Ok, so this is the longest, and my most favoritest chapter EVER! OMG I had so much fun with this! haha I hope you really really like it cause I loved it and would write it again if I could go back in time and do that! lol Also! There is a scene in here that was totally influanced by EmmerzK and her story Sacrificial Loyalty (if you haven't read it YOU ABSOLUTLY HAVE TO READ IT! BUT read Embrace the Rhythm FIRST cause it won't make sense if you don't). Emmerz, you rock and I just had to! ;) This next chapter should be the last *sniff sniff* but the sequel will be my fourth quarter triumph! haha! Anyway, ENJOY! I know I did! XD

Chapter 20

Keep-Away

I dried my eyes from my selfish tears. I had no right to feel sorry for myself when this wonderful pack of wolves was hurting at the loss of their alpha male. Of course I wished with all of my heart and soul that I had been able to see my father just once before he was slaughtered, but I could not do that now. I sniffled and Shen wrapped his wing tighter around me. I looked up at him and knew he was thinking about his parents too; the pain etched on his face told me all I needed to know.

Then the howl stopped, and Shen's face took on a peacefull glow. "Are you alright?" I asked, nuzzling my head under his chin. I felt my white peacock shudder in ecstasy and he sighed happily.

"I'm better than alright. I've got you back now, don't I?" He replied and kissed me sweetly. Then we looked back to the wolves.

Sariah was still crying into her fathers' fur when the kind male that had come to sit next to her touched her shoulder with his paw. She instantly turned and wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his long-furred chest. "He's gone Garrett. He's really gone."

"Hey, shh, shh. Talon will never be truthfully gone." He placed his frosty white paw under her chin and made her look up at him, his soft emerald eyes calming her sobs. "You're here aren't you? And you are his daughter." He said, and a soft smile came to her face.

"I suppose I am." Sariah replied and nuzzled his muzzle. Then a spark came to life in her eyes and she turned "And you know what else Garrett?" The male looked surprised as she stood with her paw held tightly in his. "I've been living inside a mountain, talking to rocks for company, and that's just a bad situation in and of itself." She was talking excitedly, trying to get her words out quickly. "And you know what I decided?"

"What?"

I decided that for the rest of my life I wasn't going to second guess anything that makes me happy. So, Shen and Lien," She turned to us and Shen helped me stand. "I will be your general. I would be honored." She bowed with her free paw over her heart. The other was still holding onto Garrett's paw.

"Thank you Sariah, we will never forget this." Shen told her with a gleam in his eyes.

"And I will never be able to repay you for saving my family. You acted bravely, and you were able to get them out of the tunnels alive." I told her, wishing I could stand on my own to address her solo. "I will be forever in debt to you Sariah."

"Please, all you need to do is get him cooped up so he can't go running off and getting trapped in collapsing caves anymore." Sariah teased placing her paw to her muzzle as though to block the words from getting to Shen's ears.

"Thanks. Now I'll never be able to leave the palace." Shen rolled his eyes and smiled. I bumped my shoulder into him playfully and kissed his cheek.

"Not a problem." The silvery wolf saluted with a sarcastic smile. "It is the least I can do for you since you reunited me with my need for other creatures and my pack. I will stand by you until I can't stand anymore." She said with a bright smile. "Now, Genji and Bo-Chen." She turned to my brother and sister, who I hadn't noticed next to us. They had been totally quiet for a while. "You goofy teens are the best friends I could ask for. Without you guys my life would be as dull and boring as living in a mountain." We all laughed at her remark.

"Same to you Sariah! You're the best hermit ever!" The little golden peafowl ran up and hugged her with all their might as we all continued to laugh at their adorableness. The little white she wolf let go of Garrett's paw and hugged them back.

"You kids are the best." I heard her whisper and felt a surge of pride for my little siblings. They came back over to Shen and I and I ruffled the feathers on their heads.

"Sariah?" Her mother spoke softly and stepped up to her. "I'm glad that you're safe…" Chase trailed off and looked ashamed.

"Mother you can't blame yourself for my lack of a brain. I should have handled it like a lady like you taught me," Sariah started.

"No." The Snow Pack's alpha female pinned her ears back and cut her daughter off. "No Sariah. You handled it the way you did because I was smothering you with annoying etiquette and poise that you didn't even care about. You wanted to be a hunter and I should have supported you in that, not tried to change you. It is my fault for all of this." The mature she wolf gestured to the entire battle field.

