through.

"Did you kill him?"

"No."

"Can I kill him?"

"No."

"Oh you're no fun anymore."

Dalang couldn't help but smirk. He had gotten this same exchange when he'd first come back home from Chen's Tavern; once Sonam heard what had happened, the old snow leopard was livid, and ready to go on the warpath to preserve his daughter-in-law's honor. But now that Dalang had—blessedly—calmed the blacksmith down, he had to instead handle the fallout from another overprotective and temperamental feline.

"I would've murdered him," Tigress snarled. "Who does he think he is?!"

"The guy who got my head out of the noose, that's who," he said darkly. But he smiled and picked up his son as Shang was trying to crawl away. Dalang sat cross-legged on the floor, enjoying the rare play day with his son, and Shang loved every moment he spent with his Daddy. The baby gummed his father's fingers and spit out bits of fluffy fur, but giggled and purred the whole time. Finding that it was a slow day, Su Lin had left Mr. Ping to handle the restaurant while she got caught up on much-needed mending and ironing; she sat with the felines, still shaking from her encounter that morning…and the current topic of conversation didn't help.

"Officer or no," Tigress continued, "He had no right to talk to you like that," she said, looking over at Su Lin, who had laid out a pair of trousers to iron. "—and what he said to Mei! If he'd treated me like that, no one would ever find his body!"

"I have a feeling he's more of a misogynist than anything else, and didn't mean any real harm," Dalang said as he handed his son a rattle. "But he's not stupid—I think he knows better than to treat you like that."

"Because I'd deck him?" she asked.

"No, because I would," he smirked.

Tigress leaned down and affectionately kissed his cheek. "I love my husband."

"And I love my wife," he replied, grinning as she sat across from him and opened her arms to Shang, who giggled and crawled over to her.

Su Lin huffed and licked her finger to test the heat of the iron before pressing it against the ironing board. As she spoke, she pressed down furiously onto the board, almost enough to scorch the garment stretched across it. "I couldn't believe the way he was treating us…like we were lower than peasants! And what he said to Mei…if Tai were here, why, that stupid Captain would be keeled over!" She sighed heavily and set the iron back onto the wood stove to heat up again. "That said, I really didn't mean to hurt him. And what if my losing my temper hurts that investigation he was talking about?"

"You actually buy his story?" Tigress asked as she tickled the baby, and grinned when he squealed happily.

"Why, don't you?" she asked them as she laid out one of Dalang's shirts.

"Not a chance," Dalang replied. "If he were really concerned with Tai Lung's freedom, he wouldn't have treated you two like that. He's hiding something, and I don't like it. If he's smart, he'll stay away."

"In that case, I hope he's as dumb as a sack of rocks," Tigress smirked. "I haven't thrown a good punch in a long time—I need to see if I still got it."

"But assaulting an army officer?" Su Lin fretfully said, then gasped when she realized, "Oh no…gods…I could be in serious trouble!"

"Not by the Valley's laws, you're not," Tigress said. "Around here, we have a 'castle law', that if anyone—an outlaw, thief, what have you—invades your house and you suspect they mean you physical harm, you have every right to kick their butts...or kill them, if necessary. And they can't do anything about it."

"But he's an army officer!"

Tigress shook her head. "Doesn't matter. And by the way, if he does come back looking for trouble, you let me handle him."

"Honey…" Dalang warned. "Its bad enough I threatened him. You might be one of China's heroes, but I think the Emperor would find fault in attempted murder."

"Exactly—that's why it'll be me kicking his tail, and not Sonam."

Sonam, of course, took offense to that; he stuck his head out of the nursery's doorway while he worked on constructing the crib. He griped, "But what exactly is 'attempted murder', anyway?" he asked. "I mean, really, do they give out medals for 'attempted bravery in combat'? I think not!"

"Sonam, you're not helping," Dalang growled.

"But he's right," Su Lin said. "My mama had the same idea…no one came into her house unless she gave her permission. That was her biggest rule; Papa was the one who enforced it, because no one really listened to what we women had to say…at least, no one who didn't know Mama."

"Sounds like a right battle-ax, your mum," Sonam said as he rubbed sandpaper against the wood. "I think I would've liked her. What I don't get," he said, casting a concerned look towards Su Lin, "Is why she was known for her tough-as-nails personality and why you are so…erm…"

"Passive?" she offered, her ears lowered against her head.

Sonam looked guilty, and even Tigress and Dalang were uncomfortably silent. Su Lin looked at the felines and sighed. "She wanted me to be a real lady. She told me to always mind my manners, always; and that most men weren't like Papa, and they wouldn't like a girl who spoke her mind. Much less if she were violent; what kind of man would want that?"

"No comment," Dalang quipped, dodging a playful smack from his wife.

Su Lin continued, "Mama got mad, sure, but most of the time, those people deserved it. She didn't want to ruin my chances of finding the right man to marry…"

"But Po doesn't care about that," Tigress said.

"What if he does?" Su Lin asked. "He's never seen that side of me before."

Dalang was surreptitiously silent. The two of them shared a look that spoke volumes, and was swiftly followed by an uncomfortable silence, broken only when the chef coughed and covered, "Well, I don't know about Po, but I'm glad you grew a backbone. I don't like to think what could've happened this morning if you hadn't."

"You don't think it's a bad thing?" the panda asked.

"One thing's for sure, love," Sonam said definitively. "If the big baddie from Po's vision is coming here, growing a backbone just might save your life."

