Zeng landed in Guanghao just as the sun started to dip down from its position at the top of the sky. He knew exactly where to go to. He had frequented this area many times on mail runs, so many of the population new him. They said high, occasionally bowed, and even others invited him to join them for dinner that evening. He had to decline them all, saying it was important that he get back to the Palace by evening. And it was. As Zeng continued his walk in the village, he started noticing how some of the houses weren't kept up as well as the others. He was heading in the right direction. A particular shabby house that almost leaned against the tavern beside drifted into Zeng's view. The house beside the tavern was disheveled. The door had been boarded up and the roof had a hole in it. Mosses and fungi could be seen near the decrepit window sills. Nobody had lived there in almost ten years and it would never be sold. Superstitious stories of murders and haunting surrounded that house. Zeng shook his narrow head knowingly. How easy it was to deceive others. Turning away from the dark house, he entered the dimly lit tavern. A patron or two sat at the wooden tables. The one eyed pig spat at Zeng. Zeng didn't care; he had other, more important matters to attend to. He sat the bar and knocked on the bar three times. A goose came up from under the bar, rubbing his head.

"Ouch, I seemed to have hit my head on the blasted bar," said the goose.

"Are you okay?" said Zeng. "I know of three doctors that could look at that for you."

Immediately the goose stopped rubbing his head. He gave Zeng a slight nod.

"Back door and then drop. After that, go right," the bartender whispered from the side of his beak. "One ale comin' right up!"

The bartender turned around to pull down on the tap to fill a bottle. Zeng disappeared through the back door. One of the other regulars noticed the messenger goose leaving.

"Hey, he's goin' 'way! C'n I 'ave his beer?"

"Sure," said the bartender.

Zeng closed the door behind him. He was inside a very narrow hallway. Its width was just wide enough for two geese to fit through. The ceiling was just as high as the doorframe, letting an animal stand to its own height. Maybe a rhino would have to duck. The room was also very short – a little under seven feet in length. At the very back of the room, a steel grate filled the floor. With a struggle, Zeng lifted the grille off the floor. Jumping into the depression beneath it, the grating slammed shut with a clang. He flinched. Hearing nothing coming from both sides, he continued on. A second grate lay directly above him. The messenger goose decided that he wasn't going to even try to open it.

"Open this now!" he cried.

A guttural voice called back.

"Who goes there?"

"Shuttup and open the gate, you cliché killer! That line is too old for even a storybook!"

A grumble came and then the grate was hoisted open.

"Zeng," said the guttural voiced animal. It was a crocodile.

"Yes, Kwan, you blind and deaf idiot."

The crocodile laughed.

"Still paranoid, goose?"

Zeng huffed. "Wrong use of words."

A female voice cut through the two arguing beasts.

"Why are you here, Zeng? Have you received the letter?"

Zeng turned to see a fox emerge from the darkness of the room. A candle was lit and three beasts garbed in black could be made out. The crocodile, Kwan was standing next to Zeng. The massive reptilian shuffled back to his previous position next to the fox. A rabbit hopped and placed itself at Kwan's right side.

"To answer your question, Wu," started Zeng, feeling the nervousness leave him. This was his territory now. He was a commanding officer in the wolves' army and here were his own little band of assassins. "I have."

The rabbit piped up and said in a high voice.

"When do we strike?"

Zeng had to hide his smile. No matter how hard he tried, the adult rabbit's peculiar high voice always caused mirth to him. Kwan also seemed to find the voice humorous.

"Tonight."

The rabbit's foot started to slam rapidly on the wooden flooring. The board broke. The rabbit cursed at the board, for a splinter had decided to get itself lodged within his foot paw.

"Still have that nervous twitch, huh, Hsuh?" taunted Zeng. He needed something to make him feel better and bugging his subordinates helped.

The fox rolled her eyes and she stuck one of her hips out. Wu clearly did not believe that what they were told to do was possible.

"No questions are going to be asked after this," said Zeng. He pulled out the red wax seal that had been fastened to the case he got. The three peered at it with interested looks, the rabbit bouncing up and down occasionally.

"The black-hearted wolves themselves, eh?" said Kwan. He began to crack his knuckles. "Finally, after – what was it? Four, no, I don't care – after a long time we finally get to strike! Ohhhh, this is going to be good. I can't wait to drive a knife through that damn tiger's neck. The stupid praying mantis is gonna be next. I'll crush is abdomen and let him die slowly."

Zeng struck Kwan hard across the face.