"Mother, you are wrong." Sariah ran up to her and wrapped her in a hug. "I love you." I hear her whisper and the crowed "awed." They stood there holding each other tightly for a few more moments but before they let go of each other they whispered something only they could hear. Then they stepped apart and Sariah turned back to Garrett with a flirtatious look on her face.

"And what about me?" He asked with a fake hurt look on his handsome face as Sariah walked back over to him. Without a second thought, Sariah wrapped her paws around his neck and kissed him, long and hard in front of the whole city. Everyone erupted into cheers and shouts of their approval.

"Give it to him Sariah!" Genji called above the roar. As their kiss broke they were laughing, and I had never seen two souls more happy.

"Do you know how long I've been waiting for that?" Garrett shouted above the screams.

"No longer than I have, my dear!" Sariah replied and kissed him again. Both of their tails wagged happily back and forth as Garrett picked her up and spun around.

"You know, they remind me of another couple." Shen told me with a playful look on his face. I caught on, but played along with the charade just for fun.

"Oh really? What kind of creature would display such affection in front of a whole city? Certainly you don't mean the peacocks who plan to rule this city?" I said making it look like I was truly disgusted buy, even the thought, of such a display. "That would be highly unbecoming of a king and queen." Then a giddy smile ruined my mask as Shen's eyes narrowed seductively.

"Unbecoming or not, you make it look good." And with that he dipped me and kissed me ardently. My head spun and I couldn't stop my stomach from doing a backflip. More cheers arose, and among them my siblings.

"Hey that's our sister!" Shen and I failed at finishing the kiss as we burst out laughing.

A month went by, and the palace was buzzing. After getting back to the palace, helping the Soothsayer patch everyone up, and preparing rooms for the Masters Council, the only thing on everyone's mind was the royal wedding. There was the food to pick out, cherry grove to set up, robe fittings to go to, so on and so forth. I was especially vigilant in keeping Shen away from my gown fitting, as my mother had told me once that it was bad luck for the groom to see the bride's dress before she walked down the aisle in it. I had missed him once though, the scamp, and we had had to make a few minor changes.

I had made a special trip down to Chi's florist and had specially requested that she do the arrangements for the wedding, the reception, and make my bouquet. She had been so thrilled, especially when I asked her to be one of my bridesmaids (I figured since Crane was Shen's best man, he would like to have Chi there too). The pretty crane had shown and incredible amount of talent, not only with the flowers, but also helping the Soothsayer, Chase, and I with the wounded.

Chase had decided to retire at the palace, and now she lived in the garden with the Soothsayer. They had become fast friends and sent their days doing whatever struck their fancy. Sariah and Garrett had taken over the old barracks and half of the Snow Pack had stayed as our army. The other half was now being led by Simon and his mate. On every Summer Solstice, the halves would switch so that they could take a break from our two young general's relentless training.

Bo-Chen was my maid-of-honor and she did her job quite well. She wanted to pick out the musicians and help Chi with the flowers, and the little peahen was having the time of her life! She and Genji-Feng were going to walk me down the aisle and give me away, and they had been teasing Shen and I about it every minute of every day; saying things like "You better treat her right," and "Sis, you gotta try and keep the nest intact." They just about drove us crazy with utter embarrassment.

But tonight was the night before the wedding, and everyone was insanely excited; Shen and I being at the top of the list. The groomsmen had planned out a special bachelor's party and were taking Shen out to my old rice farm for some "guy time" before he was all mine. The girls had something planned for me to, and I was super excited. Oh but wait, I forgot to mention that Shen hadn't left yet, and we were messing around in the garden...

"Would you just come back here?" I cried and chased my prince around and around the lotus pond. He had stolen the wooden comb that my father had given to me and I had been chasing him for almost an hour now trying to get it back.

"What? Am I too fast for you, Miss Kung Fu master?" He teased and dodged around me…again. I panted and placed my wings on my knees. My legs were trembling from the adrenaline, and I felt incredibly out of shape. I had just received the Soothsayer and Chase's stamp of approval and had been testing out my legs. My one leg had healed in a sort of flat way just where it had been crushed by Rafael. It wasn't normal and round like the other one, but it still worked the way it was supposed to; I could still flex my talons and such, but I did have a slight limp if I over worked it.

"Not too fast for me…usually." I panted and turned around. I couldn't see Shen anywhere. "Shen? Where did you go?" I walked around a small grouping of almond trees and still couldn't seem to find him. I paused for a moment to listen, and then, as if by some divine intervention, the comb fell on the ground in front of me. I shot my gaze to the canopy just in time to see Shen dive off a branch and tackle me to the ground. "Gahhhhhhh!" I cried and tried to shove him off me. Then we rolled over the edge of a little hill and began to tumble down, head over tail, to the base and another pond.