Tigress gave him a harsh look after Su Lin paled. "Don't worry so much about it," Tigress said. "I'm sure that whatever the threat is, that Tai Lung and Po can handle it; and if they need backup, the Furious Five will be right there behind them…every step of the way." But she added silently …At least I hope so…

The morning after Po and Tai Lung arrived at the Phoenix Temple, they were awoken by the sounds of bells chiming in the early morning, well before dawn. Still groggy, both warriors dragged themselves out of bed while the monks shot up from sleep, fully rested, and began their walk to the main temple for prayers. Po and Tai Lung fell in behind them, but were stopped at the door by one of the most senior monks, a graying lion with a salt-and-pepper mane, who beckoned them,

"You will not be joining in the services. Master Sun Bear requests your presence in the main courtyard, promptly. Follow me."

They wordlessly followed, their stomachs rumbling from lack of food and feet dragging on the ground from exhaustion. Their trip had taken more out of them than either of them realized. Even Tai Lung was nervous about beginning warrior's training so early, and on an empty stomach.

The old lion led them down the corridors, before coming upon the main courtyard near the gates to the monastery. As expected, Sun Bear was already there, standing quietly with his hands hidden in his sleeves. He waited as the pair approached and promptly nodded in greeting.

"Namaste," Sun Bear said, pressing his palms together and slightly bowing his head. "Welcome to your first lesson."

"Nama…" Po paused. "What's that word again?"

"'Namaste'," the master replied. "It is a traditional greeting from southern Asia, and it is also the greeting that yogis give to each other."

"Yogis?" Tai Lung asked, feeling the strange word on his tongue.

"The plural of 'yogi', who is a practitioner of yoga," Sun Bear explained before crossing his ankles and gracefully lowering himself into a cross-legged position upon the mat. He dismissed the old leonine monk with a short nod. "Yoga is a gift from southern Asia, an exercise that utilizes all parts of your mind and body, bringing the yogi self-awareness, flexibility, inner strength, and more importantly, inner peace. The very word 'yoga' has many meanings, but for this case, the easiest translation is 'to control', and that is exactly what we shall try to accomplish. Take your places on the top of the rugs, over there," he pointed to two well-worn red rugs, three feet wide by six feet long.

Po and Tai Lung shared a look before warily obeying, the snow leopard asking, "So is this another form of fighting? Some lost style of kung fu? OW!"

Sun Bear had hit him again with his trusty bamboo staff, once again appearing from out of nowhere…that they could see. There were visible veins throbbing on the old master's temples. "No, you fool! Yoga is by no means something you master. I have been practicing it since boyhood and would never call myself a master."

"So what's the point if you can't master it?"

"That is the point, Master Tenzin," the old bear said flatly, "The point is that you let go of the weights that are keeping you down, to try and transcend the limitations your mind and body have given you. You, being feline, are naturally better equipped for these exercises. Shang, on the other hand, is at a major disadvantage, one that we shall rectify as soon as possible. First, I want to see how flexible you are." He tapped his staff on the stones. "Touch your toes."

Panda and snow leopard shared an incredulous look. Was he serious? The old bear's stony silence told them he most certainly was, and they wordlessly followed the order. As expected, Tai Lung had little trouble, managing to go so far as to press his palms against the stone tiles before him. Po strained, barely able to touch his fingertips past his shins. But even if Tai Lung had done as Sun Bear ordered, the old master had quite a few things to say about him.

The Master slapped the bamboo staff against the backs of the cat's thighs. "Straighten those knees! Tighten the stomach muscles. Don't forget to breathe."

"I am breathing!"

"You are not breathing correctly." He sighed, "It seems I need to start from the very beginning. Alright, sit in full Lotus position on the mats…" Sun Bear sighed again, fighting down what was sure to be a powerful migraine when he saw that the panda was completely unable to get into the proper seated position. "Master Shang," he growled, "You can use half Lotus."

"Thanks…" Po said sheepishly.

"Now, listen closely," Sun Bear said, sitting in front of them. "The Breath is the cornerstone of this exercise; controlling your breathing, being aware of the breath as it enters and leaves your body makes you more aware of the rest of your body as a whole. It is practiced to develop your physical, mental, and spiritual strength.

"With every inhale, push the breath to the back of the throat; it will make a hollow sound. Try it."

They waited for Sun Bear to demonstrate, and when he didn't, they tried to figure it out on their own. Well, that didn't end as they had hoped. Sun Bear frowned and bopped them both on the head with his staff. "WRONG! To the back of the throat! Try again."

"Look, if you would just demonstr—OW!" Tai Lung had bit down on his tongue when the staff hit his head again. "Bloody hell, man, I was just asking a harmless question!"

"Five jiao."

"I don't have any money!" he complained. "You took it all with my other possessions!"

Sun Bear quickly retorted, "I'll put it on your tab. Again!"

Po nudged his friend to go along, and Tai Lung sighed and closed his eyes, trying the meditative breath Shifu had taught him long ago, when he was still just a child…

"Better," Sun Bear nodded. "Much better. But not good enough. Again."

They obeyed, many times before they had gotten it to the point that satisfied the master. "Not bad. It will do. Now, we will begin on the stretches. I reiterate: yoga is not something you master, that is why we are called practitioners, not masters.