"Fools," he hissed. "If we kill them, Canku and Xisong will not be happy. Our necks, not just the kung fu Master's, will be rolling on the ground! We just have to knock them out and get them in chains. The Furious Five in Gongmen City were chained up once, all together, their limbs immobilized. Shen did so! If the dead peacock can, so can we! Monkey's tail will have to be tied in knots though to ensure he doesn't grab anything, though. That was a fatal flaw."

Kwan rubbed his cheek. He snarled.

"Why can't we kill them?"

"I would like to know that also," said Wu, shifting her weight to her other hip.

"We will get them to bow before the wolves! It's all part of their physiological warfare plan or something like that. Just do what they say. Canku still likes physical violence just as much as you do Kwan. Maybe he will let you have some fun with them before they do die."

Zeng turned to leave and beckoned them to follow him.

"I will explain what to do on the way there, we will have the time."

Gathering their weapons, the three assassins along with the messenger goose left the dilapidated building out another way. The mountains of the Valley of Peace could be seen towering upwards. Nightfall would bring a definite gloom to the Valley – there was no doubt.

The sounds of a thousand shards of wood hitting the floor filled the air along with a loud shout. Tigress again had burst the wooden clubs that swung back and forth, threatening to knock the user off the already twisting ropes beneath. Ignoring the noise, Monkey flew through the air to attack Tigress. Tigress accepted the challenge without a word and sparred with Monkey on the moving ropes. The master's dodged each other's punches and kicks with ease, all while avoiding the spiked wooden clubs. Shifu noted the sparring match that had begun and watched with interest. Tigress swept Monkey's feet from underneath him, yet the primate's tail stopped him from loosing his balance. Monkey counterattacked, forcing the tiger on her defense. She blocked the strong kick from the monkey and jumped upward, slamming her foot down. Monkey was able to block the kick and twisted up to jab at her chin in an uppercut motion. Tigress swayed like a tree in the wind to dodge the attack. She kicked out with her other leg and twirled in the air so that her paws would catch her from falling. She was just able to grasp the spinning ropes used the momentum to get back on her feet. Monkey hadn't expected the kick and stumbled backwards as Tigress advanced. Still on his guard though, Monkey lashed back. A green blur came from his arm. Viper wrapped herself around Tigress's neck and arm. Using the tiger's own formidable strength, she had Tigress punch herself.

"Viper, what are you doing?" gasped Tigress.

Viper smile mischievously.

"Doing what Shifu told me to do."

Shifu laughed a bit.

"You needed more of a challenge. Monkey is difficult with his constant movement, but two acrobats like Viper and Monkey should really push you to greater feats."

As the sparring among the three continued on the moving ropes, Po pulled Crane aside, careful not to step on Mantis.

"Can I ask you a question?" asked Po quietly.

"Fire," said Crane, still focused on the fight.

"It's serious. It's about Tigress."

Crane's full attention was on Po that instant. He looked deep into the panda's jade orbs. What was the Dragon Warrior getting at?

"What about Tigress?" asked Crane slowly.

"Do you think she would like me?"

Crane chuckled.

"That is a good joke."

Po looked hurt.

"I'm serious!"

Crane stopped his laughing at once. So Po wasn't being funny. No, Po, the Dragon Warrior, had fallen for the fair and deadly Miss (and Master) Tigress. Crane draped his grey and white feathered wing around Po's shoulder.

"I wouldn't know," he said truthfully. Po sighed and glanced back at Tigress, admiring her form. "But I think she does have a soft spot for you now Po. When she hugged you at Gongmen City, my beak dropped open. Nobody has ever got that from Tigress. To be brutally honest though, she most likely, almost one-hundred percent doesn't love you but she does like you."

Po had expected that answer. Maybe things would turn for the better and Tigress did love him back. The chances of that happening though were quite slim. Still, a glimmer of hope planted itself in Po. No animal had ever gotten a hug from Tigress and he, Po, the round panda, had! Well, perhaps there was something special there.

"Thanks buddy," Po replied.

Turning back to watch the finish of Tigress's, Viper's, and Monkey's fight, they studied how each one moved. Shifu had told them before that when you are not sparring and instead watching other's at work, observe what they do. At last the fight finished with Tigress loosing. Even in her defeat, with all her anger just at the surface from loosing, she lost gracefully. Monkey and Viper told her though, that they wouldn't have beaten her alone. It was only by the two of them working together had they been able to beat the Master of the Tiger style. They walked out the doors of the dojo and into the night air.

"Wow," said Po. "We must've kicked training's butt today, it's already night!"

