It was a mess.
No one was listening anymore. Not the dragons, the other dogs—and certainly not Chao.
Noises were coming from inside that connected to the mountain—rumbling that could match a dragon's and even a loud screech that let those trapped inside know that something terrifying and irreversible was about to happen.
The crowd in the stands had all but gotten up and were running in a frenzied motion every which way.
Tigress made a leap over the metal protection that surrounded the stands, landing gracefully on all fours amid the chaos with the others who were finally free.
Snapping his attention away from Tigress, Po set all concentration on the panicking black and white dragon who hadn't settled down in the least since his anxiety had started. The cuff around his neck was squeezing him to the point of choking, and Po knew that he had to get it off before his son hurt himself any further.
Chao, he tried to communicate. In less than a few seconds, it was clear that his son wasn't going to listen to his father, either. He was in too much of a panic, his chest rising up and down erratically.
But he wasn't able to listen, was he? Po knew that while he was in dragon form, the only one he could communicate actual words to was Tigress. When Chao had first been stolen, he had tried everything he possibly could to get him back, including sending his telepathic powers outwards. There had been no reply but silence, and Po had known that Chao was simply too young to know that he had the ability to contact his parents no matter how far away he was.
Po moved closer to his son, ignoring the fast-paced movement around him. Tigress and the Five were the only shapes that he paid any attention to; jumps and kicks told him that they were in the middle of warding off the guard dogs who were once again trying to capture and hold them hostage.
Chao, Po tried once more, focusing on putting his energy forward. He had to get through somehow before Longwei and the dogs got to them! They had no idea what was about to happen!
His son snorted and pawed at the ground one last time.
I understand, Po told him as he concentrated on making his thoughts a string that would roll out and connect with him; a string of imaginary Chi that he could grab onto. We're going to get you out of here.
To Po's surprise, Chao suddenly stopped. His breathing wasn't slowing down any, but he had calmed down enough to stop and listen. He glanced up and down in a confused manner as though he were looking for something, and reached out a claw to try and grab the invisible item that he was looking for.
Po followed his glances, equally confused when he couldn't see anything. It was like Chao was trying to find something that wasn't really there...a string of his Chi that he had just pictured...
...Wait...
Realization hit the Dragon Warrior like a catapult.
Words were not what Chao could directly communicate with—pictures were what he used! Images, just like when Po had healed his leg injury and he had passed the information over that the volcano was going to explode; it hadn't been a 'vision' at all! Chao had known that something terrible was going to happen, and he could have only been able to communicate what that something was through his actions!
Po pictured the cuff strongly as he could in his mind and Chao glanced down, just like when he had said a single word to see what his son could and couldn't understand.
He pictured himself taking the dreaded cuff off like he had done the first time, and Chao bent downwards.
Po took a deep breath, a shiver running down his spine as Tigress and the Five caught up to the two in the arena at last, a few dogs lying sprawled out on the floor around them in pain after they had taken quite a beating from the Furious Five themselves. The rest of the dogs had run to try and find a way out if there wasn't already one that Po didn't know about, too afraid to stay and fight any longer.
Tigress stared at her son's bruised and broken form, the scars on his neck even worse and freshly opened. She moved forward slowly and Chao remained still, his father sending an image of her releasing him from his painful and personal prison.
There was one dog that they had forgotten in the midst of all the fear and panic.
Metal banged against metal before Tigress could rest a paw on Chao's neck to take the collar off, and the sharp end of a flaming hot sword nearly sliced the fur of her cheek.
Tigress! Po screamed inwardly to her when Longwei leaped into view, his orange-glowing sword gripped tightly in one gloved paw. Tigress had no choice but to back up as quick as she could, Longwei now directly in front of Chao.
Without second thought and before Po could even try to make a move, he turned and raised his sword in a threatening motion towards the stunned dragon.
"Come. Now," Longwei repeated from the night when he had taken Chao from his parents for the second time with a threat to put the cuff back on.
Chao whined in his bent position, too startled to have moved when his mother was attacked.
"Go back in the cage," Longwei ordered fiercely, his teeth showing. It was clear to Po that even with all the signs from inside that something was about to happen and the panic from the running dogs, he had no idea what was going on; he was just too determined to make sure that his prized fighter stayed where he was.
Chao didn't move. He shook along with the mountain itself and Po could only stand in place, too afraid to try anything should Longwei go after him, Chao or even Tigress.
His worst nightmare came true and everything around them seemed to disappear and slow down.
Longwei moved the sword gently and without even looking back from Chao, he rested the tip...against his wife's chest.
"I think you know what will happen if you don't listen," Longwei hissed menacingly.
Chao blinked, his eyes narrowing.
Po knew that the Dragon Slayer had made a mistake by imagining the most horrible thing he would do to Tigress if Chao didn't follow him into his cage.
Longwei barely had any time to react when his captive jumped forward at a blinding speed.
He could only watch, terrified, as Chao grabbed hold of Longwei's neck with a claw, bashing him with incredible force against the ground. His sword flew to the side; he was utterly defenseless.
You cannot control me anymore!
Po blinked in shock at the voice that boomed through his mind like the boom that he'd heard when Chao had tried to warn him about the impending destruction that the volcano would bring.
A voice so loud, he was sure that Longwei must have heard it, too.
The Dragon Slayer managed to break free of Chao's strong grip, rushing backwards with real fear in his brown eyes that Po had never seen in him since they had first met.
Chao continued to advance, his eyes full of hate and anger that couldn't be controlled.
Soon he had Longwei exactly where he wanted him—right in between himself and a wall where he couldn't escape. Flaring, Chao ignited a flame deep inside that he fully intended to let loose on his captor.
The gas in his throat built up and up until it was almost ready to be released in all its fury—
STOP! Po screamed so loud that he was sure he'd caused more tremors in the volcano that weren't natural.
I know he hurt you, the Dragon Warrior began in the most calm and subdued voice that he could muster. Chao stood in place, tense but listening.
He was listening. Chao could finally understand...or had he always understood but chose not to listen, or had he been too afraid to reply? It took everything that Po had not to change back to his panda form and break down in sobs at this new revelation.
Longwei took you from us. What he's done can never be taken back, but violence isn't the answer. You're not like him...
Po paused, trying the best that he could to keep himself together, his legs far too wobbly and tears threatening to escape.
You're my son.
Chao panted. He broke eye contact with his father and glanced back down to his kidnapper, soon after looking back to Po.
The Dagon Warrior's breath caught and his heart stopped when a new, unrecognizable voice entered his mind. Tigress hadn't said a word and neither had the Five, the group standing in just as much shock to everything that had taken place.
...Baba?
It was a voice. A young voice, and in his heart, Po knew that the voice could only belong to one whose mouth hadn't moved in the slightest to speak.
Chao? Po questioned just to be sure, his legs shaking so hard he feared that he would collapse.
For the second time since Chao had first uttered the word as a cub in his crib, he was hearing his son speak.
He sounded so small...so afraid...so childlike...he was just a child...
The others were too far away to stop Longwei from surging towards his sword that had fallen out of his grip close by, and Tigress's entire world came to a crushing halt.
Like Longwei, Chao had no time to react to the dog's lightning-fast and completely unexpected action as he dove the burning sword deep into his chest before he could spin back around to face his kidnapper. Po could only stare at the horrific sight ahead, eyes wider than they had ever been before.
"You force other dragons to kill them for you. You're no Dragon Slayer," he remembered saying to his enemy just hours earlier.
Longwei grinned in triumph, saddened by the fact that the screaming crowd had not been there to witness his latest accomplishment.
The Dragon Slayer had finally slayed his first dragon.