"We will start with the standing poses. Stand at the top of your mats." He waited until they had stood before beginning the demonstration. "We will begin with Mountain pose, then Downward-facing Dog, followed by Extended Side angle, then finish with Warrior pose. Follow my lead, and remember, do not force yourself. Listen to what your body is telling you. If you are hurting, ease up. The point of this exercise is to relax and strengthen your body, not hurt it. Let's begin…"

He followed through with his instruction, leading them through the various standing poses, keeping a close eye on their body positions, and correcting them with his staff whenever he felt it necessary. The snow leopard, of course, executed each pose with expected flexibility. However, his balance was off, and those poses meant to open up the chest and strengthen the back were in fact doing the opposite. He corrected the cat's posture with the staff, taking care not to hit him too hard while he was in Warrior pose, lest he topple over.

The panda, on the other hand…well, he most certainly needed flexibility training. As a fellow ursine, Po felt that Sun Bear probably knew his pain. But how could the old bear be so flexible? Even Shifu, who never let up on his own training, had started to feel the effects of arthritis. But Sun Bear was as slight and as spry as a man fifty years his junior, and if this 'yoga' thing was the old master's secret, then Po was perfectly content learning all he could about it.

Finally—and mercifully—Sun Bear instructed them to sit. He proceeded to the seated poses: spine twists, hamstring stretches, forward bends, side bends, wide straddles and the deceptively simple forward leg stretch. Tai Lung had scoffed this was a simple stretch, with the legs straight out in front of them, the goal being to touch the fingers to the toes…but much to the snow leopard's surprise, he felt quite a bit of strain in his thighs, calves, and back that he had not noticed before. And come to think of it, his arms felt heavy and tired, as if he had carried too much weight, when he had not done so much as a single push-up.

And if Tai Lung was starting to feel sore, Po was in absolute agony. The panda grunted and sweated profusely, amazed that such simple stretching techniques could have him working up such a sweat. For the first time, he was grateful for the cool air at the top of the mountain; to do this in the South Asian heat would have been downright brutal. But the thin air made it that much harder to breathe, and many times Po gasped like a fish out of water. When Sun Bear mercifully called for them to rest from the seated forward bend, neither warrior could hold in the relieved sighs.

Po was amazed to find Tai Lung was as worn out as he was. Master Sun Bear, however, seemed to be expecting this.

"So…not so easy, is it?" he asked them with a wry smile.

"I don't get it," Tai Lung panted, sucking in as much air as the thin atmosphere would allow. "It's just stretching…"

"It is proper stretching, Master Tenzin," Sun Bear corrected. "The difference between the stretching you are used to and yoga is that yoga focuses on the Breath. Stretching for vigorous activity is more focused on the flexibility and preventing physical injury. Here, we are preventing physical and mental injury. You have both performed better than I expected for beginners…" he paused, peering intently at the pair. Then he sighed raggedly, "But as I expected, you pushed yourselves too far."

"How can you tell?" Po panted.

"Once you get up from Corpse pose," the elder said, slowly lowering himself to his lie on his back, and indicating they do the same, "You will see what I mean."

He closed the session with a period of quiet meditation, leading them through it, though he need not have bothered. When he sat up, he did so as nimbly as a cat and rolled up his own mat. "I would take my time getting up if I were you. Just be grateful I didn't introduce the backbends in this session. You are both dismissed; I suggest spending the rest of your day meditating on your lesson. Good day."

"Wait, that's it?" Po asked, sitting up suddenly. That was a huge mistake. He gasped, sucking in breath from the shock of red-hot pain in his middle. The sudden tightness in his muscles took him by surprise, and he fell flat on his back again, knocking his head hard on the paving stones.

Sun Bear shook his head. "I think that's all you two can tolerate today. We will not resume until two days from now, to give your bodies time to rest. Go meditate, and let me repeat: get up slowly." With that, he left the courtyard, instructing a trio of teenage monks to follow him to their next lesson. The orange-robed monks had stood by, quietly watching the lesson, while the five young red-robed novices giggled and snickered at the poor newcomers' plight.

Tai Lung just lay there for a good few minutes, feeling strangely at peace, his mind clearer than if he'd simply been meditating. He turned his head to look at the panda and asked, "How're you doing, panda?"

"I can't feel my neck."

"…That's generally not a good thing, P—Shang."

"Gee, Tenzin, you think?"

"Don't give me that lip; I'm trying to be helpful."

After a moment of silence, both staring up at the sky, and feeling slightly silly for being there, lying prone in the middle of the courtyard, Po finally asked, "You can't move either, can you?"

Tai Lung let out a strained breath. "Let's just say I haven't felt this sore since I was ten, when my old master decided to 'further develop my flexibility'."

"Do I want to know what methods he used back then?"

"No. No you do not. They still give me nightmares."

After another pause, Po tried getting up, rolling to his side and pushing up on his arm. The muscles strained and ached, and when Po finally succeeded in sitting up, no amount of massaging could make the muscles quit screaming in agony. No pain, no gain, right?

He was starting to doubt the legitimacy of that saying.

When Tai Lung finally sat up and stood, the snow leopard faltered, then grabbed onto the panda's shoulder to steady himself. "That was more intense than I expected."

"Yeah, but…I feel pretty good," Po said. "Y'know, like I'm…at peace, you know?"

Tai Lung nodded. "I know. I do too; feel at peace, that is."

Another pause followed.

"Wanna go see where they keep the painkillers?" Po asked.

"Let's go."