"Yes," agreed Shifu. "You did train hard. A good night's sleep is in call. Off to bed now. As a reward, I will let you sleep in."

Po's ears perked up.

"Woah!" he said, breathless. "Master Shifu giving out rewards!" The black and white panda pumped his fist in the air.

"For five extra minutes," finished Shifu.

Po's exuberance disappeared.

"That's the Shifu I know," said Mantis. "And that's the Shifu you should know."

Shifu smiled softly.

"I'll be in the Sacred Hall meditating. Po, I do hope your snores don't reach there. And remember Po, I expect you up at the door by the first gong!"

The Five snickered.

"Earthquakes do seem to happen during the night," commented Monkey.

"That's only where I walk," retorted Po, his smile reaching to his ears.

With the jabs at Po stopped, the Five and Dragon Warrior walked to the barracks for the night. The candles hadn't been lit yet as Shifu reached the Dragon Pool. Taking a wick, he slowly and methodically lit each one like Oogway had done. Finally, they were light and the familiar scent of the candles washed over Shifu, calming his nerves. He took a deep breath in then left it come steadily out, making the candles waver. Once more, he was able to feel the energy of the universe around him. It wrapped around him and let him feel alive. All was peaceful and he could hear the snores of Po. With this enlightened senses, he could almost hear the rhythmic breathing of Tigress. He could hear Crane shuffle his feathers and the rasp of Viper's scales against the wood floor as she changed position. He could hear the faint tap of Mantis' pincers as he drummed against his cot in a dream. Monkey's faint wheezing when he slept was audible. He smiled. This was were fate led him and this was were he belonged.

Po's stomach gurgled. He was hungry. He contemplated on whether he should get a midnight snack or just sit tight. His appetite won over. With the floorboards protesting under the panda's weight, he was able to make it to the kitchen without any interruptions. What did he feel like tonight? Looking up and down the cabinets, his mind knowing what lay behind the doors. Dumplings, rice, salt, peppers, bread were just a few to be named. Po licked his chops as he settled on the clay jar sitting on the top shelf. Monkey's almond cookies! It was almost funny to think that Monkey still didn't know who ate his cookies. Shaking his rear, he got ready to make the jump. A creak made him whirl around. He begged it wasn't Shifu. Thankfully, it was not.

"Oh, hey Zeng," said Po, trying his best to be nondescript.

"Hey, P-Po," stuttered Zeng. The goose was under a lot of pressure right now. He didn't need distractions. And why wasn't the panda in bed? He was one of the main targets! Mantis was probably already in the box. Viper tied in a knot around Monkey and Crane with massive weights and chains around them. They were saving Tigress and Po last. Po might be the most skilled at kung fu, but Tigress was by far the more dangerous. Zeng's mind churned. He needed to get going.

"I'll be going then," stammered the messenger goose. "D-don't want to k-keep you up."

Po had forgotten to breath. As the sigh of relief escaped from his mouth and as he shimmied up the cupboards he thought

Why was Zeng in the barracks?

Shifu felt a presence behind him.

"What is it Zeng?"

Zeng was a bit unnerved by the fact that Shifu knew it was him. Keeping his composure together, Zeng said in a voice he thought was casual,

"I bring a letter – from somewhere in the west. By the workmanship, it seems to be from a major city."

Zeng handed the case to the Grand Master. The dark blue ink had been smeared and it gave the case a unique, but regal, appearance. The Grand Master was surprised by how much it weight. Zeng bowed low and backed away.

"The note I receive with it said it needed to be opened instantly, something about a plea."

Shifu nodded solemnly. Some animal needed their help and they shall get it. He twisted the top like he had done to so many of the other cases. He heard a small clink and a tick.

"What kind of letter did you say this was, Zeng?" asked the red panda.

Zeng smiled evilly.

"A letter to say goodbye!"

At that moment, Zeng leapt backwards and a fireball of orange and yellow engulfed the Grand Master. A thunderous sound echoed throughout the Hall of Heroes. As the jade rubble stopped clattering and the greenish dust cleared slowly, Zeng smiled at his handiwork.

Tigress bolted upright. A fox and rabbit were staring at her, knives drawn. They held the two blades to her throat. The rabbit spoke softly,

"Don't move or your skin'll make a beautiful rug."

