Now for the long awaited chapter 7! Once again sorry this has taken so long, but I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 7

Showing Off Into Trouble

It was midafternoon by the time we left Gongmen. Lien and Crane had returned with dirty talons and wingfulls of ginger. Crane had a happy glow about him and I knew my big-hearted bride-to-be had succeeded in making him feel like his old self.

But now we were following Tigress back to the camp where they had found Genji-Feng's feathers. I had suggested that since there would be more sets of eyes we could possibly find a clue to where the wolves had gone with my soon-to-be family. Lien and I were back in our full battle regalia; newly forged Steel Talons (as steel was sharper and lighter than iron), perfectly balanced throwing blades, and razor-sharp bladed staffs. It felt incredibly good to have my weapons back in my wings.

Since that vile swim up from the bottom of Gongmen Harbor the day that Lord Shen was defeated, and losing all of my weapons to the current I hadn't had any. Lien and the Soothsayer had suggested that I keep away from them for a while. At first I had been furious! Was I some sort of foolish child that was being denied his "toys?" Yet after seeing how proud the pretty peahen was when I accepted the weapon detoxification it was easy. I was allowed one small blade though for protection.

Halfway through last year, when the palace walls had been finished, Lien had given me a bundle of throwing knives. They were exactly like my old ones, balance, design, weight and all. The blades have just long enough handles to hide them in my feathers and not cut myself. My wonderful lotus had made them by wing, going off the template of the three of my old ones she had taken from me the day of her banishment.

Anywho, it felt good to be on the hunt again. My brand new Talons hugged my feet and seemed to be begging for me to use them on an enemy when I flexed my feet. Now Shen, you can't let dark thoughts enter your mind. I reminded myself as thoughts of how much damage they could inflict on some fool who dared step in my path.

I looked up to see Lien flying point and keeping the best pace with the other master. "This is just like old times!" She called over her shoulder as she dove down and looped back up preforming a spiral (AN: I know that peafowl are not this good at flying, but again I choose to challenge nature and change a few things ;)) I knew she had felt a little bit cramped in the city after all of those years of freedom in the Valley of Peace. The open air was good for her and I saw a new radiance in her. This is what she was used to; hunting down bandits and rescuing creatures, and I knew she loved what she did.

"Yeah, just try to keep your showing off to a minimum Lien!" Mantis teased.

"A showoff?" I scoffed, "Not my Lien!" She gave me a playful look.

"Then you must not know her that well, Mr. Fiancé, because Lien lives to flourish he feathers." Crane joshed.

"You're just jealous!" Lien circled back to us. "You wish you could fly like me!"

"Oh yea. I wish I could fly like a little peahen." Lien's eyes narrowed at this remark.

"Oh? Allow me to teach you a thing or two, Crane." This was close enough to a declaration of war, that I knew I was about to witness something on the border of crazy and amazing. Both masters took off ahead of the group and perched on a little cliff on the side of the mountain. I glided a few feet behind them and settled down for the show.

"Now Crane, you have a chance to save your pride and back out now."

"Allow me to revert the offer to you, my dear." Crane bowed sarcastically and I had to hide my laughter. Lien crowed her battle cry and rocketed into the sky. Crane followed with a smile and they proceeded to spar. It was the most incredible showing of airborne talent I had ever seen. Sure I had seen acrobats preform at the palace before…but this was different.

I never realized the true beauty that was Kung Fu before now. The way they felt the flow of their inner peace, the fluid motion of their muscles, the beauty of each strike, it amazed me. And Lien! Every move she made, completely took my breath away. I could see that her title as Master Lien-Hua was no accident, it was her destiny.

Soon they landed, panting, back on the ledge. "So now we know who possesses more skill." Crane said.

"Me." They said at the exact same time.

"You?" Lien questioned.

"Of course me! Who's the one who beat the obstacle course at the Lee Da Kung Fu Academy when nobody else could?" Crane puffed out his chest and ruffled his feathers to look a little bigger as he said this.

Impressive! I thought. That academy trains only the best!

"Nicely done, Master Crane." Lien crooned and stepped closer to him with a seductive look on her face. I felt my feathers rise and my heart clench in anger, as she ran her flight feathers up his chest and neck, then resting them on his cheek. "But do you remember this?" She was inches away from his face and I was about to get up and pull them apart, when she smacked his straw hat off his head and dove off the cliff after it.

I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding, and tried to calm down as I stepped over to the cliff edge. Lien was diving full out after the hat. About halfway to the ground a small ring of clouds and sound burst around her frame.

"She did it!" Crane breathed and I snapped my slowly cooling gaze at him. "She really did it!"

"Did what?" I didn't realize the tone of my voice was so harsh until Crane looked at me strangely.

"The sound barrier. It has been her goal for years to dive so fast that she would break the sound barrier." The spindle legged master explained.

"Oh." I mumbled smoothing my feathers and took a deep breath as I looked back over the edge. Just before she hit the ground she spread her wings and snagged the hat. Then a stiff air current caught her outstretched wings and she zoomed back up the cliff face. Just as she reached the ledge she fanned her long tail and abruptly stopped her assent.

"Did you see?" Lien squealed like a little school girl and hopped around. "I did it! I did it!" She hugged Crane and jumped around then let him go, after returning his hat. Then she ran over to me. I danced around with her until she grabbed the front of my robe and pulled me to her for a very spirited kiss. I was a little shocked and my heart did a curious bit of pounding, but hey, I wasn't about to complain!

"Well hello there!" I said as she pulled back slowly. "Where have you been all my life?"

"Right in front of you the whole time." She smiled in a foxy way and kissed me again.

"Hey you two! Get a nest!" Po called catching up to us. Lien broke the kiss with a smile and turned to the panda with a horrified look.

"Do not enable him." She jabbed a pointer feather at me and I laughed.

"Ohhhh." Monkey, Mantis, Crane, and Po cooed at the burn.

"Aren't we looking for an abandoned wolf camp?" Tigress chuckled.

"Right!" Lien walked over to her and shot me a look. "Where did you say it was again?" She didn't look away from my eyes.

"Over here. It's in a cave." Again we followed her across a few precarious ledges and to the mouth of a large cave.

"Perfect." I whispered and followed the tigress inside. It was dark so we paused to let our eyes adjust.

"Ah Lord Shen, what a pleasure to see you back among your devoted soldiers." A raspy voice crooned from the shadows. "But you know what's funny? You are the one who shall be bowing to us from now on." A torch was lit and the light revealed a mangy looking alpha wolf with a sewn shut right eye and ragged leather armor on his furry body.

"Lang?" I gasped.

Lang I believe is the name of the Boss Wolf, but I'm not 100% sure. Thanx for reading, now here's your reminder to...REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! hehe XD