"I must be really out of shape," Tai Lung said later, while they were on their way to dinner. "I mean, I train all the time, make sure to stretch, keep myself limber, and I'm still sore…" he winced under Po's glare. "I'm not one to talk, am I?"

"Who's the big, fat panda here?" he reminded.

The dinner was exactly as expected: lukewarm rice and weak tea. It was so incredibly tasteless that both warriors struggled to swallow the bland food. No spices were used. No pepper, or ginger, not even salt was used to flavor it, and there probably wasn't any soy sauce for miles. And the tea was more like lightly-flavored hot water. Still, knowing this was all the food they had to look forward to—something that depressed both culinary connoisseurs—helped them consume it. The knowledge that their breakfast would be plain oatmeal—again, plain, with no flavoring at all—made their stomachs churn in protest.

Another hour of meditation followed, and a bell was rung to send the monks to bed. Neither panda nor snow leopard felt particularly tired, each one lost in their own thoughts, their bodies aching too much to make sleep much of an option. Nevertheless, they retired to the cells they had been assigned to, and laid atop their blankets, hugging their robes closer around their bodies to fight off the chilly mountain air.

Tai Lung could hear Po shivering through the wall, and felt a wave of pity. He had gotten used to temperatures like this in Chorh-Gom; at that time, he'd only had his trousers and the tortoise shell on his back to fend off the cold. Who knew that twenty years of that hell would eventually help him? Po, however, was used to the more temperate climes of the Valley of Peace. The poor guy would suffer tonight, if the smell of snow in the air was any indication.

Snow.

A wave of panic overtook him. If it snowed soon, it would make his trek home impossible, unless he left soon. And leaving Po here, alone, through the whole winter… But what about Mei Xing? Was it snowing in the Valley? Was she getting worried? He knew she had essentially ordered him to go on this quest for his own good, but he knew she would get nervous. He was worried for her. Was she healthy? Was the baby well? What if she—gods forbid—went into labor early, and he wasn't there for her?

His thoughts were cut off by the sound of teeth chattering. He sighed and got up, moving next door to peer into Po's cell. The panda was curled up under his blanket, still clutching his robes as close to his body as possible. Tai Lung marveled that someone with as much…insulation…as the panda had would be cold in a place like this, but he decided not to question it. Instead, he crept into the cell and laid his own blanket over his friend and watched him a moment before slipping back to his own cell. He lay on his back, staring at the rock-hewn ceiling until he heard Po stop shivering. He closed his eyes after sending a last prayer to the gods to watch over Mei Xing…and as he fell asleep he hugged his robes tighter around him, as if by some stretch of the imagination, he could envision her arms wrapping around him in their slumber.

As predicted, the next day they were both still sore. Po looked worse for wear, and quietly complained of the lack of sleep, to which Tai Lung had to concur. After this shared whine, however, they bore the pain with quietude. Not because of their sense of dignity, but because they figured their complaining would earn them more hits to the head from a certain bamboo staff.

This morning, they joined the monks at the main sanctuary for prayers and chants, then walked to the Great Hall for breakfast. The pair were glad they were not the only ones finding it hard to choke down the porridge: the younger children looked especially unhappy, but ate it anyway. The red panda novice looked particularly forlorn, and Po suddenly realized with supreme consternation that the child looked unhealthily thin. After the silent breakfast, the monks departed for their respective roles. The younger monks and novices left for their lessons in religion, philosophy, and beginner's kung fu, whilst the older monks prepared bags and baskets for a trip down the mountain to the village.

Meanwhile, Po and Tai Lung had no instruction whatsoever. Tai Lung, of course, wanted to practice his kung fu, but his muscles were still too sore from the day before; experience had taught him that muscle strain was sometimes worse than a broken bone. Po, naturally, was still exhausted and wanted little more than to sleep for the rest of the day.

"Just try meditation," Tai Lung whispered. "You can always fake it."

"I got a feeling Sun Bear would know," the panda replied. "You gonna meditate too?"

"I'm going to the library," he answered, drawing his woolen robes around himself. "I'm about as fond of full days of meditation as you are of that old goat, Mr. Lu. I need to keep my mind occupied with something or I'll go mad."

Po nodded and stood. "Okay, I guess I'll…" he cast his green-eyed gaze over the deserted main courtyard. "…find someplace to sit."

Tai Lung gave him a halfhearted smile. "It's not so bad. Think about it, this training could be a lot worse."

"Though I don't wanna give our master the motivation to make it really hard for us, y'know?"

"Believe me, I know," the snow leopard groaned, massaging his sore bare bicep. "If you feel like joining me, you know where I'll be."

He had to be silent. A class of five novices was being conducted by an old ox, who was teaching them the finer points of the language arts, while the same two monks from his first day sat at their desks, inscribing old scrolls into newer ones. Opting to stay as far away from them as possible, Tai Lung crept along the innermost walls, deep into dark corners where even the light of his candle didn't seem to give enough illumination.

The further back he went into the library, the dustier the shelves became, making him sneeze periodically, and unintentionally disrupting the novices' class. So further back he went, holding the folds of his robe over his muzzle even as the dust stung his eyes. Tai Lung kept walking until coming upon a wing that was even darker than the ones before. Massive cobwebs hung like veils across the opening, where beyond was a small alcove with a low ceiling, and scrolls and bound books lining shelves that had been hewn from the bare bedrock.