Tigress ignored it and she planned her escape route. She kicked backwards; her incredibly flexible body letting her feet reach the faces of her two assailants. They smashed against the wall that her bed touched. Jumping upwards, she slammed down on the rabbit first, stunning him. The fox was a bit harder. She had attached herself to the wooden walls and now had the advantage of height. A loud roar broke the silence and a green and black and white ball came from the room that was across from hers. The ball smashed into the fox, who still kept there, shock registering on her face. The fox crumpled to the floor. A mighty "hi-ya" came from Po and the crocodile was flung off. To Tigress's surprise, the rabbit had gotten up again. The small creature showed great bravery – or just plain stupidity – and lashed out a Tigress with his knives. The Master of Tiger style deflected the blades, her paws connecting with the hilt of the knives. The rabbit feigned left and stabbed right. Po's paw landed on the rabbit's elbow, knocking the arm to the side. The fox had gotten up also and caught the rabbit.

"Get the other's, I'll handle them," said Tigress, still sizing up her competition. Three assassins, each of them armed to the teeth, this was going to be easy. With a growl of defiance, she dropped to the floor and spun around while kicking out. The blow landed the croc onto his stomach. She slammed her fist down, to knock out the croc, but he rolled out of the way. She roared with pain as a knife sliced her side. Thankfully, she had been able to move out of the way a bit, so the deadly weapon didn't cut too deep. Clutching her side to prevent too much blood loss, she fought one handed. An ululation caused the fighting to stop for an instant. In came the Dragon Warrior and the four of the Five. Getting into their, ready positions, the advanced slowly; this simple maneuver boxed there invaders within her room. Blood stained the wood beneath her red as drops of blood seeped out. Mantis attacked with blinding speed. The fox was just able to block the quick succession of blows from the powerful bug. The assassins were defeated and they were going to die – whether by these Master's hands or the hands of their leaders they didn't know. A violent explosion could be heard. A grin plastered itself on the croc's mouth.

"Hope you can save your Master," he snickered.

"Master Shifu!" cried Po.

Master Shifu couldn't be dead, right? The sudden sensation of loosing their master caused each to shudder. The assassin's took the moment to leap over them and flee out the door.

"After them," barked Viper.

Each one sped like a lighting bolt out of the room, hot on the assassins trail. They weren't running away though, they were running toward the Hall of Warriors. Wisps of smoke trailed out from the doorway. Zeng could be seen at the door, waving for them to frantically come. The fox looked back and leered at them,

"It's us or your beloved master! Oh, and Zeng might've done something to your him."

The geese's eyes lit up. Tigress noted the look of fear in his eyes. He had done something! Fury filled her. She could sense it among her friends. With no logic backing up their decision, they all sprinted toward the hapless goose. Zeng ran inside seeing the look of pure hatred on each of their faces. Even the happy-go-lucky Po was steaming mad. The doors burst open, one of them almost ripped off of its hinge by the raw power of the kung fu Masters. As they surveyed the inside of the Hall, their anger melted. It was replaced by grief and sorrow. All her rage left her. The world seemed to get distant for Tigress and she stumbled forward. Zeng used this to his advantage and flapped away, yelling curses at them. No longer was he the meek messenger of the Palace. He was the slayer of Shifu, master at explosives.

Tigress knelt at the blasted crater. She stared in. Pieces of flesh and bone were strewn about. Blood splatters covered the jade pillars. The candles now had a pink and red hue to them. The candles on the far side still sputtered on. Torn pieces of Shifu's green robe, now burnt, were lying about. The pulped torso of the red panda lay at the far right side. His legs were all but gone. What replaced it was the jagged, stark white bone of his hips. The eyes were motionless and the pupils were gone, gone from the sudden burst of light. The dead red panda still clutched at the now shattered rod in his hand. Tigress broke down in sobs. This was the first time she had cried in a long time. The one who had adopted her from the Bao Gu Orphanage was dead. The one who she had called master and sometime father no longer lived among them. The tattered remains of the once noble and now serene Grand Master was all she had left. The other five lowered their heads in respect – Tigress the only who showing open mourning. They had never seen the rock solid tiger show this much emotion. This truly was a great loss for her. Po shuffled his feet. Closing his eyes and praying for the best, he knelt beside Tigress. Tigress did something quite out of character. She wrapped her arms around the rotund panda and buried her head in his shoulder. He could feel her body heave up and down as sobs coursed through her. Tears openly coursed down her black and orange streaked fur. A truly heartbroken tiger now embraced him. Po felt nothing put pain and sympathy for her. He gingerly put his arms around her too. This wasn't a show of affection for Tigress, she just needed something to hold onto. Like an anchor stopping her from drifting her away. She sniffled and regained her composure. She sat up, her piercing gaze never leaving Po's jade eyes.