"SHEN! SHEN MAKE US STOP!" I called, but it was too late; we summer-salted into the pond head first sending a huge wall of water crashing over the far bank. Crane and Chi had been walking on the other side and were instantly soaked by the wave.

"What the…?" Crane grumbled as we surfaced and he shook off the water. Then he and Chi started to laugh so hard they flopped on the grass and clutched at their stomachs.

"Priceless!" Chi gasped through the bouts of laughter. I looked over at Shen and he had surfaced with a lily pad resting perfectly on his head. The flower bloomed out of the top and looked like a funny little bun. I started to laugh as well as I waded over to take it off his head. But just as I reached for it Shen pulled it back, kissed me on the beak quickly, and grabbed my wing. With a devilish smile he jerked me back into the water.

"SHE…!" I screamed but was cut off by the water. I opened my eyes to see him wading as quickly as he could for the bank, and a thought occurred to me. I dove to the bottom of the pond and shoved off with all of my strength. I shot through the surface and spun around in midair to shake off the water. The droplets flew in all directions creating little rainbows as they were hit by the setting sun light and I heard Chi cheer at the display. I hovered for a moment to get my bearings and spied Shen running full out for the almond tree grove, and my comb.

"Not this time buddy." I said to myself and dove after him. The air split around my face and dried out my feathers from the speed, and it was then I noticed another bird in the air next to me. Chi had followed me and Crane had gone to help Shen.

"Let's get 'em." She called over the rush of the wind. I smiled and nodded. I zoomed under the canopy and Chi stayed above to catch Crane. I could see the comb and Shen was getting dangerously close. Using a short teleportation I appeared right in front of him and plucked the comb off the ground.

"Ha! I got it!" I smiled and squealed playfully as Shen narrowed his eyes and leapt in the air to fight me there. "Nononononono!" I sputtered and took off for the open sky. I was almost there when a brown flash of fur caught my attention, and Monkey grabbed the comb from my talons. "Wha?" I paused and whirled to see him going to hand it to the white peacock.

"Oh come on! Give us a challenge sweetie." Shen teased and waved the comb around in the air. There was another flash of brown fur and Bo soared through, reclaiming my comb.

"How's this for a challenge?" I replied and Bo handed me the comb and stuck out her little pink tongue at my fiancé and the two masters.

"Not much." Another voice entered the grove and an insect sized green flash zipped up and took the comb away again.

"Really Mantis?" I sighed and dove at him. He threw it in the air and Monkey reached to grab it. Just when the simian thought victory was eminent another, lighter green flash grabbed the wooden bauble. I looked up and saw Viper wrapped around a tree branch with the lotus comb in her coils.

"Silly monkey." She teased and took off for open ground when Monkey let out a screech and chased her. I wove myself through the tight tree trunks and spied a black and white blob coming at me full speed. With an easy tilt of my wings I passed easily over Po's head and pumped my wings to help Viper who was locked in a sparring match with Monkey.

"Here!" Tigress sprinted out of the palace and Viper tossed her the comb. The female master caught it with ease and took off running for the wolf barracks, Shen, Po, and Crane hot on her tail.

"Chi! Bo! Take care of Crane! I'll get the other two." I called to my partners and they saluted and chased after Crane's streamline. I sprinted faster than I ever have in my life and caught Po. I tripped him and kept running, but he grabbed my long tail and pulled me back. Quickly I fanned it and in shock Po cried out and let me go. Now for Shen, who had caught Tigress and they were sparring on the barrack walls. I flew up behind him and all three of us paused.

"I'm sure you think you have me beaten now, don't you?" Shen crooned and I spotted a flash of white coming across the courtyard of the barracks.

"I do not. I know we do." I replied and lunged forward. Just as I did Shen threw the comb over his shoulder and Garrett appeared out of nowhere and caught it in his mouth. I barreled into Shen with my momentum and we collapsed on the wall. I landed on top of him and shot him a narrow eyed look.

"Seems you don't know as much as you thought." Shen sneered and I struggled to my feet to chase the white wolf.

"Garrett! Get back here!" I called and he shook his head. He and the other guys were running back towards the palace now, and we couldn't let them get there. I was shortening the distance between myself and the alpha male, when another flash of white barreled into his side and Sariah arrived. They both tumbled off to the side and the comb flew out of Garrett's mouth and into the air.