Naturally curious, the snow leopard stepped inside, ducking the cobwebs and minding his step on the floor. To his surprise, there was not as much dust here; in fact, the shelves, the floor, even the ceiling was remarkably clear of dust, debris, and evidence of arachnids. In the very back of this alcove was a short desk, upon which a little dust had settled.

He set his candle down and peered at the shelves, his pupils dilating to see in the dim light. Most of these bound books were histories, books of poetry and literature. A few were original journals, and other various primary sources.

Then his eyes widened as he settled upon a remarkable title. "The Great Fight: Testimony of Zhanshi Feng".

Zhanshi Feng…the Phoenix Warrior? It had to be; how many other names in China and Tibet literally translated to "soldier of the phoenix" and were housed in the library of a temple dedicated to the aforementioned warrior?

He grabbed it, carefully opening the cover, which crackled and snapped, creaking like a rusty-hinged door. Carefully leafing through the crinkled, water-damaged pages, the snow leopard found more information than he had ever bargained for…particularly the foreword written by…

Could it be? Could it really be…?

"There were too many of them. The Dragon Warrior and I had to retreat, retreat like cowards. 'Twould be better to die in battle, despite what my comrade says: 'better to be a live coward than a dead idiot'. His pacifism almost got us killed, and now will shame us until the end of time. Should anyone discover the truth, of what really happened in that battle, they would spit on our graves."

Wow, the snow leopard thought, whoever the first Phoenix Warrior was, he was hardcore.

"He can try to justify it however much he wants, but I know the truth: he was afraid to die. I've died before—it's not so bad. There's comfort in knowing what awaits you…yet now I'm cursed with this 'blessing' my dear friend is responsible for. He's drafted the Dragon Scroll, which he will bestow upon a worthy successor when the time is right. As for myself, I need to leave behind some measure of wisdom, which is neither a strength nor a delight of mine. Still, if there is truly a second Phoenix Warrior out there, somewhere, who will carry on my legacy, perhaps I may finally rest.

"To his satisfaction, I shall hide the Phoenix Scroll's secret, as the Dragon Warrior hid his. The secrets in the Dragon Scroll are so dangerous that it needs to be locked away, and mine more so. He is a fool for hiding such a dangerous weapon in plain sight. No. I will bury my scroll so far into the earth that no mere man could discover it."

Tai Lung ceased reading and stared into space. He was reading the words of a man who had been dead for over a thousand years, words that were written in his own hand. The snow leopard carefully trailed his fingers over the parchment, brushing over the faded ink, and felt an excited thrill at the thought he was touching the very page that had been touched by his predecessor. He felt…connected to this warrior, this stranger, this hero. Yet he also discovered a strange feeling…that he knew this writer, he knew this warrior, as impossible as it sounded.

Nothing is impossible.

The snow leopard skipped forward a bit, carefully turning the pages until he came upon an incredible ink and watercolor painting…the page awash with scarlet, depicting a scene that nearly made the feline sick. Tai Lung was used to graphic violence; he had committed some violence of his own. But the illustration on this page and succeeding pages were too much to bear. It was a total bloodbath. Enemy soldiers killing women, children, old men in their beds, and performing such unspeakable acts on any captured slaves, and men and orphaned boys being rounded up for slaughter. But what were worse were the illustrations of torture, more gruesome than anything Tai Lung could have imagined. Soldiers, farmers, anyone trying to protect themselves and their families were massacred before his eyes with such excruciating detail…

Tai Lung stepped away from the book to suck in some much-needed air, but the smell of old books and mildew turned foul in his mouth, making him gag. He needed to put that book back, and perhaps find some quiet place outside to deposit the meager contents of his stomach. When he turned back to the book to close it, he noticed the next page had a torn corner, with writing peeking from behind it; he turned it and again saw the Phoenix Warrior's handwriting:

"Such are the scenes from the Great Fight. Pictures are worth thousands of words, and it is lucky I have some measure of artistic talent to depict these events. Otherwise, the true story of that battle would never be known. The true story of those atrocities would never be told, and those poor souls who lost their lives would have died for nothing. If I had stayed, had died in battle, I would have died taking down as many of those bastards with me as I could. Whatever the Dragon Warrior says, there is no way my testimony would ever say or do enough. Words will never convey the violence of my emotions, only pictures will suffice. For really, what more can be said?"

What more, indeed…

Tai Lung closed the book and put it back. Picking up his candle, he stepped out of the back room and made his way back to the main chamber. Even the low light the scribes worked by stung his eyes, so used to the enveloping darkness that any stronger light blinded him. The scribes didn't look up when he blew out his candle and set it aside. Drawing his robes closer around his body, the snow leopard quickly left the library, and made straight for the main courtyard, to tell Po of his discovery.

Po sat in meditation in the main courtyard, practicing the special yoga breathing Sun Bear had taught him. He didn't seek to perfect it—wasn't the point of yoga not to be perfect in it? Instead, the panda tried focusing on the sounds from around the monastery, instead of his breath. He wished he could have gone there sooner, for, ironically, this place gave him a peace he had not known in the Valley of Peace. In the Valley, there was always energy, motion, and in the Jade Palace, there was too much noise, too much training, for him to truly appreciate the stunning vistas seen from the Jade Mountain's peak.