"I promise you and swear to my ancestors, Shifu will be avenged, even if I die trying," she whispered. The five heard her. They muttered their consent. The Valley could live without them for a while as they chased Shifu's killers. The villagers too would support their actions, for Shifu was a beloved member of the Valley.

"We leave now."

Tigress got up determinedly. Her side hurt from the blows she had taken in the fight in her bedroom. Viper took her arm.

"I know you grieve, Tigress, but it is blinding you. First, we shall fix your side, then continue on. Okay?"

Tigress nodded feebly and let herself by guided back to the barracks. They lay her in her own bed. Tremors came over Tigress as she fought back the memories that surfaced. Po watched over her all night, dozing so that they might catch them in the morning.

Three would-be assassins and a killer goose fled from the Valley of Peace. Surprisingly, nobody had awoken from the sound of the explosion.

They thought it must have been the thunder, scoffed Zeng.

On they ran, hoping to escape the wrath of the Furious Five and Po. They had failed the mission – well, halfway failed. The other six had not been contained but Shifu was dead. That was the main objective of their group. Yet, they were retreating. They should have been standing at the steps of the Jade Palace in victory, the six at their feet. What would Canku and Xisong think now? No mercy would be shown for failure. At last, the Jade Palace was just a slight blot high in the horizon. Panting, the three land creatures stopped by a tree. Zeng glided downwards, looking over his shoulder to make sure they weren't being followed. To his surprise, they weren't. Kwan leaned against the tree heavily.

"So," he said, struggling to catch his breath, "what are we gonna do now?"

Zeng paced back and forth. His head bobbing in the way bird's heads do. Zeng thought hard. The fox lay on her back, staring up at the stars, wondering what her ancestors were thinking of her now. Hsuh started pounding his feet on the compacted dirt. Sweat glistened off the bulky crocodile as the moonlight reflected from it. Finally finding his breath, Kwan stood up and looked Zeng squarely in the eye.

"We can't go back to the wolves! As sure as hell we can't!"

Zeng met his gaze unflinchingly.

"I know!"

Again the goose started pacing.

"Could you stop that?" asked Wu, fanning herself. "It's driving me crazy."

"You know what drives me crazy?" asked Zeng politely.

"What?"

"Failure!"

Hsuh groaned.

"At least Shifu is killed. Did you hear the sobs comin' from that tiger? Boy, she was mad and sad. Hey, they rhyme!"

Zeng had a sudden impulse to punch the rabbit.

"Yes, but the six others aren't contained; they are going to come after us! Wherever we go, they will follow! We might as well–"

Zeng halted mid-sentence. Slowly, a large smile grew on his face.

"They will follow us," he repeated. "Like a tick is drawn to blood."

"What are you sayin', boss?" asked Kwan.

"I'm going to do you a favor. I'll risk my neck and fly all the way to tell the wolves' what happen. Here's what you will do. They don't want those masters at there army until a while later, right?"

The three nodded dumbly. Zeng continued.

"While I fly back to the wolves, you will lead the Five and the Dragon Warrior on a merry chase? Got it?"

Wu held up her paw to interrupt Zeng.

"For how long?"

Zeng rubbed his wings together.

"Oh, a short period of time. No less than about six to seven months. By then, who knows, maybe the army will be at the gates of the Valley of Peace and there we will catch them unaware. All you need to do is make one massive circle!"

Hsuh's foot paw moved faster. Clearly, he was nervous about this task. Killing someone in there sleep or capturing them was easy. Evading six Masters for over half a year was taxing. Wu looked grim and she started grooming herself without notice. Kwan scratched himself and looked dubiously at the goose.

"Got it?"

Halfheartedly, they murmured their consent.

"Good," said Zeng. He started flapping his wings. The bird was suddenly hovering ten feet above the ground. He flew away.

"Good luck!" he sneered back.

Wu looked at the goose with a bit of rage in her amber eyes. Huffing, she set off at a steady pace. The two males caught up with her.

"Off we go, right?" asked Hsuh, almost cheerfully.

"Off we go," muttered Wu.

Kwan laughed nervously,

"If they catch us, at least our death will be quick. Canku would most likely boil one of us alive and make the other eat the damn soup he then would poison."

Kwan's dark humor made Wu smile a bit.

"I think I would prefer Hsuh soup," she said, adding to the joke.

Hsuh sniffed.

"You would have to stop me from shoving a spit through your body first. Fried fox, mmmm, sounds delicious."

"Shuttup guys," said Kwan. "Let's just focus on getting outta here and start running, 'cause this is gonna be one insane, wild goose-chase."

As bad as the pun was, each laughed, nervousness lacing the outburst.