Bo zoomed in and grabbed it, but Crane snagged her tail and she dropped it with an angry squeak. Then Chi dove into a loop and caught it in her talons, with Shen chasing her in a figure eight through the air. "Lien! Help me!" She cried as Shen soared in front of her and she had to stop. The pretty crane threw it over Shen's head and I banked right to catch it. I nearly had my talons wrapped around the wooden accessory when Po appeared again and snagged it.

"Haha!" He laughed and took off running again. I sighed angrily and pumped my wings after him. We were nearing the big lotus pond and Tigress bowled him over, and the comb shot into my talons.

"YES!" I cheered and turned around, just in time to see Crane coming in hot. I spun around and moved to kick at him with my free leg, but Mantis bumped my foot and I wobbled in flight just a bit as he took the comb. Crane ran smack into me and we crashed into the grass with a sigh. I lay there for a split second then stood up to see Sariah coming for Mantis and again the little master threw it in the air. It sailed over the still water of the lotus pond and every single one of us leapt for it. I nearly had it when a flash of red and white fur soared over the whole group, grabbed the comb, and landed on the far bank.

Then we all had the same thought, "Oh no!" Not realizing what we did, we had dumbly leapt over the pond and now were all falling into the depths of the water. With a highly undignified scream we splashed into the pond. I dove deeper to avoid getting kicked or whacked by another creature swimming for the surface. As soon as my eyes adjusted I watched for an opening and ended up catching up to Shen and crawling onto the bank next to him.

I lay there panting for a few minutes, trying to catch my breath then looked over at Shen. "Well played peacock." I smiled and we sat up. Looking across the pond I saw Master An and Master Shifu smiling devilishly at us, the comb in their paws. Every one of us sighed and started to laugh as Master Shifu leapt over the pond with ease and presented the comb to me with a bow.

I reached for it, but Shen beat me there and snagged it out of Shifu's paw. I whipped my gaze to stare him down, but he kissed me before I could feel truly angry. I wrapped my wings around my darling fiancé, and he placed the comb in the feathers on the back of my head, then pulled me close to him and spun around. As the kiss broke I smiled, and Shen whispered in my ear, "I love you."

"I love you more." I replied.

"Impossible." The prince replied and kissed me again passionately.

"Whoa! We walked out at the wrong time." Genji exclaimed and ran back into the palace, not letting Bo-Chen into the garden.

"Hey! What's happening? Are they kissing?" I heard Bo-Chen object as she was dragged away. I smiled but didn't want to break the kiss.

"Ok! Ok! We get it! You're getting married! Would you just cut it out?" Sariah called and this time we stepped apart laughing.

"Aw come on! This is the last I get to see of my Shenny before he really is my husband." I said the fake pet name in a babyish voice, and Po, Mantis, Monkey, Garrett and Sariah made sick faces and pretended to gag. Crane and Chi rolled their eyes and shared an adorable look.

"And I my beautiful little lotus." Shen replied in the same tone, and we had the same ornery thought. We kissed again and made it the most obnoxious one yet.

"I'm outta here!" The fore-mentioned chorused and turned away. Shen and I laughed again. I looked up into his eyes and saw nothing but pure joy.

"Seems that I have to go." He told me.

"Seems you do." I replied and we shared a tight hug. "I'll see you tomorrow, and the waiting will be over."

"I've waited three years, I think one more night may kill me." He teased and gave me another quick kiss before following the guys. "Genji! Let's go!" He called to my little brother.

"Is it safe?" He poked his little golden head around a pillar and saw his almost brother-in-law take off.

"Yep, you won't have to see that again for a whole night!" Garrett told the teen peacock and ruffled his crest.

"Hallelujah!" Genji cried and followed the guys over the wall and out across the city.

"See you tomorrow." Crane gave Chi a quick kiss and followed my brother, catching up to him and play-fighting with him in the air.

"Aww." I sighed and turned my gaze back to Shen's silhouette. As if he knew I was watching him, he flew in a heart-shaped pattern and waved; I waved back and blew him a kiss. Soon they were out of sight and I turned back to the girls. We were all shivering slightly because of the chill of the sun going down, and our wet hides. "How about we go inside and get some tea before we freeze to death." I chuckled.

"Sounds good, then we can try out this cool lotion I made out of crushed lotuses, and Shea. You girls are gonna love it!" Chi exclaimed and we made it up to my room, laughing and talking girl nonsense.

Did you see it? Did you see it Emmerz? lol I LOVE this chapter! XD