But here, it was as if time stood still, and he felt it in the monastery, from the faded blue tiles at the top of the pagoda to the paving stones he sat upon. There was history here, memories that flitted through the corridors like ghosts from eras long past. Everyone here seemed to behave far beyond their years. The small red panda novice, for instance, had a quietude and gravity that far exceeded his age, behaving more as a battle-weary soldier than a seven-year-old child.

What truly surprised the panda was how silent this place was. The only sounds he heard were the tinkling of prayer bells and the wind whistling through the peaks. He felt he was both outside nature and a part of it. He had never been able to reach this kind of meditation before, where he was aware yet unaware…and in this instance, mostly unaware.

"Enjoying yourself?"

Po opened his eyes and looked to his right, spotting Master Oogway sitting next to him in a meditative pose. The panda couldn't help but smirk, "Glad you didn't hafta knock me out to get my attention this time."

"This time," the tortoise nodded in agreement. "I am glad you got here so swiftly; I always enjoyed my visits to the Phoenix Temple. Sun Bear was and always will be a dear friend, and hospitable host."

Po gaped at him. "Hospitable?"

"Like I said, he is unorthodox."

Po sighed and looked about. He was back on the spectral plane, sitting in front of the Pool of Sacred Tears; this was the only indication that he had passed through the portals to this landing. "I get the feeling he doesn't like us."

"My old friend has odd behaviors, but compared to me, he is quite ordinary," the sage said. "I used to annoy Shifu with worse transgressions."

"I find it hard to believe you trained Shifu," Po said. "I mean, you're so tranquil, and he's so…"

"High-strung?" the tortoise finished for him.

"Yeah."

"Perhaps that is my fault—when Shifu was young, Sun Bear came to visit the Jade Palace once; he imparted many things upon my student, his cynicism being one of them. Teenagers are quite more pliable than most people believe."

"So you've known Sun Bear a while?" Po asked, trying to find any information on his new teacher. It was a vain attempt to see how he could get on the bear's good side…if there was one.

"I have known him since he was a young man." Oogway smiled nostalgically. "I saw quite a few similarities between him and Tai Lung, actually. Though I shudder to think how Tai Lung would have fared under Sun Bear's tutelage and not Shifu's."

"What d'ya mean?" the panda asked. "They seem to have a lot in common."

"More than you know." Before Po could question further, Oogway continued, "As you know, I created kung fu for the weak to be able to defend themselves. My favored styles were always reactive. Sun Bear's favored styles are proactive."

"Isn't that a good thing, though? Why wait for the bad guys to hit first when you can stop them from hitting at all?"

"For the same reason that I warned you about judging people," Oogway said. "Recall, I warned you that those once perceived as enemies will prove to be friends, and those you thought you could trust will in turn betray you. Kung fu is not about 'hitting first and asking questions later', as Sun Bear was fond of saying. Kung fu is about protection. It helps to be prepared, yes, but remember the teachings of Master Frog…"

"…The frog doesn't chase after the fly," Po recited. "The frog sits on the lily pad and waits for the fly to come to him."

Oogway smiled. "Exactly. Knowing how to fight does not mean you should use it to solve all problems. Do you know why?"

"Because fighting doesn't solve every problem," Po said. "But I knew that since I was a kid—my dad taught me that."

"Sadly, that was a lesson Tai Lung never learned." Oogway sighed and shook his head. "Whether it is his being a predator, or if it is Shifu's tutelage, or if it's just his personality, Tai Lung never quite understood that kung fu is for defense, not offense."

"So why send him to Sun Bear if that's what Sun Bear teaches?" Po asked curiously. "If you don't want Tai to be aggressive and learn more defensive stuff, why send him to train with a guy who only teaches how to attack?"

"Because he is not the only one who needs to learn a lesson," the tortoise cryptically said. "Now listen closely: I have come here to inform you…keep your eyes open, Po Ping. Keep your eyes open for what you seek. The answers to the greatest mysteries are often in plain sight. During the course of your stay here, I will visit your dreams and meditations more often, for I foresee you needing guidance now more than ever. Tai Lung will also have a spectral visitor visiting him."

"Why can't you visit both of us? Wouldn't that just make it easier?"

"One would think." Oogway hesitated, then quietly said, "Easier for us spirits, yes; easier for the two of you, no. For the depths of your friendship with Tai Lung, there are still things he keeps from you, and things you keep from him. Things you are both ashamed of, things you would not tell another living soul unless you trusted them beyond a shadow of a doubt."

"What kinds of things could he be hiding?" Po wondered. "I mean, being claustrophobic isn't anything to be ashamed about—I'm afraid of heights, and I know there's no shame in that. Everyone's afraid sometimes. So I guess…what is he afraid of?"

Oogway fell silent, with a gravity that told Po that perhaps whatever secrets his best friend still kept from him, they were potentially damaging to their friendship. "It is not for me to reveal," the old sage said. "When Tai Lung is ready, he will tell you. Some secrets he may never be ready to expose. Whatever his reasons to keep things from you, all you need know is that he does it because he cares for you and values your friendship very, very much…in fact, he values it more than anything I've ever seen from him."

"Okay," Po nodded, looking unconvinced. "I'll take your word for it."

"Please do," Oogway smiled. "Now, I believe you have some questions for me?" The way the tortoise smiled, Po knew he'd been expecting the inquiry that was coming. The panda thought how best to ask, how best to pursue his curiosity without being too nosy. Po thought a moment longer, then asked, "The other day, Sun Bear mentioned that the Dragon Warrior and Phoenix Warrior knew each other."

"They were brothers in arms, yes."

"Did you know them?"

Oogway fell silent again, and appeared suddenly distant. Po started to regret asking. "Is it a sore subject?"

"It was many years ago…" Oogway said, looking decidedly forlorn, a sad, reflective gleam in his eyes. "So many years, so many memories…" he hesitated, then continued, "Whatever Sun Bear has told you, I can assure you it is misleading. He has spent the better part of his life protecting the secrets of this mountain and this temple. You will find that the first Dragon Warrior kept his secrets in plain sight; the Phoenix Warrior kept his scroll hidden, and hidden it shall remain, until his successor comes to claim his title."

"So there is a scroll, and me and Tai just need to find it, right? It's gotta be in the Phoenix Warrior's tomb, right?"

Po knew there was little Oogway could actually confirm, but it was what the tortoise did not say that was the most telling of all.

"In time, Po, Tai Lung will find the answers he has been looking for…and in time, you will come to learn all the things I should have told you, but never did."

"Okay…" But it wasn't okay. Though he tried to deny it, Po still felt a bit sore that Oogway had passed into the next life without adequately telling him just what being the Dragon Warrior entailed. The panda had ascended to becoming a being of ultimate power and all he had to show for it was a lousy scroll. And it was a blank scroll with a reflective sheen…it might as well have been worthless if Po hadn't figured out the symbolism.

But that told him nothing about what was expected of him. Learn kung fu, sure. Be an honorable warrior, no problem. But beyond that, what was his destiny? What did his title even mean?

He opened his eyes and found himself back in reality, sitting on the cold stones of the courtyard, and now shivering in the cold shadow of the pagoda. His vision had abruptly ended without further consultation with Oogway, and left him with many more questions than before.

"How curious," a voice said behind him. Po whirled around and saw that Master Sun Bear had snuck up behind him, and was studying him very carefully. "I thought you had been bluffing when you said you knew some kung fu—you have learned its principles very well."

"Well, yeah," Po said, slowly standing and brushing dirt off his robes. "My whole life, I dreamed of being a big, tough kung fu warrior, and, y'know, I thought if I learned about it, and tried to live like I was one—y'know, become it, I guess—that learning to fight would be easy. And when I first learned some stuff, yeah, it was hard, but I really wanted to follow my dream because…well, it was my dream, y'know?"

"Interesting," was all he said in return. Sun Bear scrutinized him for a long, tense moment, and said, "You are an interesting study, Master Shang. I confess I took you for a fool when you arrived two days ago, a fool and a charlatan. But you are proving my first impressions were mistaken—the first thing I noticed just now, as you were talking about kung fu, is just how much brighter you looked—your eyes shine like a child's when you speak of kung fu. You are indeed a man following his dream, and that I admire." He smiled thinly. "Reminds me a bit of myself. A bit."

Po pressed his lips together and looked down at his feet. "A man? Weird…"

"How so, if you don't mind indulging my curiosity?" the old master asked.

"Well…" he hesitated, then rubbed the back of his neck uneasily. "See there's…well, sometimes I just don't feel like a man, I guess. I mean, I got this girl back home—"

"Of course," the old bear said sardonically. "Do continue."

Po gave him a hard stare, not liking his tone, but continued, "She's everything to me. She's really special, and smart, and yeah, she's very pretty, but that's not the only reason I like her. But she's so awesome, and so smart and talented that…I just don't feel worthy of her. And my dad wants me to take over the family business; he doesn't mind I want to learn kung fu, but I know what he really wants—"

Sun Bear held up his hand. "Stop. Let me see if I have this right. You came across two empires to this temple so that you could impress a woman?"

"No!" Po snapped. "I came here because I wanna know my place! I don't know which path I should take—if I should do what my dad wants me to do, or what I want to do, what I feel is right in my heart!"

"I see," he replied, though it sounded like he had already passed judgment. "So like Tenzin, you are seeking your purpose."

"Well, duh," Po said sarcastically while rolling his eyes. "Why else does someone come all this way to a temple in the middle of nowhere? It ain't for their health, I'll tell ya that!" He shrank back under Sun Bear's glare and stammered a quick apology. "S-Sorry…"

The old master only arched a bushy grey eyebrow and glowered in a way very reminiscent of Master Shifu. "No, that was spoken from the heart. I appreciate such honesty. If I didn't, I'd be a terrible monk. However, while you're here, I'd like to work on your problem with bottling things up—your communication skills are dismal." With a flourish of robes, the old master started walking away. "Enjoy the rest of your day off—tomorrow, the real work begins."

Po sighed and sat back down for another round of meditation, but didn't get very far when the old master hailed him.

"By the bye, Shang," Sun Bear said over his shoulder. "I've been rather curious…how you knew that there were so many who claimed to be the Dragon Warrior."

Po felt a chill and realized that he had inadvertently revealed too much the day they had arrived. But he decided to play dumb: "What d'ya mean?"

Sun Bear hesitated, then turned back to the panda, regarding him suspiciously. "There's something you're not telling me, young man. And I demand to know it, or so help me, I will drag you and your feline friend off this mountain myself."

Po glared back at him and stood, firmly planting his feet and standing tall. "Hey, are you threatening me?"

"Temper, temper; I would never dream of it," the old master said with an obvious eye-roll. "I do not appreciate liars—"

"We aren't lying to you—"

"Aren't you?"

"—We're just trying to protect our families!"

"How so?"

Po finally snapped, "Because we don't trust you either, buddy!"

Sun Bear blinked in astonishment. Po was still glaring at him, and the panda let out a frustrated sigh. "Okay, fine, I didn't want to tell you…"

The old master waited for the answer he sought.

"…I'm the cook at the Jade Palace."

And he would be waiting just a little bit longer. "The…cook?"

"Master Shifu had no choice," Po shrugged. "Be glad you never ate anything Master Mantis ever cooked—Master Tigress was out for weeks from food poisoning."

"Really? What did she eat?"

"Congee."

Sun Bear's jaw actually dropped in shock. "She got food poisoning from congee? How in the world is that possible?"

Po shrugged. "Ask Mantis—I got no clue how he did it. I don't wanna know how he did it. All I know is that I saw the Jade Palace was hiring a cook, and I jumped at the chance."

"What chance?"

"To be near my heroes. I mean, wouldn't you do that, if you had the chance to meet and work with—well it's not really working with them, but kinda-sorta—to work with the people you look up to? I mean, the Five are so freakin' awesome…and really nice too. They taught me a couple moves in their spare time."

"They get spare time?" Sun Bear asked, sounding genuinely surprised. "I'm amazed Shifu allows that."

"He's a lot mellower than people think. Well, since I've met him," he shrugged. Po should have been worried at how easily he came up with the lie. Well, it wasn't technically a lie—he was the unofficial cook, after all, and Mantis had in fact found a way to give Tigress food poisoning through congee; they never spoke of that incident. "My dad makes noodles, my whole family makes noodles," the panda continued. "And my dad wants me to carry on the family business…but I really, really wanna be a kung fu warrior."

"Boy, are you out of your senses?" Sun Bear bluntly asked. "You have the chance for a long, peaceful life—why in heaven's name would you stick your neck out for such a dangerous job? Are you even aware what the life expectancy is for kung fu warriors?"

"Well, Shifu's kinda old…"

"You're missing my point."

"No, you're missing my point," Po said. "When the Jiao Clan came and invaded the Valley, that was a wake-up call. I don't want to be defenseless—kung fu is a way for the small and weak to protect against the hard and strong, and I want to learn it so I can protect the family I have…and the family I want to have," he finished with a bashful blush.

Sun Bear's expression had fallen from extreme suspicion to keen interest to sudden understanding. "Had you told me you were only here to learn to 'kick butt' as they say in layman's terms, I would have kicked you out in a heartbeat. I am not in the business of training soldiers—that's the army's job, not mine. If you wanted to learn to fight, you would have gone to the army…" he hesitated, crossing his arms over his thin chest. "But instead, you came here. You could have taken the easy way out and didn't. I admire that. I also admire that, unlike the others who have come here seeking training, you actually know the philosophy of kung fu; your trouble is in the practice and application."

"Yeah," Po nodded in understanding. "Master Shifu said something like that. I know I'm not real flexible, but the things are looking, that 'yoga' thing is gonna help with that!" he said hopefully, brightening up. "And I know I'm not real strong, but that'll change too, right?"

"Change only happens when you allow it to happen," Sun Bear said. "But I must restate…I don't think I have seen a single pilgrim come here with such extensive knowledge of the art. I've seen plenty who knew the technique, but very few who knew it—and saw it—as an art form."

"Well sure," Po shrugged, "Isn't that why it's called the 'martial arts'?"

The old master smirked at the quip. "I can see that you and Master Tenzin are complete opposites in this case. He knows technique and skill very well, whereas you are lacking in that department. However, his technique and skill is worthless without knowing the reasons for knowing those skills. Isn't that right, Tenzin?"

Po had been paying such rapt attention to the master's lesson that he didn't notice Tai Lung had walked up behind the old bear. Sun Bear still addressed the snow leopard, though he had not even looked behind him to see who approached him. Po exchanged a similar look with Tai Lung over the master's shoulder and the snow leopard mouthed, "How does he do that?"

Po shrugged.

Sun Bear turned to look at the snow leopard. "I trust the library was to your liking?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes, Master," Tai Lung said, bowing respectfully. "It was…very informative."

"Yes, rather the point of a library, isn't it?" the master said with a smug smile. "I was just speaking to Shang about your training, which I've just realized needs to be a little more specialized to your specific circumstances. So, Tenzin, walk with me, and tell me more about yourself."

That wasn't a request. Tai Lung glanced back at Po, who gave him a sympathetic—yet warning—look, and he followed the old bear across the courtyard and down one of the hallways to the monastery's inner sanctum.

Very little to say here; not a single fight scene, and that's not going to change for a while. Sorry.

Now before anyone says anything, the yoga scene is as close to truth as possible; I drew from personal experience. It is NOT as easy as they make it look. And yes, I was in exquisite pain for a couple days after my first lesson; I had pulled muscles I didn't even know I had (and because I was out of my mind, I went back two days later and repeated the process).

For those who were paying attention, the panda-bandit Liu Yong mentioned earlier is in fact a nod to the character Bao from Nievelion's masterful epic "A Different Lesson".

Now as for predictions: Sun Bear is certainly hiding something, Tai Lung will certainly find more clues that lead him to understanding his predecessor, and Po will learn much more about kung fu than he ever expected. As for our Valley friends: expect Su Lin's backbone to get a little stronger, and you better believe this isn't the last we see of Zang.

As always, please read and review!